Rhode Island § 45-23-48 - Subdivision of Land

§ 45-23-48. Special provisions — Phasing of projects.

(a) A municipality may provide for the preliminary and final review stages, and for the construction of major land developments and subdivisions, to be divided into reasonable phases.

(b) When local regulations allow development phasing, the regulations must require the following:

(1) Approval of the entire site design first as a master plan. Thereafter the development plans may be submitted for preliminary and/or final review and/or approval by phase(s).

(2) General standards and regulations for determining physical limits of phases, completion schedules, and guarantees, for allowing progression to additional phases, for allowing two (2) or more phases to proceed in review or construction simultaneously, for interim public improvements or construction conditions, for changes to master or preliminary plans and may include other provisions as necessitated by local conditions.

(3) The master plan documents may contain information on the physical limits of the phases, the schedule and sequence of public improvement installation, improvement guarantees, and the work and completion schedules for approvals and construction of the phases.

(c) Vesting. The master plan remains vested as long as it can be proved, to the satisfaction of the planning board, that work is proceeding on either the approval stages or on the construction of the development as shown in the approved master plan documents. Vesting extends to all information shown on the approved master plan documents.