Advisory panel urges Newport to secure 25 acres of DOT 'excess' land and create single authority for North End redevelopment

Colin Kane, chair of the North End advisory alignment commission, told a City of Newport public workshop that the group’s 18‑month study found roughly 25 acres in four DOT‑identified parcels that he said have been recorded locally after Federal Highway Administration approval as no longer necessary for highway use. Kane said the commission "strongly recommends public control of the DOT excess parcels" to coordinate acquisition, permitting and long‑term redevelopment.

The commission’s presentation centered on three barriers: limited utility infrastructure, extensive freshwater wetlands, and contaminated or low‑quality fill material that Kane called "dirty dirt." Kane warned that Department of Environmental Management wetlands characterizations and setbacks could render much of the land difficult or impossible to build on unless regulators consider regional, not parcel‑by‑parcel, approaches.

"If we daylight Elizabeth Brook, if we create open space, if we create public parks, we can improve habitat, improve livability, and still satisfy the objectives of the wetland regulations," Kane said, urging regulatory creativity and engineering solutions. He listed DEM, Coastal Resources (CRMC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as necessary partners for any work that affects bay outflow and tidal drainage.

To manage acquisition and permitting, the commission recommended creating a single execution authority — either reconstituting a city redevelopment authority or forming a state‑chartered quasi‑governmental entity — that would hold title, lead permitting and depoliticize development decisions while operating under existing zoning and guardrails. "The effort here is to ... establish objective criteria agreed upon at the state, the city, and the federal level and then task an independent body appointed by political leaders to run it," Kane said.

City staff reported that DOT’s appraisal and the parcels’ registration are public record and that Rhode Island law gives the city a formal right of first refusal when the state disposes of excess DOT land. A member of the city’s staff said the city plans to request an executive session to discuss whether to commission its own second appraisal and prepare for possible purchase. "We should be able to go find that appraisal," staff said, adding that the city is "positioned ... to be able to purchase these parcels when, and when the time comes." (speaker: city staff)

Councilors asked about price and financing. Kane said the DOT appraisal was conducted under a standard process but may have under‑accounted for site constraints and that a city‑informed appraisal could produce a different number. He suggested appraisals could fall in the "low tens of millions" rather than being trivial, and councilors discussed bonding, state funding, and reimbursement approaches used in previous redevelopment projects.

Staff also told the workshop that Jacobs Engineering is producing a technical report — covering drainage, flood analysis and Elizabeth Brook daylighting — expected in January 2026, and said some phase‑1 drainage work is already about 90% complete, which staff called a useful foundation for next steps.

The commission emphasized sequencing: stay closely engaged with DOT, consolidate environmental due diligence, secure clean title for any parcels acquired and pursue regular meetings with DEM and CRMC while the city evaluates financing options. No formal motion or vote was taken at the workshop; the discussion closed with the city chair thanking the commission for its work and noting follow‑up steps to report to council and consider an executive session on appraisal and acquisition options.

What’s next: staff said they will seek an executive‑session discussion about commissioning a second appraisal and preparing the city for its right of first refusal; the commission urged the council to move the issue up the state‑level agenda to secure regulator engagement and potential funding support.