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Newport Council advances broad zoning updates after heated debate over how to count raised patios
Summary
After a lengthy debate about whether raised or sunken patios and retaining walls should count toward lot building coverage, the Newport City Council advanced a package of zoning code updates on first reading and adopted a 32-inch threshold (above natural grade) for counting lot building coverage, with further work to follow on impervious-surface rules.
The Newport City Council spent the bulk of its evening reviewing a sprawling set of zoning-code “quick fixes” aimed at reducing delays in permit review and clarifying definitions for property owners and staff.
Councilors and planning staff said the amendments are intended to streamline routine decisions now clogging the zoning board, while protecting the city’s historic character and addressing stormwater concerns. The set of changes was introduced as a package and will return for additional consideration in future meetings; several items were broken into smaller pieces for clarity and separate votes.
One of the meeting’s longest exchanges focused on how to define “lot building coverage” — specifically, whether raised patios, sunken patios and retaining walls should be counted as part of the coverage calculation and at what height they should trigger inclusion. Nick Armour, the city’s zoning…
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