[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6642018,"mediaKeyId","3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a","parentId",3395587,"title","Votes at a glance: May 19 Newport Zoning Board — extensions, consent calendar, summary approvals","audioSeconds",587,"startMs",223000,"endMs",810000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a&start=223&end=810","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a/thumbnail_223000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6642018/Rhode-Island/Votes-at-a-glance-May-19-Newport-Zoning-Board-extensions-consent-calendar-summary-approvals","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6642018-62093cb7540651b7478e165437a1fc7d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770879352&Signature=MSSaejX5-2euec7uBenhRiohJeLmvg7XCfXbMv5c1hENe8~4PpE5HiNphuRzMvAaYBBJaJgWTguBK2pEMJAwDoB1RG6FtxT1LR31ldsyzpgGyEQ5vcFJppgkSM~KHn77Z8~OpOy4GaGhpz9NMK7dYFk9KST7DuiQiSjxn-YydUdFtaL7ZguLFZEPOsOM7IlLcRrEjBbfXJAQAakq9615NUBWOdwbK~6fixi8Cj3n09Xmz0~GpenbM4c84ZXHCatgDd1V3Uu10VP6cq7WTthw5EZWgPxR7jlvkMeRvj9g~D8gvlT2vi~3HA2YjyYcgnWF-Q7iDoZTujIJA~Sz6rNGEA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Newport","date","2025-05-19T18:01:00Z","article","At its May 19 meeting the Newport Zoning Board handled several routine items on the summary and consent calendars and voted unanimously on an extension request.

Extension: The board granted BMT LLC/Leasing and CAM LLC a 23‑month extension for property at 206 Thame (Dame) Street; the motion described the extension period as from June 7, 2025 to May 7, 2027. The motion passed unanimously.

Summary calendar (consent): The board placed three summary calendar matters on the consent calendar and granted them without discussion. The items were:
- 33 Poplar Street (Charles Patavina): dimensional variance to locate a condenser 2 ft 4 in from the east side property line where 3 ft is required.
- 201 Goddard Row (Rayad Yazbek): special‑use permit to convert an existing retail store into a fast‑food/quick‑service establishment selling smoothies and fruit bowls.
- 12 Elliot Place (Rise and Jennifer Wahlbergen): special‑use permit and dimensional variance for a 25‑sq‑ft rear one‑story addition increasing lot coverage from 36.3% to 37% where 33.2% is allowed.

Abbreviated summary: In addition to the Jessica Phillips item covered separately, the board granted a variance for Dodge Residents, LLC (7 & 9 Dearborn Street) to allow above‑ground service rather than undergrounding; that item was adopted with the staff report and conditions and the vote was unanimous.

All consent and summary decisions were recorded as unanimous votes on the meeting record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Newport - Zoning Board of Review - May 2025 Regular Meeting - May 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Zoning Board approved a 23‑month extension for 206 Thame Street and adopted the summary calendar (three petitions) on consent. Several abbreviated/summary petitions were granted unanimously.","taxTitle","Newport, Providence County, Rhode Island","taxId",79596,"location","Rhode Island","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6642023,"Zoning board grants underground‑utilities variance and asks City Council to review development‑standards ordinance",613,1277000,1890000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a&start=1277&end=1890","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a/thumbnail_1277000.jpg","/articles/6642023/Rhode-Island/Zoning-board-grants-undergroundutilities-variance-and-asks-City-Council-to-review-developmentstandards-ordinance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6642023-f82792aabb87188f6bccd1c43bfd949a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770879352&Signature=ek1OjD8ARPM~izhLx4gaUcODcJAyR7BlCEIVMxCD9NAOr9jEw11Tdt9mHJRXMd3x7szhK5INacYj7o1CCy7odQLzgchJNwywg0t9E9SKSmbbG1pxZfygc6TKQo2qoevwTjVmd3s6dO94sKREBJwYugSM0cKYPcDZkRXSWuvFTp~0Gnvh~8YoXR1Mf36JWMfHkYyGozdXNWSPRB69RvCh3AuajUgio6scKNX7dWnBySHAQCN0DmR3GuCMkDZT9kKVy3lt~DOsLA8zMPOGUIEaoqRLfXEkhVd5QqxHfkMNlo157WQkIUKbhgDoYNxEB20~WfmOUnDt~BIuDII9u3NymQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Newport Zoning Board unanimously approved a variance that waives the ordinance requirement to place upgraded electrical service underground for 7–9 Dearborn Street, finding the cost and practical difficulty of trenching under the street and sidewalk created an unnecessary hardship for the owners.

