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Record of Proceedings

Newport Planning Board Special Meeting on Waites Wharf Hotel – May 15, 2025

Meeting PortalThursday, May 15, 2025
BodyNewport, Rhode Island
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, May 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:08

The time is 6.02, and I'd like to open public hearing for the continuance of the weights wharf project.

0:17

If the applicant would like to get started.

0:22

Oh, actually, thank you.

0:23

Yes, please call roll.

0:25

All right, we'll call Jeffrey Brooks here.

0:31

Here.

0:32

Richard Cromwell's here.

0:33

Paul McGreevy here.

0:35

Patricia Antonelli.

0:37

Yeah.

0:38

Jared Pinatell.

0:40

Here.

0:40

And Teresa Stokes is absent.

0:43

Absolutely.

0:44

Thank you very much.

0:46

Paul, make sure your microphones off.

0:48

Mr.

0:49

Jackson.

0:51

Good evening, Mr.

0:52

Chairman, members of the board, Jay Russell Jackson, Miller Scott Holberg and Jackson on behalf of the applicant.

0:58

Just a couple uh quick points, and we'll we'll get started with uh sort of finishing out the applicant's presentation.

1:05

Um since the last meeting, we submitted an updated engineering plan set.

1:13

Um it was the change was extremely minor.

1:16

It was uh in response to questions about whether or not there were handicapped parking spaces in proximity to the two residential dwelling buildings.

1:25

Uh so the engineers reconfigured the parking, uh, and I use that term, you know.

1:31

Uh it the wasn't much of a reconfigure necessary to swapping out a couple spaces, no loss of spaces, no real change in how it's designed.

1:39

But I just wanted to clarify um that that would only change the plan set, and unless the board feel feels compelled to hear from the engineer, I don't think we need to get into that minor change.

1:51

Um there is supplemental a supplemental traffic um uh report or statement.

1:57

It's only a couple pages was put together by um uh BHB and Lorenzo Dantes, our traffic engineer, to sort of address specifically an issue that came up during his testimony last hearing, which related to the extent marina operations were sort of factored in.

2:13

So we took another look at that and and rolled in um you know the the trip generation uh expected from existing marina operations.

2:24

So he can speak to that.

2:26

Um and there were a couple court there's a correspondence I submitted um that I just wanted to sort of have in the record it relates to some questions I had in terms of um the new port ordinance as it relates to the development plan review process in relation to all the changes that have happened with state law over the last couple years.

2:44

Uh I'm not interested in arguing that right now at all.

2:47

It's a legal issue, but I thought it was important that I get something into the record in the event we closed out the record tonight, so that um that issue is there in the event it needs to be argued uh in the bit in the uh in the event of an appeal one way or the other.

3:01

And then the the last oh, so if I could just um I'm gonna submit that as if I could an actual exhibit.

3:08

I'll be up in a second.

3:09

I have one other exhibit again, Mr.

3:11

Chairman.

3:12

This was sort of in response to questions that came up during um our traffic engineers um testimony last hearing.

3:21

And you, Mr.

3:21

Chairman had made a comment that you were sort of struggling a little bit understanding how um existing uh operations would generate more traffic than what was being proposed.

3:33

So what we've done is we've put together just a simple one-page exhibit which shows all of the um occupancies allowed on the existing site in terms of the different establishments that are there now, and these are numbers that were verified with the uh Newport Fire Department because recently I think the numbers came in as of yesterday.

3:52

There was an inspection done.

3:54

So you have a sense as to how many people can be on the wharf at any given time now versus uh what the max capacity could be of the proposal with all of the rooms occupied, and we'll get into that in a second.

4:10

The the venues occupied.

4:11

So I if I could that would be sort of exhibit two, and I I can walk through that quickly, and then um if it pleases the board.

4:19

Um the applicant Tammy Abruzi wanted to come up to speak to a couple things again that relate to operational aspects that came up during the previous two hearings.

4:29

Um you're gonna hear from uh Mr.

