Planning board approves variances, special permit for 49 Newport Hotel redevelopment with conditions

The City of Newport Planning Board voted unanimously to grant dimensional variances and a Category 3 special‑use permit to 49 Newport Hotel LLC for a master‑plan redevelopment that adds 31 guest rooms and a publicly dedicated harbor walk.

At the meeting, the board adopted the staff report as findings of fact and found the application met the required variance standards, citing site‑specific hardships tied to the property's waterfront location and the proposal’s compensating public benefits. Board members said lifting portions of the project above the FEMA flood elevation, adding retail and meeting space, and dedicating roughly 250 yards of harbor‑front access were material public benefits supporting the relief.

Peter Regan, the applicant’s attorney, told the board the project will “provide approximately 30,000 square feet of public access” along the waterfront and that the team accepts the staff’s recommended conditions. The board attached three principal conditions: final plan approval by the administrative officer, filing and recording a permanent easement securing the harbor‑walk from Paraty Park to Market Square for public use, and a written action plan from the applicant to provide a hotel shuttle for guest drop‑off/pick‑up and local travel.

The motion to grant the variances and special‑use permit passed with all members voting in favor. Board members also required the applicant to restrict commercial deliveries to morning hours (5:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.) on Market Square as part of the special‑use conditions to limit daytime curb congestion.

The approvals advance the project to subsequent design, permitting and TRC review steps; the board noted that preliminary development approval is subject to the administrative officer’s final plan sign‑off.