Attorney Jay Russell Jackson and applicant representatives explained crews would have had to trench across Dearborn Street, rip up sidewalks and risk encountering other utilities, producing substantial cost and practical barriers. Staff and the board agreed the undergrounding requirement can impose significant expense on small infill projects; the petitioner’s request was granted subject to the usual condition that the work be started and substantially completed within 12 months and public‑notice invoices be paid before recording.

Separately, board members directed staff to send a formal memo to the Newport City Council asking the council to review Chapter 17.1 of the zoning code (development standards) to consider whether the undergrounding requirement should be modified or made more flexible in certain circumstances. The motion to send the memo carried unanimously; board members said the change could help avoid repetitive variance petitions for small‑scale upgrades where burying utilities is impractical or disproportionately costly.

The board indicated it expects to return similar undergrounding variance petitions in coming months and wanted council guidance on whether the code’s requirement needs refinement.","The board granted a variance from the code requirement to place upgraded utility service underground for a Dearborn Street property and voted unanimously to send a formal memo to City Council asking staff to review Chapter 17.1 (development standards) on the undergrounding requirement.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6642028,"Board approves variances to relocate generator and place pool equipment at 108 Catherine Street, limits testing hours",539,744000,1283000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a&start=744&end=1283","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a/thumbnail_744000.jpg","/articles/6642028/Rhode-Island/Board-approves-variances-to-relocate-generator-and-place-pool-equipment-at-108-Catherine-Street-limits-testing-hours","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6642028-b9fc53dd5a522bcca1675d834e84cb29/orig.mp4?Expires=1770879352&Signature=ZOJGQGgdsGq22DQiRr9QPapgsL-ZELAboOA8yXXJfRRAClOzE~w3eGEsOIUlx3CzIosMp68CAJAWFRcXDi3vBHZRODfnqZneml7fCE042DZf~4b1dgSkorazxn5WRHbufjVnsHFrc44S1eJ7IQZhw14TL8NaB2gbzubpxxfI~jO6wkoekBI8dQqNb1BYmrjU-D59~fDbAuHoqpIvK7Lh3chH6w9jxNhmsE~9LsWhhRwhYZbxIpNPGXfiGj8fU0h69XtxFqTZ5QXDt9zciM8NzSQtWhcORlwymtkyBAJxPURYmLqgrQwB9cp4muZ3r49-Q3CZo~Rl6s6oKyya1sWArg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The board approved a dimensional variance on an abbreviated summary for Jessica L. Phillips, owner of 108 Catherine Street, allowing relocation of an existing generator and placement of pool equipment approximately 12 feet from the east front property line where 30 feet is required.

Attorney representing the applicant explained the generator currently sits about five feet from the property line; the proposal would move it to the northeast corner roughly 12 feet from the street and colocate pool equipment. The application follows prior zoning relief for an in‑ground pool granted in 2022; the owner said that earlier pool approvals lapsed and a new application for the pool will be filed later, while pursuing equipment location relief now.

The board adopted the staff report and testimony as the record, granted the dimensional variance on standard conditions—that work be started and substantially complete within 12 months of the decision (or an approved extension) and outstanding public‑notice invoices be paid before recording—and added a testing‑hours restriction: generator testing limited to Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The vote was unanimous.

