A. 
For the purpose of this chapter, the Town of North Smithfield is hereby divided into the following 11 zoning districts:
District
Symbol
Description
Residential
REA
Rural Estate Agricultural
Residential
RA
Rural Agricultural
Residential
RS
Residential - Suburban
Residential
RU
Residential - Urban
Business
BN
Business - Neighborhood
Business
BH
Business - Highway
Business
LC
Limited Commercial
Mixed Use
MU-1
Mixed Use - Commercial
Mixed Use
MU-2
Mixed Use - Industrial
Manufacturing
M
Manufacturing
Open Space
OS
Open Space
B. 
Overlay districts.
(1) 
Additionally, there are three overlay districts. Water Supply Protection Supply Overlay, Historic Overlay, and Solar Photovoltaic Overlay. Overlay district use regulations shall take precedence over the regulations of the underlying zoning district. All other provisions of the underlying zoning district which are not superseded by these overlay districts shall remain in full force and effect.
(2) 
Each of the overlay zoning districts established by the provisions of this chapter was created with a specific intent as follows:
(a) 
Water Supply Protection Overlay District. This overlay district, which is shown on the North Smithfield Water Supply Protection Overlay District Map (as amended) on file in the office of the Town Clerk, and includes all land in the Town identified as a groundwater reservoir, groundwater recharge area, water supply basins (GAA classification), community wellhead protection areas, and Town-owned non-transient, noncommunity wellhead protection areas (schools), is established to fulfill the purposes of Article XV, Water Supply Protection Overlay District. Said map is hereby declared to be part of this chapter.
(b) 
Historic District Overlay Zone (HD). This district is established to preserve structures of historic or architectural value as defined in Article IX, Historic Districts.
(c) 
Solar Photovoltaic Overlay District. See § 340-3.20, Purpose, of Article VII.
Each of the underlying zoning districts established by the provisions of this chapter are created with specific intent as follows:
A. 
Rural Estate Agricultural (REA). This District is established to provide protection to areas where the conservation of water bodies and streams are of significant importance, where development may be threatened by flood, or would increase the danger of flood elsewhere and where limited agricultural pursuits and low-density residential uses are compatible with open space objectives.
B. 
Rural Agricultural (RA). This District is established to allow limited, orderly growth in areas where facilities necessary for intensive, urban-type development appear unlikely in the near future. It is designed to permit some conservation objectives, many agricultural pursuits and to allow the orderly transition from agriculture to low-density residential use.
C. 
Residential - Suburban (RS). This District is established to provide areas where medium-low-density residential uses now appear feasible because community facilities such as public water or sewers are likely in the foreseeable future.
D. 
Residential - Urban (RU). This District is established to provide for a somewhat broader range of urban housing types and for higher residential densities. It is anticipated that facilities necessary for urban living will service most of these districts within the near future.
E. 
Business - Neighborhood (BN). This District is established to provide areas for the retailing of convenience goods and furnishing of some personal services. It is primarily intended to serve the day-to-day needs of persons living nearby, although the secondary function of serving community-wide needs is also permitted.
F. 
Business - Highway (BH). This District is established to provide areas for commercial establishments that depend primarily on a great volume of vehicular traffic. Typical uses include those which offer accommodations and services to motorists, specialized retail outlets, and commercial amusement enterprises.
G. 
Limited Commercial (LC). This District is established to provide areas for commercial establishments, light industry and office uses. It is intended to serve community-wide needs and accommodate specialized retail and wholesale establishments which require outdoor storage of materials.
H. 
Manufacturing (M). This District is established to provide areas suitable for industrial development, research and certain transportation, storage and utility uses. In addition, certain commercial services catering primarily to the needs of industry and its employees are permitted.
I. 
Mixed Use - Commercial (MU-1). This District is intended to provide for compact, planned-village mixed-use development of a village nature with existing commercial, but not big-box retail, with a mix of small-scale businesses such as restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, retail shops, and service industries.
J. 
Mixed Use - Industrial (MU-2). This District is intended to provide for compact, planned-village mixed-use and light industrial development where buildings should be clustered, campus-style, around shared open space amenities, with parking located to the side and rear of structures.
K. 
Open Space (OS). This District includes properties owned by the Town, state or federal government presently used for public recreation or conservation purposes. It also includes quasi-public or privately owned land where development rights or conservation easements have been conveyed, or for which there is a reasonable expectation of long-term use for open space conservation or recreation, such as Audubon Society or North Smithfield Land Trust lands.
A. 
The status of uses which appear in the District Use Regulations Table vary from district to district as indicated by the symbol appearing under the appropriate column heading. The interpretation of symbols shall be as follows:
Y - The use is permitted by right.
S - The use may be permitted as a special use under the provisions of Article VI of this chapter.
ZCH - The use requires a Zone Change to be approved by the Town Council.
N - The use is not permitted.
B. 
Where any proposed use is not listed in this section or in Article XXVIII, Terminology, it shall be the duty of the Building/Zoning Official to determine if the use is substantially similar to any existing use. If the Officer determines that the proposed use is not substantially similar to any existing use, then such use shall be prohibited in all zoning districts. A decision of the Officer, either to classify a proposed use within an existing use contained in the Table below or to prohibit the use, shall be appealable to the Zoning Board as set forth in Article XXIV.
C. 
Uses permitted by right involving the construction of multiple uses or units will require review and approval by the Planning Board as a land development project. The process associated with the review and approval of a land development project is contained in the Town of North Smithfield's Land Development and Subdivision Regulations.[1]
[1]
See also Ch. 212, Land Development.
D. 
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, manufactured homes as defined in R.I.G.L. § 45-24-31, which comply with R.I.G.L. § 23-27.3-109.1.3, shall be considered as a type of single-family home on any lot zoned for single-family use. Such home shall comply with all dimensional requirements of a single-family home in the district or seek relief for the same under the provisions of this chapter.
Refer to Ch. 340 Attachment 3, Residential and Nonresidential District Regulations Table.
A. 
Land unsuitable for development means land which has severe or very severe limitations for development. The following regulations shall apply to proposed future residential lots in 1) a conservation development and 2) a conventional development. Nonresidential lots and lots created for the purpose of development prior to the effective date of these amendments shall not be subject to the provisions of this subsection.
(1) 
Land unsuitable for development includes the following areas:
(a) 
Freshwater wetlands, including that area of land ("perimeter wetland") within 50 feet of the edge of any bog, marsh, swamp, or pond, as defined in the rules and regulations governing the administration and enforcement of the Freshwater Wetlands Act, adopted pursuant to R.I.G.L. § 2-1-20.1, as amended.
(b) 
Water bodies.
(c) 
Land within the right-of-way of any existing or proposed public or private street.
(d) 
Land within any publicly or privately held easement on which aboveground or below-ground utilities, including but not limited to electrical transmission lines >69 kV, are constructed.
(e) 
Cemeteries.
(2) 
Lots in a conservation development. When calculating the number of building lots or dwelling units in any conservation development, lots intended for single-family dwellings that are shown on a Conventional Yield Plan as provided in Section 4-1(H) of the Land Development and Subdivision Regulations (The Basic Maximum Number of Dwelling Units), must contain the minimum contiguous developable lot area exclusive of land unsuitable for development as follows:
Zoning District
Minimum Contiguous Developable Lot Area
(square feet)
RU-20
20,000
RS-40
40,000
RA-65
65,000
REA-120
120,000
(3) 
Lots in a conventional development or subdivision. Lots in any conventional subdivision shall contain at least the minimum contiguous developable lot area required by § 340-3.5A(2) as land suitable for development (exclusive of land unsuitable for development).