Good evening, everyone.

Before the meeting officially gets started, I just wanted to take a moment.

For those of you that don't know, tonight is Chair Brooks, our illustrious chair, his last night is the plan in the planning board.

And so I wanted to take a minute just to say thank you for serving on the planning board for all of these years as a member, as the secretary, as the vice chair, and now as the chair.

And I also want to thank you for all of your hard work and your dedication to the board and all of the city's recent planning efforts.

North End Urban Plan, Keep Newport Moving, the Transportation Plan, our new housing chapter, and all of these have been award-winning plans with the North End Urban Plan actually winning a national award.

So job well done, Jeff.

Your thoughtfulness and leadership will be missed, but we'll enjoy it.

Hopefully, you'll enjoy some time off with your family.

And you'll welcome to come back to city service anytime you want.

There'll always be a place here for you.

I want to take a minute to just give you a certificate of appreciation for Jeff.

And a card from Arena.

Oh wow.

Thank you.

Thank you, everyone.

Thank you, Trish.

And Marina's gonna appreciate this, I promise.

Um, now to business.

Uh Mr.

Secretary.

Um I would say Rick.

Uh can you please call a roll?

I will I will pass the vote here.

Go ahead.

Great.

Um, Margaret Bolsky.

Here.

Richard Cromwell.

Here.

Jared Brentle here.

Teresa Stokes.

Here.

Paul McGreevy.

Here.

Patricia Antonelli.

Here.

Kevin Michael.

And Frederick Huntsbury here.

And Jeff Brooks here.

Well, thanks, pal.

No, it's all right.

I'm already stricken from the record.

I love it.

Um I would like to hand over the rest of the meeting to Margaret.

So uh Margaret, if you'd like to act as chair for the remainder of the meeting.

Thanks, Jeff.

Um, good evening all.

And I also on behalf of and I welcome the board to make comments as well, just as vice chair taking over from Jeff, Jeff Slade, an incredibly solid foundation for us to build on as a board.

And I so deeply appreciate um all of the work that you've put into this, the professionalism with which you've run these meetings, and the enormous amount of knowledge.

Uh that's going to be a big gap for us.

Jeff has an knows an awful lot about property use in the city of Newport.

And that's that's going to be a high bar for us to jump, but I think we're we're all up to it.

Anyone else have some comments?

Here you know.

Thanks, guys.

Thank you, everyone.

Thanks.

And best wishes, Jeff.

Thank you.

And you know, we'll call on you from time to time.

All right.

So I'd like to move on to the approval of the minutes uh of the meeting September 8, 2025.

Do I hear a motion to approve those minutes?

So moved.

Second.

All in favor.

Uh open for discussion.

Sorry.

That's right.

Open for discussion.

Any discussion about those meetings?

Yes.

Uh the one amendment I like to make in the minutes is for 525.

Um on page three, it says the applicant leases five guest parking from adjacent lot to St.

Peter's Lutheran Church.

We said the applicant uh has five parking spaces deeded from adjacent lot, St.

Peter's Church, which I know was on the butt.

Thank you.

Okay, that's all.

Sorry, Margaret.

All right, let's amend if I could have an amendment to that motion to uh accept the minutes as uh revised.

So moved.

Seconded.

All in favor.

Hi.

Good, thanks.

Thank you, Margaret.

Um moving right along.

I think we have some communications issues that the staff wants to cover with us, the comprehensive plan update.

I think we have slides too.

Well, pictures.

Thanks.

Good evening, everybody.

Um thanks for having us.

Uh my name's Mindy Watts.

I'm a city planner with a firm called Interface Studio.

We are based in Philadelphia.

We have a small office in Brooklyn, and I'm here with two of my colleagues tonight, Ashley and Kylie.

Um, and we are the firm that's leading the team that Newport has just hired to update the comprehensive plan.

So we are uh still workshopping a name for the plan.

Um for now, we're just calling it Newport 2037, which is it's a um plan that will be updated every 10 years that has a 20-year vision.

So um anyway, I'm just gonna say a few words to about the team and our process for for you all as our introductory briefing for you.

And just for everyone's common knowledge and staff, correct me if I'm wrong.

This is a statewide mandate to update our comprehensive plan on uh every decade.

And so we're doing this in accordance with law.

That's correct.

Yeah.

Um, so Interface Studio, as I mentioned, we're sort of a generalist city planning and urban design firm.

Um, we are the lead consultant on the team, and we are new new kids to the block, I'd say.

Um it's our first time working here in Newport, but we have three subconsultants on our team who are really experienced uh here in Newport.

Kevin Hively's sitting there.

Um he's an economist with Minigret Partners, and uh we learned today that his first ever planning project uh 22 years ago was uh the West the West Side Plan, and um he helped uh with the Innovate Newport Economic Development Plan and has been working here, member of the chamber for I guess all of that time.

So Kevin will be here to be the sort of financial and market reality check for us, and um we work with him on projects across the country.

We also have Woods Hole Group here, they will be our climate resiliency specialist, and they are involved right now with Easton's Beach Resiliency Study and tool design to focus on transportation, and as you know, they um led the uh Safe Streets for All plan in 2024 and the 2019 Keep Newport Moving Transportation Master Plan.

So we're you know drinking from a fire hose and trying to catch up, and and they already have their feet underneath them.

Next slide, please.

Uh we've mapped out the project in six phases or major waves of the work.

Most of it will happen in the first 18 months, but then there's this six-month process at the end when the state has to review the document and we hope approve it.

So the startup is behind us.

We're right now in that second wave, the analysis and initial engagement.

So I'll say a bit more about that in a moment.

From there, we'll move on to vision and goals, preliminary strategies, and the draft plan.

So we um like to, we as stewards of the comprehensive plan, I think the members of the planning board are familiar with what we're doing here, but um, for a lot of people, those two words don't carry a lot of meaning.

So we like to kind of ground the process in what what are we actually doing here.

So, as you said, it's a um state mandate that uh Newport and all municipalities in Rhode Island update their comprehensive plan every uh 10 years.

And so it's a community-driven process that helps to establish a shared vision for the future of Newport, and it will this document will guide um development and land use and um conservation and growth in in the city.

And so we're here to listen to neighbors and to understand how best to make sure that municipal services respond to local needs to help um chart out a path toward implementation and to coordinate with other existing plans and adjacent municipalities.

So comprehensive plan is comprehensive.

We have to grapple with a whole range of topics, and so the plan will have a 10 chapters.

Um, there's nine required.

I think the slide says eight, but it's actually nine required elements by the state.

And so we'll be talking about not just transportation and the housing chapters done, but we'll be, you know, all the bubbles on that map we'll we'll be grappling with with you and and residents in the city.

We're not starting from scratch, so there's a large body of prior plans, and that is one of our first tasks is to get up to speed with what they've recommended, what's been accomplished, where what hasn't happened and why, and to um help to knit these things together in the new comprehensive document.

They all speak to each other going forward.

So we use that as our baseline.

We complement that with our own research to update where is the city today, and then um we complement that research with listening.

So next slide, please.

Um, the process will have uh multiple touch points throughout the um project where we will engage with neighbors and businesses and employees and anybody who calls themselves a community member here in a range of different ways, sometimes in person, sometimes online.

And so that's one of the hallmarks of Interface Studios practice is trying to make it colorful and creative and fun for people.

And so we will be launching that this week at the Equidnik Farmers Growers Market, excuse me, if the weather holds.

Um if not, uh city staff will be out there uh for Broadway Street Fair on Saturday.

So this is our first trip.

We'll be here six times.

I think the next slide will show that.

Um so we're we are briefing you all this evening.

We'll be providing a similar briefing for city council on Wednesday.

We're doing some initial interviews mostly with uh city staff as we try to understand the different pieces of city government.

Um we will be rolling out two ways for people to engage the process.

Um there's going to be a large, what we call a collaborative map that we'll have at the growers market, and we'll have it at uh street fair where people can come and engage with us in a tactile way.

And there's an online version of that that we'll be rolling out uh shortly as well, as well as an online survey.

So that's just the kind of initial tools that we'll push out the door to start to understand residents' priorities.

Next slide.

Um and then we'll be briefing you each of our uh trips back to Newport.

Um we expect to be back in early December for the first large public open house where we'll ask a lot of questions and we think of that as the visioning open house, and we'll be back um then next spring with with the draft recommendations so we have time to hear from people and really learn and understand this place and um begin to craft this project together.

So we look forward to working with you all.

We're really excited to be here.

And um, is there another slide?

I'm not sure.

Oh, yeah.

