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Downtown survey: nearly 900 responses show regional interest; food, parking and safety top priorities
Summary
A downtown survey presented to Newport City Council drew nearly 900 responses — more than 70% from outside Newport City — with food and beverage ranked highest among development priorities and comments emphasizing parking, safety, housing affordability and preserving hometown character.
Emily Smart and Dave Leforce of Newport Downtown Development presented survey results to the Newport City Council on March 16, reporting nearly 900 respondents and strong regional interest in downtown revitalization. "We had almost 900 people go through the survey," Smart said, adding that "over 70% of the responses were from outside Newport City."
The survey asked respondents to rank priorities; presenters said food and beverage emerged as the most commonly chosen category when first, second and third choices were combined, with 58% of respondents including it among their top three. Smart said the results showed a broad age distribution and that about 40% of respondent households include children.
Dave Leforce said the responses will help guide what kinds of businesses and spaces the city recruits and supports. He described plans to publish the full data on the Newport Downtown website and to reach out to alumni of three local high schools to encourage entrepreneurs and former residents to consider business opportunities downtown. "This information is going to be available online on the ND website," Smart said.
Presenters reviewed category‑level findings: food and beverage (top across combined rankings), retail (clothing and apparel most often cited), entertainment (music and events), and family activities (indoor play spaces ranked highly). Comment themes the presenters highlighted included parking constraints—especially for large vehicles and during events—accessibility for seniors, street‑level security concerns such as visible drug or alcohol use, housing affordability and availability, and ideas for better lakefront utilization. Several commenters called for maintaining Newport’s small‑town New England character as development proceeds.
Leforce said the project team will release the detailed data and use it as a starting point to coordinate space planning for upcoming ground‑floor commercial space in new buildings. He emphasized that the survey is guidance, not a guarantee of business success: small or niche concepts could still succeed if supported by planning and marketing.
The council asked several follow‑up questions about the survey methodology, distribution and next steps. Smart said the team invested in broad outreach—social media, local businesses and restaurants placing cards on tables—and worked with community volunteers to increase participation. The presentation closed with a plan to publish the full survey results online and to continue outreach to potential business champions.
