Zoning board OKs conversion of 8 Peckham Ave. to three 2‑bed units over neighbor objections, 4–1

The Newport Zoning Board of Review on Sept. 22 voted 4–1 to grant a special‑use permit and several dimensional variances allowing 8 Peckham Ave. to be converted from a two‑family dwelling into three two‑bedroom units.

Attorney David Marlin presented the application and said the house has already been gutted and rebuilt to the studs; the project adds dormers to the roof to create comfortable headroom on the Third Floor, adjusts a right‑side setback condition and formalizes a parking plan for six off‑street spaces behind the house. "Our position is that there are unique characteristics," Marlin told the board, citing the lot’s undersize and the house’s existing roof height and siting.

Applicant Tucker Holmes said the proposed conversion would keep the same total number of bedrooms as the existing arrangement but split them into three two‑bedroom units. He and his team emphasized measures intended to reduce neighborhood impacts: an engineered stormwater infiltration system, six marked off‑street parking spaces in the rear, removal of a Second‑Floor party deck in favor of a landing, bike racks under the porch, and interior insulation plus central HVAC to avoid window air conditioners.

"Our goal is to, you know, rent out for, convert it from what it was, the RVL, to, yearly rentals," Holmes said, describing a plan aimed at year‑round tenants rather than short‑term occupancy.

Neighbors opposed the change. Darren Torren told the board he and other longtime residents had seen several nearby houses redeveloped in recent years and said the block needed protection from further intensification. "Please don't approve this renovation," Torren said. Other residents raised concerns about neighborhood character, parking spillover and prior developers who did not meet promises to neighbors.

James Houle, an expert witness for the applicant, testified that the house’s current siting and the existing driveway configuration made on‑lot parking feasible and that similar dormer work appears on other nearby properties. Board members questioned whether the proposed 18‑foot aisle (short of the 24‑foot two‑way standard) would allow two vehicles to pass; Holmes and the applicant said they had physically tested vehicle movements and showed diagrams demonstrating space for K‑turn maneuvers and passing in the pinch point.

After discussion, the board approved the special use permit and related variances on a 4–1 vote; Commissioner Dave Riley was the lone dissent. Approval included the same standard conditions the board applied across the meeting: the work must be started and substantially completed within 12 months of the decision (unless an extension is requested from the zoning officer), and outstanding public‑notice invoices must be paid before the decision is recorded.

The decision converts an existing two‑family into three legal rental units under a board‑issued special‑use permit and attaches the standard timing and fee conditions used in other approvals that night.