The preservation of structures of historic and architectural value and historic cemeteries, wherever located within a city or town, are declared to be a public purpose, and any city or town council has the power by ordinance to regulate the construction, alteration, repair, moving, and demolition of these structures within the limits of the city or town. It is recognized that the purpose of the ordinance is to: (1) Safeguard the heritage of the city or town by preserving a district in a city or town which reflects elements of its cultural, social, economic, political, and architectural history; (2) Stabilize and improve property values in that district; (3) Foster civic beauty; (4) Strengthen the local economy; (5) Promote the use of the historic districts for the education, pleasure, and welfare of the citizens of the city or town; and (6) Provide, where feasible, that in these historic districts housing, including, but not limited to, limited equity cooperative housing, be made available to low and/or moderate income residents. History of Section.P.L. 1959, ch. 131, § 1; P.L. 1986, ch. 256, § 5; P.L. 1989, ch. 311, § 1.
Rhode Island Legal Code