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Council refers Castle Hill oyster-farm application to Waterfront Commission, continues local review
Summary
The Newport City Council received a CRMC aquaculture application from Castle Hill Inc. for a small oyster farm in Grace Kelly Cove, referred it to the Waterfront Commission and approved a continuance so Castle Hill representatives can answer questions.
The Newport City Council voted to receive and refer a CRMC aquaculture application from Castle Hill Inc. for a small oyster farm near the Castle Hill property to the city Waterfront Commission, and later continued the matter for further information and direct answers from Castle Hill representatives.
The item came before the Council as a communication from the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC). Harbor Master Steve Land described the proposal as a “small kind of test area” — roughly 1,000 square feet in a shallow inlet the public knows as Grace Kelly Cove — and said the applicant planned to use floating cages to raise oysters. Land said the cove is “not highly used by anyone” and is accessible only by private property, which the applicants cited as a reason for the location.
Councilors and the Harbor Master focused on how aquaculture would change public use of the water. “Once an oyster farm goes, it's only for that oyster farm,” Land said, describing the shift from a multiuse bay to a single-use area if aquaculture is permitted. Councilors asked about legal jurisdiction (state waters subject to local management under state statute), species impacts, storm preparedness and long-term precedent for other waterfront properties.
Councilor questions prompted a motion to continue the item so a Castle Hill representative could appear and answer specifics; the continuance passed (yes: 5; no: 1). Council members also noted that the Waterfront Commission will hold further hearings where the public can comment.
Why it matters: Councilors said this is Newport’s first aquaculture application and that permitting decisions could establish precedent that affects public access, mooring fields, navigation and future waterfront proposals.
What’s next: The application will proceed to the Waterfront Commission for public hearings and staff review; the City Council expects Castle Hill or the project representative to appear at the Council’s December meeting as the Council prepares any formal comment to CRMC.
