[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-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],{"_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",6536734,"mediaKeyId","3691742-1e97c82f5574ee76069c47ca6841a5fc","parentId",3691742,"title","Planning board approves preliminary plans and special‑use permits for Waites Wharf redevelopment with conditions","audioSeconds",12786,"startMs",2766000,"endMs",15552000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3691742-1e97c82f5574ee76069c47ca6841a5fc&start=2766&end=15552","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3691742-1e97c82f5574ee76069c47ca6841a5fc/thumbnail_2766000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6536734/Rhode-Island/Planning-board-approves-preliminary-plans-and-specialuse-permits-for-Waites-Wharf-redevelopment-with-conditions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536734-b3a24c30f92216f9ffe98c40cd59dde3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770929671&Signature=VyuZzoFry0ZA1DaJQ-eHOnjwYQKl9cVWjVz-3u4Lg2Zux1-eHOElUifocwo~ZAPU5wGaJi0IfYA6f4onJLsWuEykENx1xYRLk5ik37M-q4Pug0fs~TE05Tuv8XqlnlP38Gd1pw-wIi6jH6M0KkBCLdKNgiQRf0WCX8YVidgiBSOIaiV6mcLDcaVYF~lzVlpZODYyh44PJKZRPlrZxrDZTyvsMja-OLa4C5YnQ85j0gRGWnk7UvBrHoxy7tLI9KXzw1Nw6kF674KInFdAxPibTuHUxCd6qeeh5xgVnfFVtWFwMqikegApDXayUYGrDFnkLcO6o90HNMs3IuF5YiiHig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Newport","date","2025-06-02T18:30:00Z","article","The Newport Planning Board granted preliminary development plan approval and approved the required category‑3 special‑use permits for a large mixed‑use redevelopment of Waites Wharf, voting to grant preliminary approvals for both the North and South lots while attaching conditions and requiring final administrative sign‑offs.

The project and votes: The applicant's attorney, Edward (first name not recorded) Jackson, summarized changes made since earlier zoning hearings, saying the \"North Building is much smaller. The total room count for the entire project has been reduced to 89.\" After lengthy testimony from applicant experts and rebuttal testimony from objectors, the board voted to adopt staff reports as findings of fact and approved special‑use permits for hotel (transient guest facilities) and multifamily residential uses on both the North and South lots, and granted preliminary development plan review approvals subject to conditions and final administrative review.

Why it matters: The redevelopment would replace the existing mix of marina, parking and restaurant uses at Waites Wharf with a campus of mixed uses: a hotel component, restaurant and event space, multi‑family housing, a reconstructed harbor wall and harbor walk, a public water‑taxi stop, kayak storage, and stormwater and utility improvements. Supporters said the project will rebuild wharf infrastructure and improve public access to the waterfront; opponents raised concerns about traffic, parking, scale, neighborhood character and the effect of event‑focused uses on a street with tight geometry.

Evidence and experts
- Applicant witnesses included surveyor Neil Hingarani (site and wharf engineering), civil/utility engineer Joseph Malo (site utilities and stormwater), architect Harry Wheeler (building design and flood‑zone compliance), environmental scientist Jacob Butterworth (site remediation and DEM coordination), planning and zoning expert Paige Bronk, traffic engineer Lorenzo Donatis, and real‑estate expert James Houle. The applicant also submitted TRC and staff reviews and stated the project would meet zoning and DPR criteria.
- Objectors offered testimony and reports from planning and traffic experts. Land‑use expert Doug McClain questioned the project's neighborhood analysis and argued that the immediate vicinity consists of a \"small pocket of a predominantly residential properties\" and stressed scale and context concerns. Public commenters raised issues of pedestrian safety, event traffic, parking deficits, harbor views and historic character.