The board advised the applicant to coordinate equipment location in the resubmitted pool application if the pool layout changes.","The Zoning Board granted a dimensional variance permitting a relocated generator and pool equipment for 108 Catherine Street, subject to a one‑year start/complete condition and a generator‑testing time restriction of Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6642032,"Zoning board sustains appeal, overturns HDC siting denial for proposed Bellevue Avenue hotel",0,12576000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a&start=12576&end=12576","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a/thumbnail_12576000.jpg","/articles/6642032/Rhode-Island/Zoning-board-sustains-appeal-overturns-HDC-siting-denial-for-proposed-Bellevue-Avenue-hotel","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6642032-b032423285035ca9a7cea2dff2ae3cce/orig.mp4?Expires=1770879352&Signature=PO0Y1FBc~jBIs8hYLHfGzloqzKk-k8H6joNNkldrqwjCaYLGCd9brFkHJda5iFPmVIw1BoqVuhTVg4QuSlmS8s0mpMhInH2BFrd~ntBV17ZJ28BzItZwtl8SHdM~483RgXEwMIVxXzRnEZ~uXDpf6BuKM1YgVADvrfGvOYVr5hoMJIQt24s8GTiW-TcBsDFhcsXb-X3FqVZ-U7NOghGxgFS4-fTKAncmbKmwBK59Y9qBseWJtog4705TKMk75HsLd7XOUTARXJi~xLxNL4DXz5z9BIkhD-SoPgiUZJUZ555fvqt0LislHWqcTeJnjkMlkSJPmCmBeKpJTygJ-BZb-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Newport Zoning Board of Review on May 19 sustained an appeal by 181 Bellevue Avenue Center LLC and reversed an historic‑district commission (HDC) denial that had rejected the proposed siting of an 86‑room hotel at the Bellevue Garden Shopping Plaza.

The HDC had earlier approved most aspects of the hotel—height, setbacks, materials and massing—but, by a narrow 4‑3 vote, found the building’s proposed siting on the plaza incompatible with the surrounding historic area. The developer appealed the siting decision to the zoning board.

At the appeal hearing the applicant’s attorney and two expert witnesses—architect Justin Hetty and preservation scholar Ronald Onorado, both accepted as experts by the HDC—testified and submitted modeled materials showing how the proposed location and design related to nearby buildings, sidewalks and streets. The applicant’s memorandum documented a wide series of site comparisons across Bellevue Avenue, Williams Street, Jones Avenue and Memorial Boulevard.

The zoning board majority concluded the HDC’s siting denial was not supported by the weight of the evidence in the record and that some HDC members had applied a higher design‑preference standard rather than the relevant statutory test: whether the project is “compatible with the surrounding historic area.” The board’s decision cites the principle—articulated by the Rhode Island Supreme Court in prior case law—that the commission may not substitute its subjective design preference for the compatibility standard required by law. Board members said they found the applicant’s expert testimony persuasive and noted the HDC’s in‑house preservation planner had not raised siting objections in staff reports.

On that basis the zoning board voted 5‑0 to sustain the appeal and overturn the HDC’s siting denial. The board instructed counsel to prepare a written decision for the official record. The applicant’s other approvals from the HDC (materials, scale and related matters) remain part of the record; this ruling addresses only the HDC’s siting denial.

