Planning board clears procedural hurdle for Waite's Wharf redevelopment, continues hearings to April 7

The Newport Planning Board on Monday concluded a procedural challenge and agreed to hear a revised redevelopment plan for Waite’s Wharf, then continued the substantive hearing to the board’s April 7 meeting.

Attorney J. Russell Jackson opened the presentation for Harbor Realty LLC, representing the Abruzzi family, and asked the board to rule that the doctrine of administrative finality did not bar the planning‑board review. Jackson said the current proposal is materially different from the version denied by the zoning board in 2023: the hotel room count has been reduced (the current plan totals 89 rooms rather than the 118 and earlier proposals), the fourth floor on the north building was removed to comply with the updated height standard, and a housing element (two seven‑unit multifamily buildings, 14 units total) has been added. Jackson also noted that state law and the city zoning regime changed since the earlier review, and the unified development review process before the planning board applies different objective criteria than the earlier zoning‑board hearings.

Opponents’ counsel urged the board to defer a ruling on administrative finality until after testimony, saying the board needed evidence to determine whether the current plan is substantially different. The city solicitor advised the board that the governing law and procedural posture have in fact changed and that a prompt ruling was legally supportable. The board ultimately voted that administrative finality does not prevent the applicant from moving forward; the vote was recorded as in favor and the matter proceeded to testimony.

Jackson then gave an overview of the revised redevelopment proposal and described the project's scope: consolidation of six contiguous parcels into a north lot (approximately 82,041 square feet) and a south lot (about 53,329 square feet); rebuilding the waterfront infrastructure and the Waits Wharf right of way; an 89‑room hotel (54 rooms on the north building, 35 on the south); a marina to remain and be upgraded; a restaurant and retail space; a destination wedding/event venue in the south building; and two new multifamily buildings totaling 14 dwelling units plus retention of an existing cottage at 23 Coddington Wharf.

Jackson said the plan had been reviewed through several Technical Review Committee meetings and that the applicant is willing to accept a package of recommended conditions to mitigate impacts. He stressed that the current plan requires no density variances for hotel rooms and includes infrastructure work—rebuilding seawalls, adding ADA‑compliant sidewalks, and creating a continuous harbor walk with recorded public easements—that the applicant says will improve pedestrian access, safety, and stormwater treatment along the waterfront.

Witnesses who gave or were offered as expected to testify included Tammy Abruzzi (applicant statement), Neil Hingorani and Joseph Malo of Narragansett Engineering (site, utilities, stormwater and harbor‑walk design), Joe Malo (civil engineering/site utilities), Harry Wheeler (architect), Jacob Butterworth (environmental/DEM coordination), Ray Gomes (fire and building code), Paige Bronk (planning and zoning expert), Lorenzo Dantes (traffic engineer) and a real estate expert. The board heard testimony from Tammy Abruzzi describing the Abruzzi family’s three‑decade ownership, the project’s evolution from 2019 designs and the family’s stated intent to support year‑round economic activity on Lower Thames Street.

Engineering testimony covered site conditions and proposed infrastructure: existing impervious coverage and catch basins that now discharge to the harbor; a proposed new sheet‑pile bulkhead and a rebuilt harbor walk; flood‑resilient building design with piers and elevated first floors; new sidewalks and ADA ramps on Waits Wharf; and an on‑site stormwater management system employing permeable pavers, bioretention areas and modular wetland systems intended to treat runoff before it reaches the harbor. The project team said the revised design reduces room counts, reduces event and restaurant capacities from earlier proposals, shifts building footprints to avoid easements, and provides the parking required under the current code for each lot separately.

The board did not vote on the special‑use permits or the development plan; instead members voted to continue the application to the next regular planning‑board meeting on April 7 at 6:30 p.m. The project remains subject to review by the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM); the applicant stated those reviews will follow municipal approvals. Jackson said easements to guarantee public use of the harbor walk will be finalized with the city solicitor’s office and that the applicant will coordinate final engineering and utility details with city departments as part of the continuing review.

Because the board accepted the matter for full review rather than applying administrative finality, the project record will be developed by sworn testimony and exhibits before the planning board; opponents signaled they will present testimony and legal argument in subsequent sessions.