4:31

Hoole, who hasn't testified yet.

4:34

Um the applicant Gilla Bruzy, who's a full-time newport resident, wants to speak on the applic application as well.

4:42

And then we do have Mr.

4:43

Dontis and Mr.

4:45

Bronck that we would like to present very briefly, primarily for rebuttal purposes because the objector's materials arrived last week.

4:55

Um they've had two and a half months, three months to review the materials that we've submitted.

5:00

Uh their expert reports came in last week.

5:03

So I didn't have the opportunity to ask my experts during their direct testimony what their thoughts were on the objectors' reports.

5:11

So I'd like to have that opportunity before we close our case.

5:14

Okay.

5:15

Um so you're gonna submit the two exhibits.

5:17

So I've got two exhibits.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning and Land Use████████████████████████████████32%
Transportation Safety███████████████15%
Parking and Traffic█████████9%
Harbor Management████████8%
Short Term Rentals████████8%
Procedural█████5%
Pending Litigation█████5%
Community Engagement█████5%
Accessibility███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Newport Planning Board Special Meeting on Waites Wharf Hotel – May 15, 2025

This special meeting of the Newport Planning Board was convened at 6:02 p.m. on May 15, 2025, to continue the public hearing on Unified Development Review applications for the proposed Waites Wharf Hotel development (North Lot Application No. 2024-DPR-01 and South Lot Application No. 2024-DPR-02). The applicant, Harbour Realty, LLC, seeks to construct two hotels (89 total transient guest rooms), two 7‑unit multifamily residential buildings, a restaurant, and an event/wedding venue, along with continued marina operations. The hearing included presentation of new exhibits, testimony from applicant witnesses, cross‑examination, presentation of the objectors’ case (including expert and fact witnesses), and a brief video. The board voted unanimously to continue the application to the regularly scheduled June planning board meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony (Written Submissions)

  • The agenda lists 73 public comment submissions, with approximately 40 in objection, 10 in support, and a few expressing concern or supporting the public access plan. Written comments were filed by residents, businesses, and organizations including Friends of the Waterfront. No oral public comment period was held during this session.

Discussion Items

  • Applicant’s Presentation:
    • Attorney Jay Russell summarized minor parking reconfigurations and submitted two new exhibits: a legal correspondence and an occupancy comparison chart showing that existing site occupancy can reach up to 2,227 persons, while the proposed project would have a maximum of 832 persons—a net reduction of at least 350 people on a busy summer Saturday.
    • Tammy Abruzese (applicant family member) detailed current operations (five event spaces, simultaneous events, up to 2,000 attendees on peak days) and argued the proposal would reduce intensity, improve control, and add structured spaces.
    • Real estate expert Paul Houle (accepted as expert) testified that the project represents the highest and best use, is compatible with the waterfront business zone, would quadruple property taxes (from ~$188,000 to ~$500,000), and would reduce short‑term rental impacts. He noted the buildings could be built by right and meet all zoning requirements.
    • Jill Abruzese (full‑time Newport resident) spoke about the family’s long‑term community involvement and requested a fair evaluation of the revised plan.
  • Objectors’ Case (presented by attorney Scott Speer):
    • Traffic expert Ken Cram (Fuss & O’Neill) testified that the shared‑street concept on Waites Wharf is too narrow, that no new traffic count data was provided, and that the proposal fails to ensure safe and efficient pedestrian/vehicular circulation. He also expressed concerns about emergency vehicle access and the feasibility of the gated exit.
    • Planning expert Doug McLean (AICP) testified that the four‑story multifamily buildings (52–50 ft) outscale the surrounding predominantly two‑story residential character, that the proposal is inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan (protection of residential neighborhoods, true mixed‑use, water‑dependent uses), and that site design (loading spaces, parking conflicts) is deficient. He recommended reducing building height and adjusting site layout.
    • Fact witnesses (Mike Moroni, Bill Firth, Valerie Urry, Ben Riggs) described the tight, narrow streets (Coddington Wharf, Harrington Street), frequent traffic conflicts, pedestrian safety issues, and concerns that the proposed gated exit for the south multifamily building would be misused or uncontrolled. They urged the board to prevent traffic from spilling into their neighborhood.
    • A short video was shown illustrating a bus struggling to turn onto Waites Wharf.