The zoning board’s action restores the applicant’s ability to proceed with municipal approvals required to reach building‑permit stage, subject to the formal written decision and any conditions the board includes there.","The Newport Zoning Board sustained an appeal by an applicant for an 86‑room hotel at 181 Bellevue Avenue and reversed an HDC finding that the project’s siting was incompatible. The board found the HDC decision lacked support in the record and substituted the statutory compatibility standard.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6642036,"Zoning board approves revised 57 Marchant Street garage after redesign, with vegetation screen condition",3746,1151000,4897000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a&start=1151&end=4897","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3395587-414802abd6aa12d4443f6bde806cd70a/thumbnail_1151000.jpg","/articles/6642036/Rhode-Island/Zoning-board-approves-revised-57-Marchant-Street-garage-after-redesign-with-vegetation-screen-condition","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6642036-8dfcf177263c8debe872d337833cc1a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770879352&Signature=KD2tHUMSWDvkDG77BALNx8E8Fvgj1o1ze-82A-N1vzOvdYQaSLnnB3ZiZmNpps9PtuFYAI2Ii5aXOeRHbXeijuP3DWrPEDC7vo~ngL4IhxuUMQQmVAGE~Fv6mf3jvOL1ZU26rJqqdk3OXQzLE64ff3dtfJ4orZ76giO86ksfcGCslQPy26AD1CJ2IMQSciOjHOXuDvaHRFus1ccJiGp-pT-Ca6ubZqa80LKb6ITtKGwxx3NYtQjyBbD-bgnUNXL3PXYhq2uNkDMFRj-gt4fg8Z28S~4qqZz-XqPmlFMALSsnFcXLDmZlx25Lw6JgF2eyrIiUFR2AciLrzYvS06rs5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Newport Zoning Board of Review voted 5‑0 on May 19 to approve a special‑use permit and dimensional variance allowing construction of a single‑stall garage with storage above and a small mudroom at 57 Marchant Street.

The board first held a preliminary vote to determine whether the application filed within a year of a prior denial was “substantially different” from the version turned down in 2024. After hearing testimony from the applicant’s architect and attorney about reduced footprint, lower height and reoriented rooflines, the board found the changes sufficient to rehear the case. That preliminary finding passed on a 5‑0 roll call.

At the full hearing the applicants—Amar and Chrisanthia Taj—presented revised drawings showing a smaller garage footprint, a narrower mudroom and a north‑side setback increased to 10 feet. Architect Ross Kann testified the revised design reduces perceived massing by changing the gable orientation and lowering portions of the roof. The board received neighborhood photos and testimony from abutters both for and against the proposal; neighbors cited concerns about massing, height and shadowing while applicants and their experts said the design was in keeping with local patterns and that storage above grade was necessary because the property’s basement floods.

After deliberation the board adopted the staff report, testimony and the applicants’ materials as the record of decision, and granted the requested relief on standard conditions: the project must start and be substantially completed within 12 months of the decision (or an approved extension), outstanding public‑notice invoices must be paid before recording, and the board added a condition requested during deliberations that the existing vegetation screen on the north property line be maintained at its current height to preserve the abutter’s privacy. The motion to approve carried unanimously.

The board and applicants also discussed changes in city zoning standards enacted since the prior hearing; board members noted new R‑4 setback language applies to this parcel though mapping of R‑4 is incomplete and proportional lot‑coverage rules remain applicable.

The board’s decision reduces the proposed lot‑coverage figure from earlier iterations to 36.57% (the final application figure in the record) and finds the change in design addressed earlier concerns about massing and neighborhood compatibility. The board’s approval does not permit habitable space in the loft above the garage; the applicants’ architect said the loft does not meet Rhode Island code requirements for habitable space because less than three‑quarters of its floor area attains the minimum clear height.

The applicants were directed to prepare the written decision for the board docket.","After concluding the revised petition represented a substantial change from a denied 2024 plan, the Newport Zoning Board approved a special-use permit and lot‑coverage variance for a single‑stall garage and mudroom at 57 Marchant Street, imposing a condition that the north‑side hedgerow remain at its current height.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: May 19 Newport Zoning Board — extensions, consent calendar, summary approvals

Zoning board grants underground‑utilities variance and asks City Council to review development‑standards ordinance

Board approves variances to relocate generator and place pool equipment at 108 Catherine Street, limits testing hours

Zoning board sustains appeal, overturns HDC siting denial for proposed Bellevue Avenue hotel

Zoning board approves revised 57 Marchant Street garage after redesign, with vegetation screen condition