Just to say that um this week we've um Innovate Newport has been uh gracious enough to let us uh book a room there.

And so um we'll be there.

We'll be we hope at the at the growers market um on Wednesday, and then um Broadway Street Fair uh planning will have a table.

And um stay tuned.

We'll as soon as we get the location and the date and time nailed down, we'll be sure to have a strong communications um effort so that people know about the big public open house that we'll be doing in uh December and the roll out of public website.

And so um to get to this place, we've been meeting weekly or biweekly with planning and development and three of your colleagues, um, Kevin, Jared, and Frederick, uh, just to be our sounding board throughout the process.

And um, so we are grateful for the time that has already been uh dedicated to this process.

And um, I'm happy to take any questions.

Otherwise, um you'll be seeing us and hearing from us again.

Anyone have any questions for me?

No.

Just one quick one.

Um, what is Scott Scott's role on this?

Scott Page, who you show on the page.

Yes.

Um, so he is uh the principal in charge, and he'll he's coming up tomorrow.

So I'm sorry that he's not here today, but he will be here and um he teaches a class on Monday evenings, and so that's why he's not here.

Thank you.

And and we uh strongly encourage uh members of the community to participate fully in this process.

This is the comprehensive plan that will guide the decisions that this planning board makes over the coming years that the city council there it will guide their deliberations, we'll guide the planning staff, uh, and it will guide applicants uh as they make proposals.

It's very important and it matters how we think about the future of this city.

That's great.

So thanks.

Thanks for being helping us.

Thank you.

Okay.

Anything further the staff has for us before we begin business.

One more quick announcement, as you saw in an email earlier today, and with your agenda packets there.

Um statewide planning has announced this.

And we have it Saturday, November 15th.

There will be an uh chance for an in-person training opportunity to fill your yearly um continuing education requirements.

If you can't make that, um, there's also virtual training opportunities uh January through June next year that we'll be announcing at the end of the year.

Uh and if you don't know if you're up to date, um email me and I have your records on file.

Great.

Thanks a lot.

Okay, I think we're ready then to move into the public uh meeting portion of this uh of our business tonight.

And may I have a motion to open the uh public hearing and public comment period.

So moved.

Second.

All in favor.

I agree.

Want to switch the calendar around, right?

You want to want to ask the vote.

Item B.

So on our agenda tonight, we had two applications.

The second one was an application from Flurry Properties.

Um, they've asked to continue uh to the November meeting.

Uh because this could end up being a very long meeting tonight, otherwise.

Um so may I have a motion uh to continue that application to the November meeting.

So moved.

Second.

All in favor.

Aye.

Okay.

Thank you.

Mr.

Regan.

Uh good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, Peter Regan with the firm of Sayer Regan and Thayer uh here tonight representing 49 Newport Hotel LLC.

With me tonight are Nick Giacobi and Everett Correa of the Procacanti companies, Justin Hetty of Centerbrook Architects, our architect, Phil Henry of Civil Design Group, our civil engineer, John Carter, our landscape architect, Paul Bannon of Crossman Engineering, our traffic engineer, and Jim Hoole, our real estate expert.

This is a project to upgrade and expand the Newport Harbor Hotel, or what those of us who've been around long enough still refer to as the treadway.

You're all familiar with this property.

While the hotel occupies a very prominent spot on Newport Harbor, it has not been substantially improved since it was originally built in 1972.

It is also cut off and isolated from the rest of the waterfront and downtown, sort of on its own island.

There's no public access on the water side of the property, and there's a fenced-in parking lot that runs the length of America's Cup Avenue on the other side.

So if you're at Long Wharf, you're at Brick Market, or you're coming from the ferry landing, this property is something that you need to get around in order to get to what you would consider to be the waterfront.

So we see this project as an opportunity to accomplish two important goals.

First, it's an opportunity to upgrade and expand the hotel's facilities to make them compatible with the west of the rest of the waterfront and worthy of this very important site.

More importantly, it's also a chance to reincorporate this property into the rest of the waterfront.

And one of the ways that we do that is by providing a publicly dedicated harbor walk, the full length of the property from Parate Park to Bowen's Wharf, which is about 250 yards of dedicated public access on the harbor, in addition to other public access throughout the site.

So instead of blocking public access as this property currently does, it would finally connect Long Wharf to Bowen's Wharf, which has been a goal of the city for many years.

So the idea essentially is to expand what you would consider to be that public and vibrant part of the waterfront all the way from Bowens to Long Wharf.

And in fact, this project will provide approximately 30,000 square feet of public access in close proximity to the harbor.

In terms of detail, this project would add a total of 31 guest rooms.

So it would be going from 133 to 164.

Would add approximately 4600 square feet of retail space on a public plaza with access from America's Cup Avenue and Market Square, and a slight increase of 1,300 square feet of meeting space.

The first is a category three special use permits since hotels within the waterfront business zone require a special use permit.

And anytime we're modifying an existing hotel in that zone, it also requires a special use permit.

In addition, we're seeking two dimensional variants, one for parking and one for the allowable number of rooms.

And as we'll discuss later this evening, we believe that we meet all of the required standing for the requested relief.

As noted in the staff report, the hardships from which we're seeking relief for those two-dimensional variances are due to the unique characteristics of this property and the existing structures.

And those include the location of the property within the flood zone and the need to meet FEMA building requirements.

Also the condition of the existing structures and site infrastructure, which, as I mentioned, haven't been upgraded to a level consistent with the rest of the waterfront, and most of which does not meet current regulations.

As we'll discuss this evening, we believe this project will have a very positive impact on the surrounding area.

I also want to note that there's been a lot of planning and discussion that has gone into this plan.

We've had multiple meetings with the city, uh planning department, the harbormaster to coordinate the project with the city's plans for Karate Park, as well as the city's plans for Market Square.

We've also met with the building official, resiliency official to discuss flood zone and resiliency issues.

And we appreciate all the input that we've been able to incorporate into the project.

Lastly, I would note before we begin that the project received a positive recommendation from the technical review committee, and that the staff report also recommends approval with proposed conditions, all of which we accept.

And one of those proposed conditions is that there be a deeded easement for that public access along the waterfront.

And I'm going to keep saying it as a point to Linda Stevenson from Friends of the Waterfront.

We're in agreement with that condition.

So with that, I'd like to turn things over to our architect Justin Hetty to walk you through what's being proposed.

Could we swear in?

Mr.

Jenny.

Can we state your name?

Raise your right hand and repeat me.

I'm state your name.

Justin Hetty.

Do solemnly swear that the testimony I give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Do solemnly swear that this testimony will be the truth and nothing but the whole truth.

The truth, the whole trip, and nothing but the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Thank you.

Justin, you're a licensed architect and the principal center architects and the planners.

Yes.

Yes, I've been working for over 20 years.

I've done recently completed projects at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.

Actually, last Saturday, the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism just opened.

Shepard's Run in Rhode Island as well as the Ocean House, a principal at Center Brook Architects.

I think that's about it.

Yes.

That makes this in the side, please.

Sure.

Thank you, sir.

Correct.

Based on Mr.

Hades background and the experience that asked that he'd be accepted as an expert.

We can accept him.

Yes.

So before we get into the details of what they proposed, and just try to work project.

Yes, and this this image helps describe it.

It's approximately 50% of it is existing, improving the existing condition.

And looking at this view, what we're trying to do is connect to Bowen's Warp.

And the reason why this project came to be is that if you consider this project as you know it today, it feels very private.

It feels like a private property that doesn't connect the brick market to Bowens Wharf or Bowens Wharf to the Parate Park Ferry Terminal.

And that was one of our goals in the design.

Early on, looking through the design, just connecting to the special place that's Bowens Warp and looking at the fabric, the materials there.

You can notice what's in brick feels very pedestrian friendly, friendly in Newport.

You notice the variation of materials.

And if we're going to build something that's next to this very special place, we want to make sure it blends in and fits to the scale of this condition, but also the materials.

So you can see the brick, clapperts, uh, shingle roofs, uh, bricks, brick saving sidewalks.

These are all things that are very important because today, as you see at this project, when you walk through here and you hit our property, you stop and turn around.

Uh, and that's something we want to change.

This this site plan uh is very telling.

Uh the lines in red are where the pedestrians now currently travel.

If you come into Parate Park to the ferry terminal, you're walking around this property along America's Cup.

If you're walking from the waterfront district to the baseball field, you're again walking down America's Cup and around this property.

And then, as I mentioned, if you're in Bowens Warp, you see the loading dock on uh Market Square and you turn around.

So it's telling that this feels very private.

Now you can see the existing hotel along the waterfront.