Board findings and conditions
Staff and the board walked through the specific and objective criteria required by the State Zoning Enabling Act and the city ordinance for category‑3 special‑use permits and the development‑plan review standards. The board adopted the staff reports as findings and approved the requests with conditions that the record either specified or the board added. Key conditions and items the board required include:
- Implementation and technical sign‑offs: Final approvals are contingent on recording an administrative subdivision to merge lots and on a final administrative approval by the city's administrative officer after TRC and city engineer sign‑offs. The city engineer and technical review committee (ITC) must review and approve event and parking management plans, traffic and safety mitigation (including festival days), wayfinding signage, and any shared‑street materials at the Waites Wharf/Thames Street entrance.
- Parking, loading and access: The board accepted applicant representations that parking and loading meet the ordinance and that a combination of on‑site parking, management measures and event plans will control peak demand. The applicant reported 114 parking spaces on the North Lot and 94 on the South Lot as proposed in the application; the board required an ITC‑approved parking management plan for events and high‑season activity.
- Harbor and public access improvements: The board required the harbor walk improvements, a designated water‑taxi stop (with a small shelter/canopy recommended by board members), kayak storage racks, and stormwater treatment measures be secured in easements and maintained for public use.
- Gate/access controls and multifamily access: The board required each new multifamily building to have controlled access (key fob gates) for residential entry/egress; the city engineer is to review gate placement and ensure safe circulation without impeding emergency access.
- Deliveries, event management and noise: The board asked for a delivery window standard, to be reviewed by ITC, and event‑specific traffic management that prioritizes multimodal safety and accounts for city festival days. The board also referenced existing city noise codes as the enforcement mechanism and asked staff to ensure event‑related noise and hours are addressed in the final conditions.

Public response and board balance
The hearing drew extensive public comment for and against the project. Opponents — including residents of Coddington Landing, Lower Thames and adjacent historic neighborhoods — emphasized traffic congestion on narrow one‑way Lower Thames Street, potential for wedding and event traffic to spill into residential streets, and the change in neighborhood scale. Proponents and some nearby property owners said the redevelopment would repair wharf infrastructure, increase public waterfront access and provide year‑round economic activity.

Outcome and next steps
- The board approved the North Lot special‑use permits (multifamily and transient guest facility) and preliminary development plan subject to the staff conditions and the additional conditions summarized above; final administrative approval is contingent on the recording of the required administrative subdivision.
- The board then approved the South Lot special‑use permits and preliminary development plan with similar conditions and an administrative final‑sign off after required engineering and TRC approvals.
- The board recorded additional action items including a demolition permit decision and asked staff to package final conditions and to circulate revised plan sets before administrative sign‑off.

The votes were taken by voice and the chair recorded that the ayes had it for each final motion. The board stipulated that ITC/city engineer sign‑offs will be required for wayfinding, event parking/traffic plans, shared‑street treatments at the Thames/Waites Wharf entrance, and other technical conditions before the administrative officer issues final approvals.

Ending note
Board members and staff stressed the project will require continued backend work — engineering, permitting and agreed enforcement language — before final building permits are issued. The board’s approvals were conditional and explicitly tied to the TRC, city engineer and administrative officer reviews required to ensure pedestrian safety, emergency access and stormwater mitigation are implemented.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Newport - Planning Board Regular Meeting - Jun 02, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After extensive testimony and public comment, the Newport Planning Board approved preliminary development plans and category‑3 special‑use permits for the Waites Wharf redevelopment (North and South lots), attaching multiple technical and operational conditions and requiring final administrative sign‑offs.","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},6536739,"Planning board hears plans to renovate Camp Rocky Farm; continues special-use review, adds rental condition",2413,341000,2754000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3691742-1e97c82f5574ee76069c47ca6841a5fc&start=341&end=2754","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3691742-1e97c82f5574ee76069c47ca6841a5fc/thumbnail_341000.jpg","/articles/6536739/Rhode-Island/Planning-board-hears-plans-to-renovate-Camp-Rocky-Farm-continues-special-use-review-adds-rental-condition","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6536739-bc1c63d17d6ce8795be73ecf8c8e52a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770929671&Signature=XB9jZ-U3bgxc7tI1mJUTbrkAsDBAxcRUtCBXmnA0YjPCsdY~leGCMmjtexBttwN0ah7xvK88uY85zsEfpYdYTmZXnZnOzidGgQlML0PYKPcOCjazLug7m~M7eCoW1xbHm3~SIvIx8Vr7JJ1j52kNzHL8t8lqqJWw4vnaCX70L8MbdWsc76q9EEANfFnWDT0K5uGyuplxV3xbxxTRME-vp66B0KJQNPPEighvhE-NK7Ebcas8upyVU-Dh0xkdys0-SBotZmz05-pY-R6d7RFAFMoJa8wCYyBjrFAX6SK2aNoL07Roq6~fl3AfxpftfoMGapPfUETb9XMBdDpv46fZ-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Newport Planning Board heard a presentation from the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England and their team on a proposal to renovate Camp Rocky Farm, a 6.3-acre camp property off Carroll Avenue, and continued formal action to a special meeting on June 16 while adding a condition limiting third‑party rentals.

