OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Newport Historic District Commission Meeting - September 15, 2025

Meeting Portal — Monday, September 15, 2025
BodyNewport, Rhode Island
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, September 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:36:51

Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

Madam Chair, we're on the record whenever you're ready.

0:21

Okay.

0:22

Thank you, everyone.

0:23

This is a very large agenda, so our pre-meeting took a little bit longer than usual.

0:29

So with that, I will call to order the Newport Historic District Commission meeting for Monday, September 15th, 2025, and ask our secretary to call the roll.

0:38

Thank you, Madam Chair.

0:39

Diana Amarello here.

0:41

Rose Mary O'Brien.

0:42

Here.

0:43

Kelly Moran, I am here.

0:44

Jim Madsen.

0:46

Frank Bala.

0:47

Here.

0:47

Ray Goddard.

0:48

Here.

0:49

Bill Finley.

0:50

Here.

0:50

Brooke Richter.

0:52

And Kenny Bennell.

0:53

Fabulous.

0:54

I confirm that we have a quorum for this evening's meeting.

0:58

We had three commissioners who were absent at our prior meeting in August.

1:02

I'm going to ask Commissioners Ray Goddard, Bill Finley, and Kenny Bennell to affirm for the record that you have reviewed all materials for continued applications, have watched the uh Tuesday, August 12, 2025 meeting, and are prepared to be a voting commissioner on these applications as needed this evening.

1:22

Ray.

1:23

Yes.

1:24

Yes.

1:24

Bill and Kenny.

1:26

Thank you.

1:28

I will acknowledge that we have Peter Friedrich from our city solicitor's office here attending this evening.

1:34

And also Nick Armour is filling in for Gillian Chin.

1:38

To the Commission, uh the meeting minutes for Tuesday, August 12th, 2025 have been provided.

1:45

Are there any additions or corrections?

1:50

No.

1:51

Okay.

1:52

I'll request a motion to accept the minutes for Tuesday, August 12th, 2025, as presented.

1:57

So move.

1:58

Second.

1:59

All those in favor.

2:00

Aye.

2:01

All those opposed.

2:06

All applications approved and certificates of appropriateness issued this evening, Monday, September 15th, 2025, are valid for one year from the date of approval.

2:16

All of the applications in this meeting have a published staff report, which includes the confirmed location of each property within a Newport Historic District.

2:24

Record as a contributing or non-contributing building, construction date of the property, and character defining features.

2:31

As we begin the meeting this evening, I request a motion to accept all staff findings of fact as our findings of fact.

2:37

So moved.

2:37

Second.

2:38

All those in favor.

2:39

Aye.

2:40

All those opposed.

2:43

So as stated, we had our standard pre-meeting immediately prior to this evening's meeting.

2:48

We have a lot of adjustments and uh details to go through, so we're going to go through those in order.

2:53

Um, the first is resequencing.

2:55

So based on the review of tonight's agenda, we'll be making one adjustment that includes the resequence resequencing of C38 Beacon Hill to the end of the agenda after all new applications have been heard.

3:09

We have multiple continuations.

3:14

So those are continuations that the commission was made aware of after the agenda was published.

3:20

These are the applications of N21 Bellevue Avenue, N4, 61 2nd Street, and 10 16 Barney Court, N18 29 John Street, and N2137 Elm Street.

3:40

So if we have anyone here this evening from the public looking for those applications, those will all be continued to the next regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, October 14th, 2025.

3:54

Similarly, we were made aware of withdrawals from the agenda this evening.

3:59

We have two of those applications.

4:02

The first is N5 for 40 Sherman Street and N17 for 562 Bellevue Avenue.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████68%
Zoning and Land Use██████████15%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████7%
Procedural████6%
Zoning Variances███4%
Summary of Proceedings

Newport Historic District Commission Meeting - September 15, 2025

The Newport Historic District Commission (HDC) met on Monday, September 15, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 43 Broadway, Newport, RI. The meeting was rescheduled from September 9, 2025. The commission reviewed a large agenda of 21 new applications, 5 continued applications, and 2 action items. Several applications were approved via summary or abbreviated summary, and others received full hearings. Key decisions included approvals, continuations, and a split of a major application for 8 Beacon Hill.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Minutes from August 12, 2025, approved unanimously.
  • Staff Findings of Fact: Motion to accept all staff findings of fact passed unanimously.
  • Summary Approvals (no public comment):
    • C2 (11 Chartier Circle): Approved for new in-ground pool, citing Newport Standard 17 TAC 80 060 B1.
    • N6 (718 Bellevue Avenue, Apt. 4): Approved for window and door replacement, citing standards A15 and 7.
    • N11 (37 William Street): Approved for spiral staircase installation, citing standards A1, A2, and 7.
    • N13 (34 Ocean Avenue): Approved for cabana renovations, pergola, and screen additions (Commissioner Goddard recused), citing standards B1 and B2.
    • N20 (160 Webster Street): Approved for window and door replacements, egress well, and masonry extension (Goddard recused), citing standards B1 and B2.
  • Action Items:
    • A1 (8 Barney Street): Certificate of Appropriateness extended for rear stairway/deck repairs.
    • A2 (111 Harrison Ave, Unit 10A): Dismissed without prejudice (applicant notified).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered during the consent calendar or abbreviated summaries.
  • During full hearings, applicant representatives and architects presented proposals and answered commissioner questions.