It's going to be upgraded, but what's going to change is the meeting room, kitchen space, and restaurant space, which is now in the flood zone, will be demolished and make way for a new uh elevated plaza.

This is the diagram of our proposed condition.

And you can see many more red lines here, right?

So a lot more pedestrians are walking along this uh waterfront.

And as Peter mentioned, we're about 250 yards of new harbor walk.

So now, if you're arriving through the ferry terminal, uh, you're walking from Parate Park.

250 yards, you're almost walking um three football fields along the waterfront, uh, publicly accessible.

So no longer are you taking the busy America's Cup, you're you're traveling along the waterfront.

It's very special.

One more thing to note there, Hayden.

The elevated plaza, which is above the current parking, provides access from across America's Cup from Thames Street.

You can now, which Market Square does not have a sidewalk, you can cross the street, come above onto the elevated plaza, and make your way to the waterfront in Bowen's World.

Before we dive into this, I thought it might be helpful you jump into a virtual walkthrough of the project.

So Hayden will pull that up.

It's about three minutes, and it helps visualize the entire project, which we've modeled everything in three dimensions because there's quite a few grade changes, and this will help clarify some things.

Excellent.

Thank you, Hayden.

So we'll start with an aerial view here from the south, and you can see that's the addition component above parking.

You can see to the left, those gray buildings are Bowens Wharf.

We've reduced the scale of the buildings here.

There are approximately two stories to relate to Bowen's Wharf.

And when you come off America's Cup in this view, you go from elevation nine up to the plaza level, which elevation 15.

There's accessible ramp to the right, and as you enter up on the plaza, there's retail on your left and meeting spaces that connect to events and activities that happen at Bowen's Wharf.

Restaurant on your left, new lobby on your right, and then you can see Bowen's Wharf there in green.

The special part about this project is the harbor walk.

So over uh 250 yards of harbor walk publicly accessible.

We're very excited about that.

You'll notice that the urban move here to highlight Trinity Church, which was a great moment when we were designing this.

From Bowen's Wharf, you can see framing of certain features that bring you into the harbor walk that make make you not turn around here, which you would normally do.

From Parate Park, you can see the accessible point of entry there as we walk through now.

So right now there's a bulkhead here, and you cannot access the water.

So you're on your way to Bowens Wharf.

A larger space, we didn't want this this harbor walk to just be small and narrow.

We wanted to expand at certain points so that certain activities can happen here.

If you know from Bowen's Wharf, somebody might pull out a guitar or do a small performance.

We don't know what'll happen here, but um we know that it'll be lively and uh a great place to be.

From the TRC, this is a well-illuminated space with lots of signage.

You can see um signage associated with the lamp post.

Uh the aerial view of the parking uh will have increased vegetation to uh shield the parking, as it's the first thing you see when you drive in.

On the left is the new addition on the right was the existing.

And then we worked with the TRC to create a tower there, which see it later, but uh, we're very happy with that tower being a place of refuge for pedestrians to walk through.

Uh the valet drop off, which is pulled back from the street so that uh the queue up line doesn't interrupt traffic along America's cup.

And a very quick animation, but I hope that helped.

Thank you.

Thanks, Hayden.

So we'll go through the slides here uh quickly.

There's quite a few, but each one has a good point to it.

Uh, this is the ground floor.

So you're not seeing the addition here because we've we've over top of the parking.

So we've clarified the parking, and we'll get into the detail, but the parking count remains the same as it is today, but it's much easier parking lot to navigate.

Um, if we go to the next slide quickly, you'll see just on that point, the access points from America's couple of the market square remains.

Correct.

The vehicular access points are really the ways that you would enter the site now, pedestrian wise, remain the same.

But you'll see in a moment, we're adding quite a few more pedestrian entries.

Um, so you can see the podium on top there with meeting spaces on level two, as well as retail spaces and restaurant spaces that connect to Bowen's Wharf.

Uh, the next slide describes what Peter mentioned earlier with 164 guest rooms, relatively the same amount of restaurant space, um, an increase slightly in meeting space of about 1,300 square feet, and then five new retail stores uh increasing about four 4,629 feet.

You can see the existing ground floor here that has the now to be demolished restaurant and kitchen.

And if you go to the next slide, Hayden, you can see that will be demolished and made way for more parking at grade and covered parking.

And we'll get into the detail of providing scooter and bicycle parking.

This slide shows if you look at the yellow lines, those are the new pedestrian entry points.

So by Parati Park, you can now enter this site through the harbor walk.

You can now enter the site from Bowen's Wharp on the right side of the page.

And then on the top, where you would previously come across America's Cup, you would hit a fence and you'd have to walk around, and then you would wonder, well, can I go down Market Square?

I don't know, there's no sidewalk.

You can now go right up the ramp.

Well, you go under the tower and up onto the plaza and migrate your way to the waterfront.

The parking, uh, there's 75 uh spaces below the podium and 93 outdoor.

So the total is 168, which is what is shown today.

In terms of the ground floor coverage, we're well below the 40% allowable.

We're at 29%.

This slide, I'll just there's a couple existing and new.

What you're seeing is in pink is new construction that is separate from the existing.

It's mechanically separate, structurally separate.

Um, and what you're seeing in in orange is additions to the existing to make it feel less like a condo building.

It's a very simple looking building now, if you if you're familiar with it.

So we're adding a little bit of ornateness to it so it looks more appropriate.

Uh the second floor has hotel rooms, and you're seeing the roof of the restaurant.

And then what we're proposing is at elevation 15 now out of the flood zone.

Um, similar to uh Hammett's Warp, you're building up so that you're parking below it with meeting spaces uh and restaurant and retail spaces.

Again, you're seeing in pink what is the new and orange what is added on to the existing building along the waterfront to increase the size of the windows.

The third floor, we have 36 guest rooms now, currently, um, and then you'll see this is where in the next slide where we're adding hotel rooms to this portion to total 50 above.

So meeting spaces on level two, then hotel rooms on level three and four.

Level four, 35 currently in the existing.

And then if you go to the next slide, propose you can see 55 total on level four.

Although these floors do not connect architecturally just to keep the scale and break these into two pieces.

The lobby that is between these is a single story structure.

Uh what is being proposed that is new, uh, will not exceed the height of the existing hotel.

So we'll match that 43.

And this is a helpful slide to see what is existing.

Uh, you can see the um the restaurant and the meeting spaces that are at grade and parking.

And the building itself that is existing is white and with simple punched windows.

And if you go to the next slide, Hayden, sorry to jump there.

Um, you can see our proposed with the broken down scale along Market Square, um, the new building with the meeting spaces, and then the significantly renovated um existing building to make it all feel contextual and uh tight together.

We saw this in the animation.

This is the showing the 250 yards of waterfront access along the harbor walk, and then you can see the alignment of uh Trinity Church.

So when we were designing this, we were standing out on that dock, and I encourage you to go out there and see this.

It really works tremendously well where we don't have to build an NCAP to this public square that we're building.

It's already there with Trinity Church and uh Queen Anne's Plaza or Queen Anne's Park.

You can see that here in this section that connects all the way up to Trinity Church.

Um, so one can migrate down and then across America's Cup and then onto the plaza and then work your way to the waterfront.

A little zoomed-in section there to show the parking below our new proposed building.

Along the waterfront, you can see if you look at the right, what's more um busy and charming along Bowen's wharf, then you see kind of this more simple and I would slightly bland building, uh which we're in the next slide ornament ornamenting further uh with new skin and uh new windows and new materials.

The crosswalk along the main entry, you can see that port cochere that's existing, and we're maintaining this um existing gateway here.

So right now, if this was to be active, which it isn't often active, there could potentially be a backup of cars at the Port Cochere onto America's Cup.

So we've elected to remove that, and in the next slide, you'll see that we're pushing the lobby back further off the street so that when you drive towards it, you can have a significantly longer queue up line for a hotel guests to arrive.

This point of entry can also be used for parking in general.

As you enter this, you can turn left and access the parking uh immediately to your left.

Uh we worked with the TRC significantly on this uh with uh different um tower options.

Um you can see here as you cross, you you go right into a fence, and this is one of the main crossways uh to the harbor walk from across the themes.

If you look at the next slide, we're now providing a tower of sorts, um, although it is the same height of as the existing building.

But when you walk across here, you can be undercover in that tower in public space, and you can either go up to the plaza or down to the parking below, uh which we felt is a very nice feature and draws you across.

One thing we use for these types of busy roadways is we feel this will slow cars down as they see uh a structure here at signifier that this is a major crossing and it makes people more alert in a speedy in a speedy zone.