Key Outcomes

  • The board voted unanimously (all members present except Teresa Stokes who arrived late) to continue the hearing to the regularly scheduled June 2025 Planning Board meeting. The continuance allows for rebuttal testimony from the applicant’s experts (traffic engineer Lorenzo Dontis and planning expert Paige Bronk) and closing statements before the record is closed.
  • No votes were taken on the special use permits or development plan review approvals.

Meeting Transcript

The time is 6.02, and I'd like to open public hearing for the continuance of the weights wharf project. If the applicant would like to get started. Oh, actually, thank you. Yes, please call roll. All right, we'll call Jeffrey Brooks here. Here. Richard Cromwell's here. Paul McGreevy here. Patricia Antonelli. Yeah. Jared Pinatell. Here. And Teresa Stokes is absent. Absolutely. Thank you very much. Paul, make sure your microphones off. Mr. Jackson. Good evening, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Jay Russell Jackson, Miller Scott Holberg and Jackson on behalf of the applicant. Just a couple uh quick points, and we'll we'll get started with uh sort of finishing out the applicant's presentation. Um since the last meeting, we submitted an updated engineering plan set. Um it was the change was extremely minor. It was uh in response to questions about whether or not there were handicapped parking spaces in proximity to the two residential dwelling buildings. Uh so the engineers reconfigured the parking, uh, and I use that term, you know. Uh it the wasn't much of a reconfigure necessary to swapping out a couple spaces, no loss of spaces, no real change in how it's designed. But I just wanted to clarify um that that would only change the plan set, and unless the board feel feels compelled to hear from the engineer, I don't think we need to get into that minor change. Um there is supplemental a supplemental traffic um uh report or statement. It's only a couple pages was put together by um uh BHB and Lorenzo Dantes, our traffic engineer, to sort of address specifically an issue that came up during his testimony last hearing, which related to the extent marina operations were sort of factored in. So we took another look at that and and rolled in um you know the the trip generation uh expected from existing marina operations. So he can speak to that. Um and there were a couple court there's a correspondence I submitted um that I just wanted to sort of have in the record it relates to some questions I had in terms of um the new port ordinance as it relates to the development plan review process in relation to all the changes that have happened with state law over the last couple years. Uh I'm not interested in arguing that right now at all. It's a legal issue, but I thought it was important that I get something into the record in the event we closed out the record tonight, so that um that issue is there in the event it needs to be argued uh in the bit in the uh in the event of an appeal one way or the other. And then the the last oh, so if I could just um I'm gonna submit that as if I could an actual exhibit. I'll be up in a second. I have one other exhibit again, Mr. Chairman. This was sort of in response to questions that came up during um our traffic engineers um testimony last hearing. And you, Mr. Chairman had made a comment that you were sort of struggling a little bit understanding how um existing uh operations would generate more traffic than what was being proposed. So what we've done is we've put together just a simple one-page exhibit which shows all of the um occupancies allowed on the existing site in terms of the different establishments that are there now, and these are numbers that were verified with the uh Newport Fire Department because recently I think the numbers came in as of yesterday. There was an inspection done. So you have a sense as to how many people can be on the wharf at any given time now versus uh what the max capacity could be of the proposal with all of the rooms occupied, and we'll get into that in a second. The the venues occupied. So I if I could that would be sort of exhibit two, and I I can walk through that quickly, and then um if it pleases the board. Um the applicant Tammy Abruzi wanted to come up to speak to a couple things again that relate to operational aspects that came up during the previous two hearings. Um you're gonna hear from uh Mr. Hoole, who hasn't testified yet. Um the applicant Gilla Bruzy, who's a full-time newport resident, wants to speak on the applic application as well.

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