The applicant representative, Michael Monti of Sayarin, told the board \"what you have before you is an exciting project by the Girl Scouts to revitalize Camp Rocky Farm,\" and described upgrades including interior renovations to the existing lodge, a new mariner cabin with overnight bunks and a caretaker apartment, an amphitheater, improved archery pavilion and stormwater management where none exists now.

Why it matters: The site has been used as a charitable camp since the 1950s and the Girl Scouts presented the proposal as a way to formalize that long‑standing use, increase on‑site program capacity and correct safety and infrastructure deficiencies. Neighbors raised concerns about noise, traffic and rentals; the board added a condition requiring City Council approval for third‑party rentals and deferred a final decision to ensure more time to settle conditions and engineering details.

Board and staff process
The board adopted the staff report as the board's findings of fact during the hearing. Board Chair Jeffrey Brooks led the discussion of the special‑use and unified development review process; planning staff and the Technical Review Committee had recommended the application move forward for deliberation pending final engineering details.

What the project would change
- Lodging capacity and program: The application proposes renovating the lodge (last updated in 1993) and adding a Mariner cabin to increase bunk capacity so multiple troops could use the site concurrently. The applicant said the summer day‑camp enrollment would remain capped at about 40 children.
- Site work and safety: The site currently has no stormwater management system and a horseshoe driveway noted by the Fire Department as needing widening for emergency access. The proposal includes a new stormwater system, driveway widening for emergency vehicles, and other site improvements with \"minimal removal of existing vegetation,\" the applicant said.
- Use restrictions: The applicant repeatedly described the property as a charitable institution for Girl Scouts programming; Michael Monti and CEO Dana Borelli Murray said the intent is to expand Girl Scout programming, including a Mariner (ocean‑based STEM) program for older girls.

Public comment and board response
Neighbor Rachel Connorton, who lives adjacent to the camp, told the board she supports the camp but is concerned by language on the national rental page that appears to advertise private rentals for events. \"My concern is the fact that the Girl Scouts rent the property,\" she said, adding worries about noise, traffic and increased stormwater runoff onto abutting yards.

In response, Monti and the CEO said the organization's statewide rental page covers all their properties and is not specific to Camp Rocky Farm; Dana Borelli Murray said she was not aware of recent event rentals at the site and that the local camp has primarily served Girl Scouts. Monti noted the zoning classification for \"charitable institutions\" already defines allowable accessory uses and that some special events would require a separate City Council special‑event permit.

Board action and next steps
- The board formally adopted the staff report as its findings of fact (vote: ayes have it).
- The board voted to add a condition that if the property is rented to a third party, that use must obtain a City Council special‑event license; the board approved that condition by voice vote.
- The board then voted to continue the Camp Rocky Farm unified development review and special‑use permit hearing to the special meeting on June 16 so staff, the applicant and abutters can work on specific condition language and outstanding engineering details.

What remains open
The board left open the detailed engineering and permit language for stormwater, emergency access, parking and any event limitations. Staff and the applicant were asked to draft condition language for the June 16 special meeting that responds to abutter concerns while reflecting the charitable‑institution zoning standards.

Ending note
Board members said they appreciated the historical value of the site and the applicant's efforts to retain on‑site programming while improving safety and infrastructure; they also said they wanted explicit conditions to address third‑party rentals and stormwater before final approval.

","The Newport Planning Board heard plans to upgrade Camp Rocky Farm — a Girl Scouts property off Carroll Avenue — including new bunks, stormwater controls and emergency‑access improvements, and voted to continue formal approval to a June 16 special meeting after adding a limit on third‑party rentals.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning board approves preliminary plans and special‑use permits for Waites Wharf redevelopment with conditions

Planning board hears plans to renovate Camp Rocky Farm; continues special-use review, adds rental condition