Not much to see here, but looking back from Bowens Warp, um, you can see to the left as it as our project pops in, which is the parking lot now with some signage, you'll see that we're trying to continue the contextual language of Bowens Wharf onto our site.

And one thing I failed to mention was working with the TRC and the town.

We wanted to make sure that that parking podium, which is really one structure, feels like multiple structures.

I mean, you could easily span horizontally and feel like everything is sitting on one stone or concrete structure.

But the way that we carry the materials down, it feels like there's multiple buildings blended in, which is important because that ties into Bowen's War.

A view way back from Thames.

Um, you're coming and looking down this road here, you'll catch just a small glimpse of uh the tower in the project.

Go to the next slide, Hate.

So that shows you there's you know some contextual language across themes there.

And then from Queen Anne's Square, you're coming, you're just exiting Trinity Church.

Uh, you can see the existing hotel there, um, and then the parking lot in the foreground, and then this view, which we didn't remove the tree because we don't want to, and it's not on our property.

But if you look through that area, you would be able to see right through the same view corridor that looks back to Trinity Church.

You can see right through to the waterfront.

It feels a special connection.

From Bowen's Warp, we saw this in the animation.

What is now kind of a loading dock, it feels back of house, it doesn't feel friendly.

Uh, I wouldn't say it's well illuminated.

Um, and so when you come here, you say, okay, oh, I've ended my tour at Bowen's.

I'm gonna head back and see what's the other way.

And we're hoping to change that.

So different levels of restaurant, um, the outdoor areas would be below the flood zone, but they can be outside so that it feels like we're not everything's not up at 15.

Some areas can be lower, and so we can feel that activity in lower areas similar to Bowens War.

And then we did work with the town to look at market square.

This is not on our property, so we're just showing market square as it is here today, which has parking and no sidewalk.

But there is um an option that we worked with that increase the bicycle and scooter parking, as well as a ride share drop-off in this zone, which this area is used for ride share currently, and so we need to provide a bench, an area for cars to pull off and for people to load in, uh, which works well.

And finally, um, alternative transportation, uh, which is key here.

Uh, many people are walking, many people are bicycling, many people are scootering.

We wanted to make sure we provide uh amenities to all.

Uh, currently we're showing 32 bicycle parking uh spaces below cover.

Uh we're showing 22 scooter parking spaces, and those are also um undercover within the garage space.

We've got five electrical vehicle charging stations, and um finally we've highlighted the Perry Terminal because many will arrive through the terminal and then migrate through this site through the harbor walk.

And um finally we've highlighted the Perry Terminal because many will arrive through the terminal and then migrate through this site through the harbor walk.

The machine is gonna be able to see the pool here on that.

Yes, you'll if you if you know the property today, there's an enclosed pool structure, and so that's a pretty high structure.

And so that will be taken down.

That was indicated in pink earlier.

That will be demolished.

And this will be more of an open pool, which will provide better view corridors um from across America's cup for adjacent properties to look through.

Uh the current structure is stuffy.

People want to be outside and not inside in that pool area.

Um, and so this will provide uh more vibrancy and um C and B scene as some people are in the pool, some are in the harbor walk, and some are out on America's Cover.

Uh any questions?

Yes.

Um I was just thinking about the proximity of the guest quarters relative to the new harbor walk.

And I was just thinking you were mentioning, for example, you could have people making music out there.

And has there been consideration given to the impact on guests and and therefore what kind of you know how you want to prevent angry guests who can't sleep at night or whatever, you know.

Uh, we've thought about it.

Um, certainly on the on the lower level, we'll we will plant that separation.

And then there's you know, this heavier glass is required in this, which has better acoustic properties.

We did show a larger band there just to show the size of it.

I I'm not sure if there'll be full bands out there.

We don't we don't know, but um I'm sure it'll be um not as acoustically too loud.

My question was an example of what it might happen.

Let's say they're yeah, I was more concerned over that you've already taken into account that you have to create some type of a you know barrier for sound.

Yes, yes, absolutely.

And John Farrow and Landscape Park, I think we'll talk about some of the physical separation there.

Thank you.

Peter, could you talk into the mic?

Thank you.

Uh anyone else questions?

Yeah.

Can you talk a little bit about what's happening where it butts into to Parate Park and the what it looked like in the design that there's a wall going along um uh America's Cup in the beginning before you get into the entranceway and you can you speak to that wall and also how facing with the Harbor Masters building and the Parati Park building and and just the access through there?

Yes, um that's a great question.

There's there's a design already in place for the new building there in Parate Park.

And so we worked with the Harbor Master to push that building back because previously when that building was designed, and you can see it in the plan, it was closer.

And so we we moved it back to allow for the harbor walk access.

Um along the street where those curved parking spaces are, that's the similar low wall planted wall that's there today.

Although John will talk specifically about making sure those plants are spruced up uh and the planter is uh maintained more properly.

What's the height of the wall?

Oh, 18 inches or so.

Oh, okay.

The pool does have a wall to provide some privacy for pool guests, which is inside the property, but along the the waterfront, it's it's basically a seating, a seat wall.

Um who's I'm not sure if this is a question for you or for Peter, but who's responsible for the ongoing um maintenance of the harbor walk and sort of you know if you do decide to put a band out there, who's who's taking charge of that?

Um those will be issues that will work out with the city.

Um in terms of the creation, the construction of it, it's gonna be the applicant.

Uh and once again, I think that what was shown in the video was just you know, conceptual representation of what could happen out there.

Once again, that this is going to be dedicated public space, so these aren't gonna be private events that will be taking place there.

So once again, we might envision if there was something going on with the seafood festival, the boat show or something.

And the idea is all of that public activity really just stops at Bowen's Wharf, and it's almost like there's an invisible wall where this property starts.

We want to take that away and have some of that activity continue on uh further on down the harbor.

So we'll we'll work on the details of that with the city.

This is the first step in a fairly long process after master plan.

We go to CRMC.

Once we go to C RMC, then we come back here for preliminary and final.

So we'll have the opportunity to meet with the city and just really talk about how that area will be regulated.

I'm sure that there are some ordinances in terms of use of the harbor walk after certain hours and those kind of things.

So we'll we'll sit down with the city and come up with what everyone thinks makes sense.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Steph, but as it stands now, on any public space, there's a permitting process that's required to use those spaces.

So that would be subject to permitting.

Yeah, that's what I would imagine.

Yeah.

Um my question kind of adds to Rick's.

I mean, is it essentially going to be private private?

Like that's your dock is privately held that you're that you're uh granting an easement, perpetual easement to the city, right?

For public use to continue the harbor walk.

But is it kind of going to be kind of a similar situation to Bowens Wharf where the public space that's there is available to the owner of the public space.

So if you did want to build a bar that ran along the harbor air there to capture some of that space, or if you wanted to host your private events out there, like that's the kind of scenario that could take place on that.

I think so, but I think without at the same time, we'd try to do that in a way that doesn't impede the public's use of the city.

Well, yeah, yeah.

No, no, yeah, of course.

Yeah, you want to block it off or anything, but okay.

Yeah.

Um just just curious.

Because one of your renderings, you did have like an outdoor seating area, part of like the restaurant.

That's that's just a rendering, it's just conceptual.

There's you know, there's no specific plans, but once when we come back for um preliminary, we'll have those details.

This is preliminary.

This is preliminary.

This is preliminary.

Sorry.

Okay.

So you're here now.

When you come back for final, we'll have those.

Yeah, final finals administratively, though.

This is this is it.

Um, we're gonna we're gonna need to sit down with the city and work out the terms of that easement and all these sorts of questions.

We just, you know, once once we get through this step, they'll have the opportunity to do that.

And that is um, and speaking with Trish, that is certainly one of the items that will be on the uh that final checklist.

Um may I ask, can you put up that slide that has the proportions and changes and square footage, all the numbers on it?

Oh, the site elevation, by the way.

That was all that's great.

Really?

Um that shows the topography of the lot.

That was that was excellent.

And I wish we'd saw that more often.

And the topography a lot changed, that'll that will be um and actually one of the things that was discussed when we met with to discuss resiliency and FEMA issues is the actual cubic volume of the structures within the blood zone within that base flight elevation is actually decreasing uh by about 20,000 square 20,000 cubic feet.

Okay.

So yeah.

We're not building anything that's going to convert uh blood water onto anything else.

We're actually increasing capacity of the site.

No, I and any attempt to um mitigate future uh climate change effects.

We we appreciate, especially in the waterfront.

So my question was so looking at this, you're increasing by 38,000 square feet, which is roughly 50 percent on existing square foot total.

