Planning board approves Waite’s Wharf redevelopment with conditions, including stormwater upgrades and lease limits

The Newport Planning Board voted to approve unified development plan review and Category 3 special‑use permits for the Waite’s Wharf redevelopment—referred to in filings as the Waitsworth Hotel and associated mixed uses—subject to conditions including stormwater remediation, public‑access HarborWalk improvements, controls on event traffic and a requirement that residential units be leased for a minimum of 12 months.

The approvals cover two lots on the lower Thames Street harborfront described in staff materials as the North and South lots. The applicant presented a reduced and reworked plan that the attorney for the project, Ross Jackson, said now totals 89 guest rooms across the site and includes a mix of hotel rooms, a restaurant, a wedding/event space, multifamily residences, and an upgraded marina. Jackson said the current plan includes a housing element and reduced hotel square footage compared with earlier iterations presented at the Zoning Board.

Multiple technical experts testified for the applicant, and the Planning Board discussed their evidence at length. Lorenzo Dantes, the applicant’s traffic engineer, testified that the redevelopment would reduce total 24‑hour trip generation compared with existing uses and that peak activity would shift from late‑night bar traffic to daytime hotel traffic. “The proposed project with all those uses would generate fewer daily trips than the existing uses today in a peak condition,” Dantes said in a supplemental memo to the board. The engineer’s analysis also treated hotel‑accessory uses (restaurant, banquet) as embedded in hotel trip generation per standard Institute of Transportation Engineers methodology.

The applicant’s environmental and civil experts testified that the project will remediate and cap contaminants found on the wharf parcels under Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management oversight, reconstruct the harbor wall and rebuild the Waite’s Wharf right‑of‑way to improve flood resilience and pedestrian access. The project also includes a proposed water‑taxi stop, kayak storage racks, ADA‑complaint sidewalks and an on‑site stormwater management system; staff and TRC reports recommend multiple detailed conditions to implement those elements.

Opponents, including neighborhood groups and several abutting residents, urged the board to deny the application or to impose stricter limits on events and traffic. Doug McClain, a land‑use expert appearing for objectors, argued the proposed scale and massing are out of character with the adjacent small‑scale residential pocket and could alter the neighborhood. “The buildings being built are four full stories right on the edge of the property, right next to this neighborhood where the average is two stories,” McClain said, arguing that the comprehensive plan promotes smaller lots and vertical mixed‑use patterns in this area.

Board members weighed applicant testimony, objectors’ evidence and staff recommendations. The board adopted staff findings, approved both the multifamily and transient‑guest special‑use permits for the North and South lots, and granted preliminary development plan approval subject to the staff report conditions and additional conditions the board added on the record. Key conditions include:

- Stormwater management to achieve no net increase in runoff and construction of a new, engineered stormwater treatment system for both lots; DEM oversight for remediation. - HarborWalk and public‑access improvements, including a water‑taxi stop and public kayak racks to be managed in coordination with the city and Friends of the Waterfront. - Parking, loading and event management plans to be reviewed and approved by the city engineer/Technical Review Committee (ITC) and to include event traffic mitigation and festival‑day coordination; a parking management plan must be in place for event periods. - Gates and controls to limit residential building access: the board required that residential buildings have controlled access (key‑fob or similar) with an exit‑only gate on the south lot and measures to mitigate nonresident cut‑through traffic; the city engineer will review practical measures. - Lease terms and short‑term rental restrictions: the board required minimum 12‑month residential leases for the multifamily units and reinforced that short‑term rentals are prohibited for those units.

Several board members and staff reiterated that the project’s approvals are contingent on final engineering, recording of an administrative subdivision to merge parcels and final sign‑offs by the administrative officer, city engineer, ITC and state regulatory agencies. Jackson said the family owners have worked with staff and modified the project in response to prior reviews; objectors’ counsel Scott Spear said opponents may seek judicial review of the decision. “We respectfully request that you approve these applications,” Jackson told the board at closing; objectors’ counsel urged denial and said the project would permanently change a long‑standing residential pocket.

The board’s action moves the project into the implementation phase pending final plan revisions and permit issuance. Staff will draft a written decision incorporating the conditions discussed on the record; the administrative officer will not sign final development approvals until required permits and recording requirements are satisfied.