Zoning board waives manager‑parking requirement for 16 Mary St. guest‑house approval

The Newport Zoning Board of Review voted unanimously to approve CPDW Properties’ petition to convert Unit 4 at 16 Mary Street into a two‑bedroom guest house, while waiving the ordinance requirement for a dedicated manager parking space for the current owner.

David White, who identified himself as a partner in CPDW, told the board the building is “physically and literally surrounded by 20 plus short term rentals,” and that the applicant has been pursuing an off‑site lease for a manager space but had only verbal approvals at the time of the hearing. The board’s discussion centered on enforcement and whether a waiver would set a harmful precedent; the motion that passed was narrowly tailored. The board first voted to waive the manager‑parking requirement for this specific property owner, then approved the petition conditioned on that waiver and an annual confirmation that ownership had not changed — language the mover and seconder agreed to add on the record.

Chair Wick Rud summarized the approach as a case‑by‑case balancing of ordinance rules and on‑the‑ground realities: “Sometimes the zoning ordinances are square pegs, and you’ve got a round hole,” he said, describing the vote as a pragmatic response to a parking‑constrained downtown location. The board recorded that the approval required the project to start and be substantially completed within 12 months and that all outstanding public‑notice invoices be paid before recording.