Bliss v. Woonsocket, 2004-2357 (r.I.super. 2005)

Superior Court of Rhode Island·Decided April 22, 2005·No. No. PC 2004-2357·Unpublished

Opinion

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This case is unpublished as indicated by the issuing court.]

DECISION
Plaintiffs, owners of property in and residents of the City of Woonsocket, appeal the passage of Woonsocket Ordinance No. 04-O-2, an amendment to Woonsocket's zoning ordinance, contending that it is inconsistent with the City's comprehensive plan and therefore invalid. Defendants, the City of Woonsocket, the Woonsocket City Council, and members of the City Council, deny that the amendment is invalid, and assert that it is consistent with the comprehensive plan in that it is reasonably related to public health, safety, and welfare. At issue in this case is the standard of review to be applied by the Superior Court in reviewing amendments to local zoning ordinances.

FACTS AND TRAVEL
The property that is the subject of the present controversy is identified as Woonsocket Assessor's Plat 53 Lots 50 and 30 and a portion of Assessor's Plat 57 Lot 88. The parcel comprises approximately 24 acres of undeveloped land that was dedicated to the City of Woonsocket in 1965. The parcel contains a retention pond, built by the former owner of the property to fulfill a condition on the construction of a housing development on adjacent land; otherwise, the property is unimproved. Since its dedication, the property has been maintained and zoned as open space. It is presently zoned PR-2, defined by the Woonsocket Zoning Ordinance as "Passive Public Recreation District, for the conservation and protection of the natural state of designated areas to provide opportunities for walking, hiking, observation and other passive recreational activities, and to provide a category of land held in perpetuity to insure that the present and future residents of the City shall enjoy the benefits of the natural environment. No minimum lot size is required." Woonsocket, R.I. Rev. Ordinances app. C, § 2.1-5.2 (2002). The property is bordered on three sides by residential areas and on one side by a commercial district.

In late 2003, the City of Woonsocket solicited buyers for six acres of the subject property. The City received two bids and at a December 15, 2003 public hearing accepted a bid from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wal-Mart desired to purchase the property in order to expand its existing store located on adjacent property. The City and Wal-Mart entered into a purchase and sale agreement that made the sale of the property contingent on the City Council passing an amendment to the City's zoning ordinance to change the zoning of the subject property from PR-2 to C-2, defined as "Major Commercial District, primarily for the conduct of major retail trade and services to the general public. A minimum of six thousand (6,000) square feet is required per lot." Woonsocket, R.I. Rev. Ordinances app. C, § 2.1-2.2 (2002). The amendment would change the zoning of the parcel from the least intense designation to the most intense commercial district, the third highest intensity provided for by the Zoning Ordinance. Woonsocket, R.I. Rev. Ordinances app. C, § 2.4 (2002).1 Wal-Mart's bid was accepted contingent on its agreeing to make improvements to the retention pond on the subject property.

A public hearing was held by the Planning Board for the City of Woonsocket on February 3, 2004, and another by the City Council on March 1, 2004. Expert testimony was presented at these hearings, and neighbors objecting to the proposed amendment were given an opportunity to be heard. On March 15, 2004 at a regular meeting of the City Council, upon the motions of several members, various conditions were imposed upon Wal-Mart's use and development of the property and were incorporated into the amendment.2 The amendment, together with its use and development conditions, was then unanimously approved. In accordance with Woonsocket City Charter ch. III § 5, the amendment was again approved at the next regular meeting on April 5, 2004 and was signed and approved by Woonsocket Mayor Susan D. Menard the following day.

The amendment provides, in pertinent part:

WHEREAS, The Woonsocket Council is currently considering under separate legislation the sale of a 6.0± acre parcel of city-owned land comprised of a portion of Lots 5 30, Tax Assessor's Plat 53, and a portion of Lot 88, Tax Assessor's Plat 57, to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; and,

WHEREAS, rezoning of this parcel from a PR-2 Passive Public Recreation District to a C-2 Major Commercial District is a condition of the sale and would be consistent with the existing zoning of adjacent parcels on Diamond Hill Rd.

IT IS ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OFWOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND, AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Code of Ordinances of the City of Woonsocket, Appendix C, entitled "zoning", is hereby amended by changing the zoning designation of a portion of Assessor's Plat 42, Lots 5 30, and a portion of assessor's Plat 57, Lot 88, from a PR-2 Passive Public Recreation District to a C-2 Major Commercial District as depicted on the attached Exhibit "A". City of Woonsocket, Rhode Island Ordinance 04-O-2. . . .

The use and development conditions incorporated into the amendment provide:

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Bliss v. Woonsocket, 2004-2357 (r.I.super. 2005), (R.I. Ct. App. 2005).

Bliss v. Woonsocket, 2004-2357 (r.I.super. 2005) (Bliss v. Woonsocket, 2004-2357 (r.I.super. 2005)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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