Link to DEM Home Page Link to State of RI web site RIDEM graphical banner, showing land and water scene
Navigation button, HomeNavigation button, ProgramsNavigation button, TopicsNavigation button, MapsNavigation button, PublicationsNavigation button, NewsNavigation button, EventsNavigation button, SearchNavigation button, HelpNavigation button, Contact
Home > News > News Item


Rhode Island Growth Council Annual Report 2001
  
News Release
Office of the Governor
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade St., Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
For Release: August 3, 2001
Contact: Lisa Pelosi (401) 222-2080 ext. 203
Stephanie Powell 222-4700 ext. 4418

ALMOND RELEASES GROWTH PLANNING COUNCIL'S FIRST ANNUAL REPORT

Governor Lincoln Almond today released the first annual report from the Governor's Growth Planning Council, which was established last year to examine the economic, environmental and social impacts of Rhode Island's current development patterns.

"I want to thank the council for all their efforts in addressing one of our most pressing issues," said Almond. "This report serves as a reminder that we need to address the areas of population and business growth in our state. This is the first step in a long process of preparing Rhode Island for the future and protecting our quality of life."

The council prefaced its report by noting that Rhode Island's quality of life is one of its strongest economic development assets. With that in mind, the first year was spent assessing various growth patterns and the role the state plays in impacting those patterns.

The report cites studies indicating that if Rhode Island continues to grow at the same rate it has during the past four decades, the state will incur substantial financial liabilities and its cities and villages will lose their place as centers of culture and commerce.

The annual report includes the council's recommendations to strengthen state programs that impact various growth patterns. Among those recommendations, the council calls for:
  • an increased focus on government investment in urban communities through greater use of State Properties Committee leases, historic tax credits, and economic development finance programs; Enterprise Zone Program benefits; and Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program for building restoration;


  • a channeling of growth to areas that can accommodate sustainable development by favoring the use of expedited permitting and reduced permit fees in targeted growth areas; increasing the use of the Mill Revitalization Program and the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund; and revising school sitting guidelines to encourage infill and multi-use schools;


  • support for local planning processes, such as using state administered grants to provide incentives for proactive planning, and support for local transportation corridor preservation initiatives.
Included with the annual report are two separate appendices: one containing an evaluation of key state programs that affect growth in Rhode Island, and a report prepared by the Property Tax Subcommittee that deals with policies and programs that could reduce the influence that property taxes have on land use decisions.

Next year the council plans to develop a Strategic Investment Policy that would draw public investments to areas that have been prioritized for growth; develop policy recommendations for supporting brownfields reuse in the state; and examine the affordable housing crisis facing Rhode Island communities.

The 30-member council is chaired by Jan Reitsma, director of the Department of Environmental Management, and Tom Schumpert, executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. Membership is comprised of representatives from both the public and private sector. Members include General Assembly leadership; the Governor's policy director; and heads of state agencies including Statewide Planning; the Department of Transportation; the Economic Policy Council; and the Public Expenditure Council.

The council also has members from environmental, private business and advocacy groups with representatives from Grow Smart Rhode Island; the Nature Conservancy; Save the Bay; the Rhode Island Builders Association; the AFL/CIO; New England Electric Systems; and experts in urban and minority issues.

The council's report will be reviewed during the first plenary session of this weekend's National Governors Association (NGA) Annual Meeting. The session, called "Where Do We Grow From Here?", will be lead by Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening, chairman of the NGA, and held on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Rhode Island Convention Center.

Copies of the report are available online at http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/growth1.pdf.

For more information about the report or for a copy of the report, please contact the Department of Environmental Management's press office at (401) 222-4700 ext. 4418.

-30-
For General Information 222-6800 • After Hours Emergencies 222-3070 • Disclaimer