Planning board directs staff to prepare future land use map amendment for Seaview Avenue parcels

The City of Newport Planning Board voted to direct staff to prepare an amendment to the city's Comprehensive Land Use Plan future land use map (FLUM) for five parcels on the south side of Seaview Avenue and to notice a public hearing to consider the change. The amendment would reclassify the subject parcels from the plan's low-density residential category to the medium-density residential category, enabling a subsequent petition to rezone the properties if the city council approves the change.

Background and proposal: The petition concerns five adjacent lots on the south side of Seaview Avenue (addresses cited by the applicant include 1, 7, 11, 13 Seaview Avenue and 29 Cliff Avenue). The applicant's attorney, Matt Lees, said the change is intended to correct what he characterized as an inconsistency between the two sides of Seaview Avenue: properties on the north side are already classified as medium density (and zoned R-10), while the south-side parcels are designated low density despite having similar lot and building characteristics. The applicant stated the ultimate goal is to rezone the parcels from R-60 to R-10 to permit subdivision of 7 Seaview Avenue.

Testimony and evidence: The applicant called certified planner Paige Bronk, who testified she examined lot sizes and neighborhood context and concluded the five parcels are similar to the north side of Seaview and should be medium density. Attorney Joshua Parks, representing an immediate neighbor, introduced expert testimony from architectural historian Ronald Onorato and planner Doug McLean. McLean's neighborhood-compatibility analysis argued the two sides of Seaview are distinguishable: he cited lot-size data, year of construction, and the pattern of existing zoning boundaries that, in his view, intentionally use streets as demarcations. Dr. Onorato, an architectural historian, testified that the National Register/Local Historic District treats the area north and south of Seaview uniformly and cautioned that changing land-use designations on the edge of the historic district could erode the district's integrity.

Key facts cited in testimony: Planner Bronk reported average lot size across the five subject parcels as roughly 18,800 square feet; McLean presented comparative analysis that found the north-side lots in comparable areas average roughly 0.23 acres while the south-side parcels average approximately 0.46 acres in his selected block comparison; multiple witnesses noted the presence of a gated private way (Cliff Avenue's gateway) and that larger estate lots to the south of the gating are substantially bigger (some exceeding 60,000 square feet).

Planning board action: After extended testimony and board discussion, the board voted to forward the proposed FLUM amendment and directed staff to prepare the required amendment language and public-notice materials for consideration at a future public hearing (the board did not itself adopt a zoning change; that step requires city council action and any future rezoning would follow separate procedures). One board member recused from the item as noted in the record.

Why it matters: A FLUM amendment is a policy-level change that, if forwarded by City Council and adopted, would enable rezoning of the parcels. Supporters say the change corrects an inconsistency and could facilitate sensitive infill housing opportunities; opponents warned the change could enable subdivision and new single-family construction that might not meet the Comprehensive Plan's aims for housing types and could risk historic character and stormwater impacts.

Next steps: Staff will prepare amendment text and notice a public hearing at an upcoming meeting so the City Council can consider the planning board's recommendation and the FLUM amendment. If the city council adopts the FLUM amendment, any rezoning petition would follow the city's established public process.

Sources: Testimony from applicant and experts (Paige Bronk, Doug McLean, Ronald Onorato), applicant attorney Matt Lees, neighbor counsel Joshua Parks, and the City of Newport Planning Board discussion recorded at the planning board special meeting.