Route 1, (Growth Management Plan) was far less than the amount needed to educate the children of the taxpayers, in excess of $7,800 per child. The purpose of this Growth Cap is therefore to "allow controlled growth in relation to the existing and future capacity of town facilities and the Chariho Regional School District."Phase I bases the number of building permits issued each quarter on Charlestown's share (roughly 1/3) of the number of seats available in the regional school system. Certain categories of residential housing (elderly housing, multifamily dwellings, etc. see §218-134 of Ordinance 218) are exempt from this system of permits because they do not create a need for school facilities.

This Ordinance also established a hierarchy for which permit applications have priority with highest priority given to Low and Moderate Income Housing. The primacy of this type of housing in the permit issuance hierarchy reflects the concerns of lack of affordable housing expressed in Housing section of Charlestown's Comprehensive Plan.

Phase II - Impact Fee, Adopted April 2000

More people require more services: public education, recreational facilities, police and fire departments, roads, wells, septic systems, and protection of openspace and groundwater quality and quantity.

The main goals are to create an Impact Fee system that is "fair and equitable" and "to improve the quality of life, sustain natural resources and maintain high educational standards for all residents."

It can do so by:
1. Shifting capital financing burden to new development
2. Pacing new development with new facilities
3. Imposing economic discipline on developers
4. Slowing the Rate of Growth

Any person who applies for a residential building permit or the extension of such, must pay a fee determined annually by the following equation.

Calculation of the Impact Fee:

IMPACT FEE = (CIP cost) X ( % of students in school system)
# Of housing units

These funds are transferred to the capital facilities impact fee trust fund administered by the Town Treasurer and are specifically marked for improvements in "Educational Facilities."
As in the Growth Cap Ordinance, here too certain types of construction such as low and moderate housing, elderly housing, and nonresidential buildings are exempt from paying the impact fee.

Phase III - Zoning Ordinance of Residential Cluster Subdivisions, Adopted May, 2000

This strategy helps to maintain the rural character of the land, promote efficient road building, protect fragile ecological or historical sites, and generally reduce residential sprawl. "Combined with the impact fee ordinance, clusters will likely be more attractive and perhaps can lead to fewer homes to be built" (Growth Management Plan).

The ordinance also proposes alternatives to cluster development:
Residential Compounds - "A minor subdivision whose access to all lots is by means of a common private way, which is not paved, but rather requires a pervious surface , in accordance with the Charlestown Planning Commission's Subdivision/Land Development Regulations dated December 16, 1998, as amended." (Town of Charlestown Ordinance 221)

Rear Lot Subdivisions - "A minor subdivision that does not contain access roads to all lots, but rather requires an easement or a common driveway to achieve proper access." (Ibid)