|
Department of Planning & Community Development
514 Main Street
Warren, RI 02885
401-245-2469 • 401-245-0595 (fax)
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Located on the Second Floor of the Warren Town Hall
|
What does the Department Do?
The Department of Planning and Community Development coordinates with Town Departments, property owners and the public to define planning/community problems, resolve conflicts and craft ways to achieve common Town goals.
|
Grants Management
The Department of Planning and Community Development currently manages almost $2 million in grant funds for planning, environmental and community development activities. These funds include DEM grants for farm preservation to CDBG funds for streetscape improvement.
Through the HUD-funded Community Development Block Grant program (administered by the RI Office of Housing and Community Development), the Department also oversees a number of programs that can help Warren residents, including:
The Home Repair Program: This program, funded at $80,000 for fiscal year 2009, helps income eligible homeowners in need of urgent home repairs. As of October 16, 2009, the application period for the 2009 Home Repair Program has ended. The office received over 40 applications for assistance this year. Based on available grant funding, the 2010 Home Repair application period will reopen in summer 2010. Please check the website and the Warren Times for further notice.
The Facade Improvement Program: This program funded at $20,000 for fiscal year 2009, helps business owners and business property owners in the 305 Census Tract (downtown) with a facade improvement loan up to 50% of the total project costs. The application period opens January 27, 2010 with Project Consideration Forms due on March 5, 2010 at 12:00 noon (bring to the Department of Planning and Community Development, Town Hall, second floor). Program guidelines and related links can be found below.
Emergency Housing and Utility Assistance: This program, administered through the Social Services Department, helps individuals who cannot pay their monthly mortgage, rents or utility bills. Funding for this program is $10,000 for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Payments are made directly to the billing agent and the amount that any home owner receives is capped.
|
The Storefront Facade Improvement Program
This program, funded by the Community Development Block Grant, offers business property owners and business owners with lease authority in the 305 Census Tract a no interest loan for up to 50% of their investment in improving a storefront facade, not to exceed $20,000. The program requires a match of funds by the applicant; every dollar paid by the Town must be matched by a dollar from the applicant. Eligible improvements include: new signs, awnings, painting, facade restoration, repair/replacement of windows (including window boxes), installation of exterior building, sign or display area lighting and additional improvements on a case by case basis.
Unlike previous years, applicants to the Storefront Improvement Program will be ranked according to Program Priorities. Applications that emphasize the following program priorities will be rated more positively than those that do not: - Businesses that target goods, services or jobs to the 305 Census Tract; - Greater visibility (entryways, Main Street, Water Street and Child Street) and enhancement of the overall streetscape
- Permanent fixtures (awnings, painting or other improvements that last even if the building does not)
- Condition of the property
- Ownership history
- Historic storefronts (for the purposes of this program, "historic" refers to facades over 70 years old
- Amount of private funds in the project.
Additional terms apply. Please review the Storefront Improvement Program Guidelines and Forms carefully before submitting a Project Consideration Form. Please call the Department of Planning and Community Development with any questions at 245-2469.
Learn more about Davis Bacon Requirements...
|
Fair Housing Promotion and Education
By federal law, the Town of Warren, as a CDBG recipient, must certify that it will actively support fair housing through the distribution of written materials, outreach and education, events or other activities. What does Fair Housing mean? Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and handicap (disability). To learn more about Fair Housing policies, visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's website at http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/FHLaws/.
|
Plan Development
The Department Develops and implements plans to improve the community, such as the Comprehensive Plan, the Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Waterfront Plan and neighborhood revitalization plans.
Comprehensive Community Plan. The Comprehensive Plan lays out a community's vision for its own development and outlines the roles that various community entities, agencies and individuals will play in this development. The Zoning Ordinance must comply with the Comprehensive Plan, and the Town's future plans and policies should also align with the Comp Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is currently being rewritten in 2009-2010.
Downtown Parking Plan. The first phase of the Downtown Parking Plan will proceed in the winter of 2009-2010. Working with the Economic Development Board, the Planning Office will help develop a signage "look" for downtown Warren, remove sign clutter and initiate an interdepartmental effort to deal with potential parking impacts of new development in downtown.
|
Project Management
The Department of Planning and Community Development coordinates with other departments, state and federal agencies, residents and consultants (engineers, architects, etc.) to implement community improvement projects. The Department arranges community outreach efforts, locates funding sources and manages project grants.
|
Data Analysis and Mapping
The Department of Planning and Community Developement is responsible for analyzing data to guide policies, procedures and practices, including to land use and land subdivision and community development projects. Data can come through state sources, such as RIGIS (Rhode Island Geographic Information Systems), as well as the U.S. Census Bureau, RIEDC (Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation), HUD or other agencies that collect information.
The Department provides mapping for the Town, and maintains tax parcel maps and zoning maps. For more information on Maps that are available, please see the Document Library (Maps) section of the website. For more information, contact the Department at 245-2469.
|
|