That square footage is that include the parking structure, or is that strictly living space, like conditioned living space?

That 38,000 square feet by quote.

The reason why I ask is you're looking looking at the rest, you're adding 12, 14 square feet of restaurant, you're adding a 1,300 square feet of meeting space and 4600 square feet of retail space.

So you're adding like 5600 square feet of other space, but does that mean you're adding 32,000 square feet of guest room space?

That doesn't make sense.

I think I think it's on the left side when you look at the lines for the colour.

Oh, can I not see the elevated plaza?

Yeah, that's including the plaza, the walkway, and those kind of things.

When I said earlier that about 30,000 square feet of public access, yeah.

We're talking about the harbor walk, we're talking about the the plaza of those spaces.

So if I misunderstood, I was trying to get um a general like an idea of proportionally the the amount of space on the because you know you're the project that you're while you're here is you're expanding the the overall scale and intensity of the lot, right?

Um I I love that the mixed use element of it, you're adding in the retail, you're making the restaurant uh more accessible, pedestrian accessible, all the things that we've ever asked.

I'm just trying to get a sense for for one of your special um one of the variances that you're seeking is the number of guest rooms.

So I'm trying to get a sense of scale on the proportion of the project you're expanding on, the amount that you're expanding on the guest room side of it.

Yeah, so the the guest room, the uh what we're seeking in terms of uh a variance uh with regard uh to the guest rooms is and we'll we'll talk about the basis for that, but it's 11 rooms, what would be allowed because and when you look at the metrics in the waterfront business zone, the code requires 1,500 square feet per room in terms of density.

If you go on the other side of bar, uh where the Brenton and Marriott are, requires 400 square feet, so um, and in terms of the overall project, uh part of the talk about this in terms of the dimension areas.

Part of the hardship here is building requirements in this flood zone is having to elevate above that base elevation of 13 feet.

Um in addition to replacing all of the existing infrastructure, including, for example, the entire seawall along the entire length of the property, putting in uh small doesn't exist at this point.

Yeah, the other issue with regard to that is we're dedicating 250 yards of waterfront to public use, which is space that the applicant would otherwise be using to generate revenue for uh for the project to support the project.

For example, that would be basically the wedding venue, that space, that public plaza.

Uh and so in order to be able to provide that and dedicate that to public use rather than private in those additional rooms are what allows the project to proceed and allows the applicant to say, yes, we'll we'll give this for public use rather than retaining a private means if we have those additional rooms, which allows the project completely, yes.

Yep.

Um more than reasonable again.

You're you guys are you guys are giving everything that the cities asked for the prior applicants.

I was just kind of trying to get a sense of scale on the number of guest rooms added for me to have.

You know what I mean?

Am I making sense?

I think I I got it.

There's there's that 70,000 square foot existing total square foot.

Yep.

So that's what we have on site today.

And then the new total is 108.

So we're adding approximately 38,230.

So it's not, we're not doubling it.

No.

We're at 70, we're adding 38,000.

You're adding 50 percent.

Yeah.

Which is fine.

Which is fine.

I was I'm just um, you know, you're adding 41 rooms, right?

No.

No.

No.

It's uh 31 rooms.

Sorry, 31 rooms.

So yeah, I was just trying to get a sense on the size of the project, the amount that that 31 rooms is.

Um that's that's all.

I'm sorry.

I I guess I don't even know what I'm trying to drive at.

I just I in terms of the in terms of the rooms, it's you know, we've we've got 133 right now.

Yeah, adding 31.

Yep.

Right.

So roughly the total of 164 rooms.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um, so I was just I I guess I was just trying to mentally get to like this the the size, the size of the project, how much of it is your you're adding to the mixed use and everything else, and how much of it is you're adding to the size of the hotel.

So um thanks for working it out with me.

I guess I'll um when I get back, formulate the question better in my head, I'll come back to you.

Well, I think if it's hard to read the numbers from here.

Yeah, I think the real addition is the meeting space and the retail space.

The retail space is the bulk of it, and then the guest rooms and the uh retail the the meeting.

Yeah, the meeting space is about 1300 square feet, the retail is about 600 square feet.

And then if you think about it, the new building, it's the the top two floors are our guest rooms.

The second floor, which for that building really is sort of the first floor because below is parking.

It's uh is the retail and the restaurant and meeting space.

And the restaurant is actually slightly smaller.

Restaurant is essentially the the same size as what's there now.

If so, basically the way I kind of understood it was most of the new rooms were gonna go into the current meeting space that's there now in the current lobby area.

Is that going to be turned into that's where the you're gonna get the bulk of those 30 one rooms?

Well, that existing meeting area, which is a grade, that's all coming out because we need to build anything new we're building, we need to build out the okay.

So even on the existing so the the meeting space will be um uh podium level, right?

Um, along with the restaurant and retail space, and then the two floors above that are the new guest rooms.

Okay, so you're gonna wipe out the bottom floor of the existing hotel and then build on top of okay.

No, that's where I was not a remains.

That remains.

The existing hotel is gonna remain as is.

Okay.

It'll be upgraded.

There'll be a slight expansion of some of the rooms on the waterfront side, which we showed um, I think on that plan that showed the orange, yeah.

But so the existing hotel building is being upgraded and slightly expanded, but the number of rooms stays the same.

And then the new building, which will be elevated, is where the meet the new meeting space, restaurants, retail, and then above the new guest room.

All 31 of those new rooms will be in the new one.

Okay.

Correct.

Okay.

Any other question?

I guess I was trying to see if there are a thousand square foot guest rooms.

How many?

Oh, they're they're less than 500 square feet.

Okay.

Four to 500 square feet.

So if you're looking at 30 guest rooms at 500 square feet, it's around 15,000 square feet.

Yeah.

New guest rooms.

Okay.

So they're they're a fraction of that 38,000, so 15,000 and up.

Okay.

But they're uh yeah, around 500 feet, which is it's a good size room.

It's a good size room.

I just need a you know, if you if you the 30 guest rooms you're adding are all double suites, triple suites or something like that.

They're okay they're well-sized, uh, singles and doubles.

Yeah.

How many existing parking spaces are there right now?

168.

Okay.

Do you by chance know how many of those 168 today um are used for just hourly parking as opposed to overnight?

I think we'll hear that in the traffic report.

Yeah, we it's in the report.

It's it's a relatively decent number.

So we're gonna get into the parking and traffic uh specifically in terms of uh the number spaces that we need to service the proposed.

That's a good question, an important question.

Yep.

I think we can take it with the traffic report.

Any other questions for Mr.

Hetty?

Or the architect and the design of the buildings.

Okay, please proceed.

He's he's gonna be here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

I would like to do is have uh Nick Giacobi from Procott Chanting Group testify.

Swear me.

You swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing about the truth?

I do.

Okay.

Uh what do you do for a living?

Uh I'm the managing director of real estate development for the Procushani companies.

Uh and can you just describe the business of the Procat Chanti company?

Yeah, we're uh Rhode Island-based uh hospitality uh investment company.

Um we're located in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Um we own and operate 55 hotels uh throughout the the country and then manage an additional 130.

Um myself, I'm actually from Aquinick Island, I'm a salvate grad.

Um it's kind of great to kind of invest in kind of the hometown, which is uh which is a nice thing.

But uh yeah, I mean the Prakashani companies is uh a family-owned Rhode Island-based company that's kind of investing in the I would say the hospitality capital of the state.

And what what other hotels do you own and manage in uh Rhode Island?

Uh we we have um the Newport Beach Suites which is uh across from First Beach.

Um obviously everybody knows we just completed the uh the Bellevue Hotel or got approved that Bellevue Hotel across from the tennis hall of fame um we own the Champlins uh hotel and marina and block island we have uh the Holiday Inn in South Kingstown which uh is kind of the top of URI we have the residence in downtown Providence the Hilton Garden in downtown Providence the Hilton in Providence the Renaissance in Providence I mean we we have quite a few properties throughout the throughout the state and that's just kind of that's just on the hotel side as well as um we own Connecticut marina and Dutch harbor in Jamestown as well.

So how long is uh the applicant own this this property uh we purchased this in August of 24 last last summer and and and what why are you seeking to redevelop it through this?

