Resident urges council to require on-site parking or cut units at proposed 525 Broadway project

Paul Donovan, a Newport resident who gave his address as 530 Broadway, asked the city council to review Planning Board decisions on the 525 Broadway LLC project and warned the development would worsen parking and safety conditions in his neighborhood.

"Before any variances or special use permits are granted, it should be mandatory that the developer provides at least 48 guaranteed on-site permanent parking spaces," Donovan said, noting the Planning Board had only "suggested" additional parking and that the project's own traffic engineer estimated an additional 1,800 vehicle trips per week. He said the developer's offer of five off-site spaces a mile away was "laughable" and argued that if residents cannot find on-site parking tenants or guests will take scarce neighborhood spaces and cross the busy section of Broadway, increasing the risk of pedestrian injury at dusk.

Donovan also raised procedural concerns, saying application materials were posted online late and that some residents had little time to comment. He urged the council either to make on-site parking a firm condition or to reduce the size of the project from 38 units to "no more than 30 apartments" if the parking requirement cannot be met.

The remarks were delivered during the public-comment period and the council received Donovan's written statement into the record. No formal vote on the project occurred during the meeting; the Planning Board's prior actions (09/08/2025) remain the basis of Donovan's request.