Discussion Items

  • Abbreviated Summary Hearings:
    • N7 (71 Prospect Hill): Applicant Ed McGrath agreed to change garage door material from composite to all wood. Approved with condition.
    • N8 (41 Third Street): Attorney J. Russell Jackson presented updates: windows changed to all wood Marvin, door replaced with all wood. Approved with conditions for planner review.
    • N12 (599 Ocean Avenue): Applicant argued for PVC trim due to ocean exposure; commissioners debated precedent. After discussion, applicant agreed to switch to painted wood. Approved with condition.
    • N14 (32 Green Street): Architect Eric Picard proposed Pella Reserve windows. Commissioners questioned muntin profiles and true divided light. Approved with condition to confirm profile with preservation planner.
  • Full Hearings:
    • C1 (364 Bellevue Avenue, Unit D102): No applicant present. Dismissed without prejudice.
    • C4 (65 William Street): Applicant amended scope to remove dormers and add a skylight. Approved as amended (unanimous).
    • C5 (38 Pelham Street): Updated window survey submitted; approved to replace 2000-era windows with Pella (details to be confirmed by planner) and restore all other historic windows. Also approved extension of stair tower by 2 feet and reconstruction of compromised chimney with original bricks. Approved (unanimous).
    • N1 (39 School Street): Applicant Jack Murphy requested ready slate roof and copper gutters; preservation planner recommended fiberglass gutters to match original profile. Applicant agreed to fiberglass. Approved with conditions (unanimous).
    • N3 (37 Sherman Street): No applicant present. Continued to October 14, 2025.
    • N9 (60 Third Street): Applicant sought to use wood shingles due to insufficient original slate. Commission decided: use original slate on original structure, ready slate on new addition. Approved (unanimous).
    • N15 (1 Wetmore): Application split: Part A (chimney replacement) approved; Part B (standing seam metal roof) continued to October 14, 2025, for further discussion on material compatibility.
    • N16 (19 Catherine Street): Extensive discussion on front portico design, historical photos, and other elevations. Commissioners requested historic photos and updated current photos. Application continued to October 14, 2025, in its entirety.
    • N19 (33 William Street): Architect Spencer McComb proposed new wood railing and window replacements. Vote was 4-3 in favor of approval (with conditions). Approved.
    • C3 (8 Beacon Hill): Major application for carriage house conversion, new garage, and pool. After site visit and design review, commission split the application: Part 1 (main house except east/south entries) approved; Part 2 (garage, pool, east and south entries) continued to October 14, 2025. A second site visit was scheduled.

Key Outcomes

  • Approvals:
    • C2, N6, N11, N13, N20 (summary approvals).
    • A1 (extension), A2 (dismissal).
    • N7, N8, N12, N14 (abbreviated summaries with conditions).
    • C4, C5, N1, N9, N15 Part A, N19, and C3 Part 1 (full hearings).
  • Continuations:
    • N2 (1 Bellevue), N4 (61 Second Street), N10 (16 Barney Court), N18 (29 John Street), N21 (37 Elm Street) were continued to October 14, 2025 (noted at start of meeting).
    • N3 (37 Sherman Street), N15 Part B, N16, and C3 Part 2 continued to October 14, 2025.
  • Withdrawals: N5 (40 Sherman Street) and N17 (562 Bellevue Avenue) were withdrawn.
  • Site Visit: A second site visit for 8 Beacon Hill (C3) was scheduled.
  • Vote Tallies: N19 passed 4-3. All other votes were unanimous unless noted (recusals: Goddard on N13, N20, N12, and N19).

Meeting Transcript

Madam Chair, we're on the record whenever you're ready. Okay. Thank you, everyone. This is a very large agenda, so our pre-meeting took a little bit longer than usual. So with that, I will call to order the Newport Historic District Commission meeting for Monday, September 15th, 2025, and ask our secretary to call the roll. Thank you, Madam Chair. Diana Amarello here. Rose Mary O'Brien. Here. Kelly Moran, I am here. Jim Madsen. Frank Bala. Here. Ray Goddard. Here. Bill Finley. Here. Brooke Richter. And Kenny Bennell. Fabulous. I confirm that we have a quorum for this evening's meeting. We had three commissioners who were absent at our prior meeting in August. I'm going to ask Commissioners Ray Goddard, Bill Finley, and Kenny Bennell to affirm for the record that you have reviewed all materials for continued applications, have watched the uh Tuesday, August 12, 2025 meeting, and are prepared to be a voting commissioner on these applications as needed this evening. Ray. Yes. Yes. Bill and Kenny. Thank you. I will acknowledge that we have Peter Friedrich from our city solicitor's office here attending this evening. And also Nick Armour is filling in for Gillian Chin. To the Commission, uh the meeting minutes for Tuesday, August 12th, 2025 have been provided. Are there any additions or corrections? No. Okay. I'll request a motion to accept the minutes for Tuesday, August 12th, 2025, as presented. So move. Second. All those in favor. Aye. All those opposed. All applications approved and certificates of appropriateness issued this evening, Monday, September 15th, 2025, are valid for one year from the date of approval. All of the applications in this meeting have a published staff report, which includes the confirmed location of each property within a Newport Historic District. Record as a contributing or non-contributing building, construction date of the property, and character defining features. As we begin the meeting this evening, I request a motion to accept all staff findings of fact as our findings of fact. So moved. Second. All those in favor. Aye. All those opposed. So as stated, we had our standard pre-meeting immediately prior to this evening's meeting.

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