Um I mean we we started looking at it it was uh it was kind of uh an underutilized uh property that was really closed off to the rest of the community um and we saw a kind of a great opportunity to uh take this and and revitalize it because it's kind of this it is really is the showpiece when you come off of um America's cup I mean you kind of hit that light right where Brenton uh Brenton Hotel is and then you can that's kind of like as soon as you get into downtown we we kind of really saw it as a uh as a kind of um you know not an eyesore but something that was in need of some real uh from updating as far as uh as far as the uh the community is concerned um and uh could you talk about some of the outreach that you did uh as part of the planning for this project yeah so obviously we we met with the the city in multiple uh phases so I mean we sat down with planning and zoning staff um and got a ton of input with uh with them we sat with the uh with the harbor master to really coordinate um the harbor walk as well as uh the uh the what their new uh design and construction was going to be for the new harbor master building we were really trying to integrate the entire waterfront as well as using what the city's kind of uh future vision was to uh to do that we also met with um the friends of the waterfront multiple times we sat with Siemens Institute uh seam's church institute we met with the uh the folks over at Bullins we met with the uh the Kilroys um pretty much all the uh you know the local stakeholders um to make sure that what we were looking to design and develop was you know um something that everyone was happy with and was is was excited about so you're seeking a couple of variants of the project one is parking um you've got currently got 168 spaces on the site um and with the new construction you've reconfigured everything to preserve those 168 spaces um are you're providing parking underneath new buildings correct yeah so one of the things and I think a lot of the so when you look at the original the original constructions as it sits today um there's the main hotel building and then there's a bunch of single story buildings that sit off of that hotel building those are being demolished and that's what the podium creates above so the podium above it is where you see the the public space the retail restaurant and the additional ballroom and units and then all underneath that was the was the podium space uh was the was parking so basically we were able to preserve uh 168 spaces that we currently have today with with the increased program okay are you able to park any spaces under the existing building hotel building no not today um and is there anywhere else on the site for you to park not currently and and actually in terms of the harbor walk that you're providing are you actually losing some parking area there as a result of that yeah I mean if if we were to we were to to eliminate the harbor walk we could probably get additional I would say approximately a dozen more parking spaces uh probably 12 is what we kind of looked at.

Um and just knowing what is being proposed here are you able to service all of the proposed uses on the site with those 168 spaces yes absolutely and explain how that's going to work.

Yeah so I mean uh basically you know with our hotel experience um and specifically this hotel um we we know you know about approximately 75% of our guests at this particular hotel um drive so even at 100% capacity um basically a hundred and twenty three of those spaces and a hundred percent occupancy would be for guests which gives us the the delta for additional use public space uh public parking the restaurant retail et cetera okay and do you charge for parking we do uh hotel yeah hotel guests um marina clientele restaurant you know uh uh occupants retail any anybody who wants to basically park at the site gets charged the same thing and why do you do that uh I mean it's a city and we would like to deter uh people from bringing their cars so at the end of the day um obviously we want to you know Newport has become you know a pretty vibrant city and in the and the cars are problematic so we want to be able to you know give the guests a good experience but at the same time service I guess okay and do your

Yeah, hotel guests, uh, marina clientele, restaurant, you know, uh occupants, retail, any anybody who wants to basically park at the site gets charged the same thing.

And why do you do that?

Uh I mean, it's a city and we would like to deter uh people from bringing their cars.

So at the end of the day, um, obviously we wanna, you know, Newport has become, you know, a pretty vibrant city and in the and the cars are problematic.

So we want to be able to, you know, give the guests a good experience, but at the same time, service, I guess.

Okay.

And do your employees park in the parking lot?

Uh actually, no, they're they're not.

Most of the employees either bike or scooter, which we uh we give them scooter parking.

Some of the uh upper management of the hotel has the ability to park on days that are light, but again, we have the ability based on uh reservations to know um, you know, how much space we have available, who's coming, who's bringing cars, and it's all kind of done with the reservation.

So we're able to use those in the parking control in order to moderate the uh lot appropriately.

Okay, and if and if there is if the lot's gonna be full based on those reservations, how to where do the upper Yeah, we end up uh making making uh accommodations over at the gateway center for our proper man.

And in terms of the retail use, what sort of retail operation are you uh uh basically it's gonna be uh we want to capture existing traffic.

So I mean I I would say very similar to Hammett's uh pass by walk through traffic, not uh not destination retail.

And in terms of the existing marina that's there, any changes proposed to the use of the marina that may have an impact with regard to parking.

Yeah, so well, you know, as we're going through this process with the city and whatnot, we're uh we're we're looking at and we're we plan on basically treat tree uh transitioning the marina to uh fully transient.

So there won't be any more seasonal slips.

So we're looking to grab uh the out-of-town guests, so people that come from you know, Long Island, Connecticut, uh the Vineyard Cape, Boston area, anybody who you know, so basically we want people to come here, uh, use the marina, and then obviously utilize the town appropriately and without bringing cars is pretty much the the concept.

So that should further reduce the demand for park.

Correct.

Um so just just uh summarize if if you had the hotel fully booked, so all uh 1600.

Oh, hundreds, yeah, hundred and six four rooms.

And every one of those guests brought a bar if you have enough spaces.

We do.

Um that's all the questions that I have.

Any questions from the board?

How many how many slips are there?

65, I believe.

For transient?

We're gonna we're gonna go to transit.

Yep.

So you expect 65 boats a weekend more or less to show up to park?

I mean, I mean, we've we've uh like I said, we own probably the group owns approximately 13, 14 marinas through the portfolio.

Um I mean, and obviously through the summer months, we we understand the transient business pretty well.

Um, and this is, I mean, Newport is interesting because when you come from a lot of the other places, it's really not easy to get a transient slip here.

I wouldn't think so.

So I mean, so we kind of looked at the market, obviously the the goat islands of the world and everybody else.

They all kind of have a lot of seasonalities, seasonal slips.

So we want to be able to have people come from East Greenwich and whatnot and be able to use the city, use the restaurants, use the town without bringing a car and have the ability to have the access to the to the water theoretically without you know, without having you know that ability to say, oh, I don't know if we're gonna be able to get in for lunch today.

And that's kind of that's really the the uh you know the idea behind what we're doing with interesting and will you also have a valet parking program?

Yeah, we're gonna uh valet and a lot of parking controls throughout the hotel.

So I mean, we'll be able to between the restaurant, the the lobby, um, any anything that happened happens at the uh hotel, we'll have strict parking controls and you know have the ability to come in and give your um give your keys to a valet and which does a couple things, obviously.

Um, you know, obviously in any valet situation gives you ability to to have more use of your lot and control a lot better, obviously with you know adhering to fire code and an egress and ingress, but at the end of the day, yeah, we uh we plan on having parking controls very strict on the site.

Are are you gonna offer a shuttle service similar to most of the other hotels that have proposed recently?

Most likely.

Um we haven't, you know, we haven't formally come up with a with a plan, but I would say yes, between the uh the properties we have in the in in town here, yeah, there'll be some most likely again be some type of shuttle system that'll be um you know an accommodation to the guests.

lot and controlled a lot better obviously with you know adhering to fire code and an egress and ingress but at the end of the day yeah we uh we plan on having parking controls very strict on our site are are you gonna offer a shuttle service similar to most of the other hotels that have proposed recently most likely um we haven't you know we haven't formally come up with a with a plan but I would say yes between the uh the properties we have in the in in town here yeah there'll be some most likely again be some type of shuttle system that'll be um you know an accommodation to the guests and with those multiple properties in town that gives you an economy of scale to do that yeah it's uh it's actually uh it actually helps us because it you know it gives you the ability to utilize you know several vehicles through multiple multiple uh a pool of guest rooms and and properties would you be using other your other properties for uh off site parking like if you didn't have you had a uh full hotel and you needed to valet up do you plan on doing something like I mean yeah I mean obviously we we have to use you know the ordinances and the codes specifically to make sure we can accommodate what we need but I mean seeing that we have the ability to use our other properties in town yeah obviously if we have um certain you know certain over day busier days where you have the ability to to work that out and uh yeah an offset obviously true any other questions would this be a time to also just get more clarity on truck parking for deliveries yeah I mean I mean that yeah so uh as far as as far as the deliveries I mean obviously as Peter's mentioned that we um we met with the city and some of the local stakeholders and talked about uh market square um obviously it's not our property um but currently I mean uh if you go down market square you can kind of see there's uh we're in the screened areas that's kind of like the the loading area uh per se um I mean the good thing about our scale and mass as far as from a company perspective um I mean we really do have a lot of ability to dictate deliveries um off hours you know you mean early in the morning to try to you know accommodate uh traffic etc so um obviously in a perfect world you you tell you know what you want but it doesn't always it always happens but again with our scale and mass of what we what we own in our and our capabilities we typically have the ability to kind of you know kind of enforce that with our vendors and if if we're looking at the plan that's up right now and it shows sort of this um parking area but it shows this enclosed area sort of where the current drop off is is that that's gonna be basically yeah right actually right yeah right there is um this it's all louvered and screened and but that that's like that's pretty much the uh the trash and and and loading area for the uh for the for the property for our property so purveyors and so forth also that's where it happens today and yep that's what and you would expect that to be the same tomorrow.

