New Shoreham council rejects proposed expansion of historic district after contested public hearing

The New Shoreham Town Council voted on Aug. 20 to reject a proposal from the Historic District Commission (HDC) to expand the town’s historic-district overlay to roughly 70 parcels across three sections of Block Island. The council’s majority — Councilor McComb, Councilor Payne and Councilor Dodge — voted to turn the proposal down; Councilor Stover dissented.

Town planner Peter (surname not specified) told the council the Planning Board recommended the expansion and found it consistent with the town’s comprehensive plan, after first-class-mail notice was sent to affected owners. Margie Cummings, speaking for the Planning Board, told the council the board strongly supported the HDC’s proposed additions. Arlene Tunney, chair of the HDC, and Martha Ball, a longtime town official and vice president of the historical society, described the proposal as aligning historic-district lines with existing zoning and filling gaps that leave one side of some streets unprotected.

Opposition at the hearing centered on a peninsula commonly called Indian Head/Indian Head Neck (variously referred to in testimony), where several property owners said they were not properly consulted and objected to the overlay. Philip (Phil) O’Brien and other owners who live or hold family property on the peninsula said the area has been residential and stewarded by their families for generations and that the mailed notices did not substitute for engagement. Residents raised concerns that inclusion would add permitting steps and potential costs for routine maintenance, and asked for clearer information about what HDC review would require. Several speakers asked whether historic-district designation would restrict landscaping, utility work or impose unexpected costs; HDC members responded that their guidelines focus on exterior character and that building-code requirements, not the HDC, often drive expense.

Councilors and staff acknowledged uneven outreach: several residents said they received notice by certified mail but not additional explanatory material. Some councilors said the HDC and Planning Board had worked carefully but that the inclusion of the peninsula in Residential A zoning had created strong opposition and merited more outreach and alternative proposals. Council discussion before the vote emphasized two paths: approve as-is or ask the HDC and Planning Board to return with refined options and more targeted engagement. The council voted to reject the full proposal and invited the boards to return with revised alternatives.

Votes and motions recorded at the meeting show the HDC had earlier voted (reported in testimony) to add one parcel by a 4–1 vote and that Planning Board members had recommended approval. The proposed district expansion as described by speakers would add three areas identified roughly as: (1) Beach Avenue to Ocean Avenue to Westside Road to Corn Neck Road (including properties labeled in packet text as Plat 4, Lot 70), (2) parcels near Old Harbor/New Harbor, and (3) Old Town Road on either side of Connecticut Avenue. Presenters said about 70 parcels would be added, representing roughly 45 property owners; two owners had submitted objections in writing to the boards prior to the hearing.

The council closed the public hearing before debate and the final vote. Councilors said they want clearer materials for property owners if the HDC brings a revised proposal — for example, explanatory guidance about what HDC review does and does not require, expected costs, and examples of typical approvals.

The council did not adopt the expansion at the meeting. The HDC and Planning Board may return with a revised proposal and additional owner outreach at a future meeting.