State House Majority Leader K. Joseph Shekarchi, D-Warwick, is the primary sponsor of a bill that would compel towns and cities to provide speedier reviews of commercial development and large subdivisions. The bill as recently revised, H 5475A, passed through the House last week and has moved on to Senate review. If signed into law, the bill would cut from 60 days to 25 days the time frame for towns and cities to certify preliminary plans of subdivisions and major developments. In addition, it would reduce from 120 days to 90 days the window for a municipal government to take final action on a completed master plan application. Shekarchi spoke to the Providence Business News about his proposal.
PBN: What is the origin of the bill? Is there a particular community that is being too slow or is this more of a widespread problem?
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SHEKARCHI: It’s a widespread [problem.] As the market picks up, builders need to get these projects moving. We have seasonal construction here in Rhode Island. Very few people build in the winter time. It’s not an all-year process. It’s usually eight to nine months that we can build. We have an abbreviated window, and these projects are great economic development. Every time a new development goes up, it employs so many people, so many subcontractors, so many ancillary tradesmen.
PBN: Is there a problem in cities or towns sitting too long on reviews?
SHEKARCHI: Yes. Some cities and towns, … these deadlines are artificially long. They haven’t really been updated. Today is the modern era of technology. We have email and fax machines, things can be and should be done much faster. These projects take a very long time and some cities and towns are slow to adapt to change.
PBN: Have you had any pushback from critics?
SHEKARCHI: The [Rhode Island] League of Cities and Towns spoke against the bill. The city of Providence was vocally opposed to it. The final bill that passed the House has some compromise language in it, that while not universally loved by the cities and towns, I would say they oppose it a lot less than they did the original version. My original bill had a much shorter time table.
PBN: Are you concerned we are losing development as a result of delayed reviews?
SHEKARCHI: I’m concerned because I’m a big proponent of private economic development. The state and government in general should get out of the way as much as we can to get development out on the street and done. It puts people to work. It pays taxes. It helps cities and towns. Everybody talks about the state and state bureaucracy, but also cities and towns have their own regulatory schemes that they sometimes don’t adhere to.
PBN: What is the schedule of review for your bill now?
SHEKARCHI: It goes to the Senate. I am very optimistic the Senate will pass the bill. The sponsor is the Senate President. The prospects look very good in the Senate.
Mary MacDonald is a reporter for PBN.
You can email Mary at MacDonald@PBN.com