Correct.

So there's actually no change.

No change.

It's uh I I would say it's a little it's a little cleaner obviously today it doesn't have as it's I wouldn't say aesthetically as pleasing and it's not as well screened to the public.

So you know theoretically the design is to not be able to notice that it's a loading area.

Obviously it's gonna be well screened and well manicured and you're the only time you're really gonna know it's a loading area is when the trucks are there to to drop in and to uh it's off and big box trucks fit in there and everything and dump truck no it's it's it's in front you know they don't actually enter but like everything goes into you can kind of see see how the you okay yeah but it's as far as like now it's kind of just like these that makes sense thanks it's like these like screened in fenced areas that I would say is kind of unattractive personally this is going to be a very well kept clean area and all like I said all deliveries and trash will be kind of you know escorted in and out of that in a clean organized manner.

As Justin mentioned the current view coming from Bowen to this site it's it looks like the loading dock or house and that's what we're trying to eliminate we're trying to create an inviting uh image as you come from Bowens so that's why all of that is indoors so just building on that conversation um you're gonna have on the podium you're planning to have another restaurant up there I think right yeah so there's one restaurant you can actually see in that in that restaurant terrace so the uh the 50 or some odd square feet is basically it's a terraced restaurant so it's there's uh you know seating on the ground level and then it goes up to a second level and it to it basically builds into the grade of the of the podium and is it are you managing the restaurant or are you leasing it out?

It'll be it'll be us but most likely it'll be a third party third party and then um you also have retail space up there right yeah so if you start to look like there's I would say again that the square footage is you can kind of see it's kind of broken smaller you know 15 11 1200 1300 square feet so you have the two on the right there one just off to the right of the stairs on our view and then there's a uh one just on the left just next to the meeting space and one right above it.

So I mean they're very small.

It's it's kind of very Bowen uh Bowens War.

So in your mind, who would be sort of coordinating the trucking traffic that is going to happen any day of the week there, you know.

I mean, no different than today.

It would be us with our neighbors.

I mean, you'd end up kind of talking to our purveyors and obviously trying to coordinate.

Um, I mean, again, the retail stuff is I mean, it's gonna be more of you know, I would say more shopping.

Yeah, there's one, you know, to currently there's one restaurant today.

Um again, the meet the meeting space is a we're I think we're adding a hundred square feet to that meeting space.

So a lot of that business is all gonna stay the same.

Um again, I would say the real impact, I mean the real only impact is the is the number of guest rooms, I would say, and that's really not even an impact.

It's just a matter of um offsetting, you know, the uh the the use of the public space theoretically.

Does does Bowens Wharf use that as their loading zone for all their restaurants and everything else?

Currently, yeah, it's every everybody down there is kind of in the same yeah, not not the same spot adjacent to us, but on the other side, basically, but the cul-de-sac that's marked.

You can actually see the truck on the other side there.

Yeah, yeah, that's that's their own.

I'm just gonna add I believe the city just drive in the morning on America's Cup, and you'll see plenty of trucks lined up right there.

So they I think they're using that as well as America's America's Cup.

Yeah, that is that that market square is the main thoroughfare for deliveries to all of those businesses.

Um it it is back of house.

It is just and I know that I think the city is is you know, in coordinating their plans to upgrade market square, it's gonna be you know, meeting with all those other stakeholders in that area to come up with something that works.

You mentioned that you you've met with the folks from Bowen's.

Um there's their dumpster backs up right there where you you've got the um we're we're basically the harbor walk's gonna flow over to the Bowens Wharf.

Um is there any discussion as to how to make it a little bit more friendly or a little less um you know, I I don't know if you've had any thoughts on that.

We we did have some discussion.

I know that Bowens is in discussion with the landing to modify that and and to do something together where all of their trash would be handled by that one facility.

So presumably that would reduce the number of trucks coming in and out.

Um and they do a few things to sort of upgrade and sort of clean up that that spot.

Yeah, because it I mean the the harbor walk, the way it's it's coming, it comes right out onto the dumpster, their dumpster.

I know it's not yours, but I didn't know if um there was some yeah, I mean we're gonna work with them, you know, throughout the process.

I mean, it it's in everybody's best interest to try to make that as pedestrian pedestrian friendly as possible.

I mean there's obviously constraints with everybody, obviously we're able to handle our own trash internally.

Um, but again, we've we've talked to the Kilroys and we've talked to Joe over at Bowens, and I'm sure we'll, you know, as this as the progress progresses, as the process progresses, I'm sure we'll you know, talk more and coordinate because we're all in, you know, we're all in constant communication.

But um, yeah, no, it's it's something that's been discussed.

I I agree.

I mean, it's again, it's not your problem, but I you know, I was just there in the last couple of days, and that is also at the end of uh market uh square is the waiting line for the sunset cruise.

Yep.

So you have you know, on certain times of the day, you have a long line that actually extends down market square.

So there are a lot of activities going on there between delivery and tourism and and garbage and all that.

So it'll probably require a lot of some some level of coordination.

And and this becomes uh an important area for the city to coordinate in for the technical review committee and the city planning staff to work with all of the stakeholders here.

Yeah, and as you saw, we have we showed you two different renderings of market square, one with the the parking there, the other one with the sidewalk and the drop-off area.

So we're happy to whatever the city decides in terms of how they they're gonna proceed with that, we're happy to coordinate.

Um any more questions about the utilization of the property and the plans for the property.

Um if there isn't, then I would have liked to do is have since we're talking about parking and traffic to have Paul Bannon, our traffic engineer.

Okay, thank you.

Come on up.

I have a copy of the Saban and CV.

Jared, you want to take the secretary?

Thank you.

Read it in this read into the record, Jared, as exhibit B.

Exhibit B.

Do you swear to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

I do.

So let's just uh check if you would just read the directly or accepting that the exhibit B and what it is.

We're accepting Mr.

Bannon C B into record B.

And Mr.

Bannon has been accepted as a traffic expert by the board previously that asked that you're recognized.

I'm happy to do that.

Thank you very much.

Um you conduct traffic assessments and studies in many parts of Newport, right?

Correct over the years.

So you're familiar with the general patterns on in this area of town as well as the surrounding area.

Yes, I am very much so.

Did you prepare a written traffic report on the traffic circulation of parking to the project?

Yes, we did.

Umstep air that report.

Uh is part of the uh engineering study, traffic assessments.

Um we reviewed the uh project area, including the physical roadway conditions, um, horizontal and vertical geometry, roadway alignments, pavement signage uh relative to the areas immediately uh abutting the property uh for access.

Um we viewed available record uh traffic information from the Department of Transportation and other studies that have been completed along America's Cup and this general area.

Um we reviewed the uh site plan uh for and worked the design team uh to determine what the current and future uh design and for access and circulation uh was proposed.

Then we estimated uh trips for the expansion of the project using the ITE trip generation manual so you can get understanding of what's there today, use utilizing that method, and then what we would expect in the future with the with the changes.

And then we made uh recommendations for safe uh and efficient vehicular and pedestrian traffic uh as part of the the application.

Did you just walk the board in the binding report and your analysis?

Sure.

Um I'm gonna probably reiterate some of the things that have been discussed, but I'm talking in relation to to the traffic study.

Um but you know the treadway hotel um will be constructed on the existing um Newport Harbour Hotel property uh with frontage on both America's cup and uh Market Square.

Uh as stated, the existing hotel that was built in 1972 has 133 rooms, a restaurant, meeting space, uh which will be remodeled and expanded to include 31 additional hotel rooms.

Um the redevelopment will also include the replacement of the restaurant and the new building, and then adding some new small uh retail space on the podium uh area of the uh site that includes the structured garage.

The proposed design of working with the site engineer uh was considered uh to provide improved pedestrian uh accessibility to the property to and through the property, and both and also vehicular access.

Land use in the immediate area is a mixture of commercial, institutional, residential, and and public properties.

Uh immediately butting the property to the south is Market Square and Bowen's Wharf.

Uh to the east is the harbor waterfront, and the north and east is the brick marketplace, Brody Park with the ferry terminal.

Further north, you have the Newport Gateway Visitor Center and the Long Wolf Pedestrian Wall.

Pedestrian access as was discussed, uh, is presently available through the existing gated driveway off America's Cup, or second point of access is off a market square, uh, which does not have only has sidewalk on one side and no direct pedestrian connection.

