Zoning board formalizes Hurricane Hut’s outdoor service at Bowen's Wharf, grants parking variance

The Newport Zoning Board voted 5-0 on Dec. 15 to grant Hurricane Hut LLC a variance to formalize an existing seasonal outdoor service area and to permit construction of a small accessory bar on Bowen’s Wharf, finding that the site’s pedestrian character limits practical on-site parking.

Attorney Jay Russell Jackson told the board the wharf property historically transitioned from wholesale fish use to restaurants and that outdoor seating established during the COVID-19 pandemic has been used safely for years. He said staff’s analysis showed fewer technically available on-site spaces than earlier applications suggested and that requiring eight additional spaces would be contrary to public-safety and pedestrian-flow concerns.

Patrick Kilroy, a principal of the applicant, said the use has operated cooperatively with neighboring businesses and Harbor Cruise operators and that the proposed bar and seating would not obstruct disembarkation. Board members asked about interference with harbor operations; Kilroy and other witnesses said no interference was anticipated and that stakeholders coordinate access.

The petition covers a 1,320-square-foot seasonal outdoor service area; the board’s motion adopts staff findings and grants the requested variances with the standard condition that the project be started and substantially completed within 12 months or an extension be requested from the zoning officer.

The board’s vote formalizes an outdoor use that, counsel said, has been part of the wharf’s operating pattern since 2020.

The file requires staff to prepare the written decision and to confirm final plan details for recording.