Council directs staff to prepare scenic roadways application after extended discussion

The New Shoreham Town Council voted to ask staff to prepare an application for designation of state scenic roadways on Block Island and to return the completed application to the council for review and a public hearing.

Roberta McCormick of Scenic Block Island presented the group’s request and noted the planning board had recommended approval earlier; she told the council the designation is voluntary, provides design guidance rather than hard regulatory limits and could allow the town to seek more visually compatible options for state projects such as guardrails and signage. “Obtaining this designation will enable us to get more aesthetically pleasing guardrails,” McCormick said.

Council members and staff discussed procedural and practical details: required notice to abutters, publication requirements, a public meeting, and the need to submit road measurements and other application materials. Staff said they would inquire whether the state board would allow a community-wide notice instead of individual abutter notices.

Council members and Scenic Block Island representatives emphasized that the designation is advisory and does not give the town broad regulatory power over private property; it does, however, create a review process that can encourage alternatives to standard federal designs. One councilor summarized the difference between persuasion and regulation: this is “persuasion, not regulation.” A staff member noted the designation includes a provision for judicial review in extreme cases.

After discussion, the council voted to direct planning staff to prepare the application and return it for council review and a public hearing; the council recorded a voice vote and the chair announced the ayes carried. Staff said the application will be worked on in the background and that there is no firm timeline yet for completion.