This bill amends the Rhode Island Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Act to specify the required content of a comprehensive plan. The bill adds a new provision that requires the plan to include specific goals, implementation actions, and time frames for the development of low- and moderate-income housing. The bill also requires the plan to include an affordable housing program that meets the requirements of the Comprehensive Housing Production and Rehabilitation Act of 2004 and the Rhode Island Low and Moderate Income Housing Act. Additionally, the bill requires the plan to include an inventory and analysis of existing and proposed major circulation systems, including transit and bikeways, and goals, policies, and implementation techniques for providing fast, safe, efficient, and convenient transportation that promotes conservation and environmental stewardship. The plan must also identify areas that could be vulnerable to natural hazards and include goals, policies, and implementation techniques to minimize the effects of these hazards. The bill also makes other technical amendments to the existing law.

This bill also amends current law regarding comprehensive plans for municipalities. It requires the land use component of a comprehensive plan to analyze the inconsistency of existing zoning districts with planned future land use. The bill also specifies that the process and schedule for amending the zoning ordinance and map to conform to the comprehensive plan must be included in the implementation program, and that it should not take longer than 18 months for a zoning map to be brought into compliance with the future land use map. The future land use map in a valid comprehensive plan will govern all local municipal land use decisions. The bill also requires the implementation program to include a concise strategic plan detailing the actions to be taken annually to achieve the goals and policies of the plan. The strategic plan must be reviewed annually by the municipality, with a report submitted to the municipal planning board and the city or town council for review. The bill also establishes requirements for maintaining and re-adopting the comprehensive plan, including making it available for public review and periodically updating and re-adopting the plan. If a municipality fails to update and re-adopt its plan within 12 years, it cannot use the comprehensive plan as a basis for denial of a municipal land use decision. The bill also addresses compliance and implementation of the plan, including the responsibility of the municipality for administration and enforcement, the requirement that all municipal land use decisions be in conformance with the comprehensive plan, and the amendment of the zoning ordinance and map to conform to the plan.