Uh market square is essentially a parking lot, uh 250 feet long parking on both sides.

Uh and that's how it's presently utilized uh with pedestrians walking across the street at all locations because there's no defined areas in limited sidewalk.

It's a gated access to the parking lot that contains 168 spaces.

Those uh 168 spaces are paid parking uh for the public and also for the hotel existing hotel use.

Uh going over the future condition, pedestrian access is going to be proposed at up to uh five locations.

So there'll be uh three locations along America's cup.

They're providing is uh shown uh by Jason the uh crosswalk across America's cup uh from Thames and also it uh uh the mid-block crossing that goes to the um the podium.

So there'll be two locations there uh then two locations on uh market square and then also the waterfront.

So there's multiple points of access with defined pedestrian paths and crossings.

Vehicular access, we're going to uh open the or allow access via the America's Cup right in, right out driveway, which is presently gated, and then access off of uh Market Square that has the um access to the garage underneath and also the surface lot.

Is it one question on that?

Because you spent access point on America's Cup is gated.

I think it's just used correctly.

So will opening that access be beneficial to the traffic situation on Market Square?

Yes, the the main lobby of the hotel is being shifted, so that point of access to um America's Cup in that driveway.

When you pull in that driveway, you'll be in the front valet area of the uh the hotel, the new corner lobby area uh within the wings.

So it's a direct access to uh drop off at the main front door, uh, and uh it'll be an inviting uh location to enter the property under future conditions.

Briefly going over what we can expect with the hotel expansion that includes the uh 31 additional hotel rooms.

We used as I mentioned the IT trip generation manual.

What we did in our study is we tried to define using that manual what the 133 hotel um existing would generate compared to the uh 164 hotel uh and site development proposal.

As shown in the in the report during the AM peak hour, we would estimate the total number of trips of additional 25 during the PM peak hour, it'd be additional of 47, and on a Saturday midday, it'd be 52, and that's vehicle trips.

Now we see that as a conservative number because that includes the retail component, which we see both from a vehicular trip and parking demand is uh an element of the project that will not generate vehicle trips and parking demands.

People that come to the downtown area of Newport, park in public parks parking spaces and walk to downtown visiting multiple businesses and restaurants.

So it's not a uh and as described, it will not be a destination retail component.

So we're going to be drawing from the hotel, the boats, and other uh areas of of common uh retail demand.

So we feel that you know that component of the expansion uh will be uh a minor or negligible component of vehicle trips and demands.

That would leave if we took out the retail element during the morning peak, 14 total new trips, pm 17 total new trips, and Saturday 22.

And that would be associated with the 31 hotel rooms.

So signing that low number of trips on the adjacent roadways, uh, it'd be no or negligible impact uh to operations on the roadways in reference to the parking uh relief being requested.

We have 168 spaces today, and we're gonna maintain the 168 spaces.

The relief requested is for 51 additional spaces based on the 31, the 4600, and the 1300 square feet for additional meeting space.

The would be 31 for the hotel rooms, one per one, 17 for the retail, which we don't believe we need relative to operations and practicality, and then uh only three additional spaces for the additional meeting space that presently occurs on the property.

Uh based on the historical use of the property and how parking is managed on site, um as indicated, the hotel guests are required to pay for parking separately, uh, and they're required to reserve the space if they need a parking um they are bringing their vehicle based on this model, which discourages uh vehicle use, uh the available number of spaces for um the non-hotel component of the property, it allows the uh owner to offer those additional or excess spaces for public parking.

So looking at how the hotel is operated over the years, um is indicated between 75 and 80 percent of the uh guests bring their vehicle.

So under the 133 existing um hotel rooms that would be 106 spaces that will be occupied of the existing 168, translating that to the 164 under 100 uh percent occupancy, uh that 75-80% would be 132 spaces, leaving uh 36 spaces available for public parking.

So you can still maintain that, but you have the flexibility, and it's all managed on a day-to-day basis based on hotel room occupancy, and if that person or or room would require a vehicle.

So we feel based upon you know how the site is managed, number of spaces with the expansion that uh the parking is is sufficient uh for uh this site and the expansion.

Um questions on the band.

Could you just clarify um hotel guests uh have the option to use the ramp to access the lobby?

Is that correct?

So they would be coming off of America's cup.

And can hotel guests also choose not to go that way and to then go down market square and then access the lobby themselves from there?

In other words, correct uh avoid valet parking?

Yes.

Okay.

They want to carry their own luggage up there.

No, no, I understand.

I'm just trying to understand.

And and would there be signage for that, or how would people know?

There'll be parking attendants and valets with signage, and there'll be instructions on the on the website.

Because I think the the human reaction will be to drive in uh from America's cup, I'm gonna assume, right?

Because it'll say it'll have signage there for the hotel and all that, right?

And then you're saying if they can go up the ramp, and then if they elect not to have LA parking, then they could just drive back down the ramp on the other side and go in to the parking garage.

Okay.

Right.

And so you know, yeah, and that's would be check-in and check out.

You'd probably use that that area.

Great, thank you.

Now, can they can the guests or the people that are parking there?

Can they go back out where the ramp is?

Or the only way out is on the market square.

Uh right outs.

They'll be able it's a right in, right out driveway, and they will be able to exit there.

You'll be able to exit out of there as well as so we go from one entrance and exit to two options, right?

Yes, because they're they're changing where the lobby is, it's now fronting America's cup in in the corner of the new buildings.

Um, do you have a current count on the lot?

Entrances and exits, peak season, off season.

I mean, it's gated.

I don't have that that count information.

That wasn't included in part of your study.

There's existing conditions on the entrance and access to the lot.

The the the gate on America's Cup currently, and this is no, I'm I'm coming from Market Square because the America's Cup gates perpetually closed.

I've never seen it.

Unless it's unless it's an event or a bus that's going to be.

Oh, that okay.

Yeah, yep.

Um, but that's generally closed.

So what was the question?

How is the the parking lot?

The current use of that whole the site parking is through that one gate of a market square.

What's that count look like?

Well, we we assume full occupancy because we manage the lot.

We people come and pay for public parking.

So typically the the lot is full during the peak season.

So we we know from the data that the hotel has that roughly 75% of the hotel guests, depending on how many guests there are, okay have are parking in that lot, and then the rest is public park.

All right, so the data from present is just everyone's showing up to park.

So it's not really necessarily the site's use.

Okay, thank you.

For that clear, you know, based on reserving, you know, at 80%, you know, six today's 62 spaces would be available for the public.

And today there's signage that says lot full.

And do you see that again tomorrow?

Will there be signage to identify that?

For example, if I'm a hotel guest and I'm approaching and the lot is full, right?

What's my option?

Yes.

Uh yeah, I can have uh building just an operation.

Yes.

So basically when you when you book a room and the the one of the questions that will be prompted is are you bringing a car?

So what they'll do is with the reservations, they'll determine how many guests are bringing cars, put that many spots aside, and then the parking controls will then give the delta for restaurant, marina, public use, but they'll keep those specific spots available for the hotel guests.

So basically, once that hotel guest arrives, uh there's it will say that they'll turn away people if there's too many, if it's if it's overbooked, basically per se.

But again, once every hotel guest has the right to bring their car and pay for parking just like anybody else, but they obviously have precedent over the public at the end of the day.

What it what does it cost to park there now?

Uh it's it's an hourly lot, it's it's not expensive.

I I mean I it's probably 50 or 60 dollars for the day.

Okay, and I and again, I'm sorry, I don't know the exact no, it's it's all right.

I mean, I put it this way, I was there for 15 minutes and it was 35 dollars.

So it's okay, it's not cheap.

I know that it's still like they definitely get it one way or another.

So it's not gonna be open to the public for just general parking, but if I went to the restaurant, I could park there.

Yeah, so so our our thought with the restaurant is to basically come in and obviously use a similar valet system for that.

So you're you know, and again, if if the hot if the hotel's at 100 100% capacity, then it's 100% capacity.

If if you're coming in for the restaurant and the lot's full, unfortunately the a lot's full, just like going to Mooring or to Bowens or any other restaurant attack.

Yeah, um, so I mean again, we're we're obviously preserving the rights for the hotel guests and using the excess or um you know uh patrons to the to the other uses on the property if we have the the capacity to do so.

So I'm sorry if I'm sorry if I missed it, but how come the restaurant isn't included in the traffic study?

I believe it is it's it's it is an existing use because it's an existing use.

So what we need to apply for variance for is the additional uses that we're adding.

So the additional hotel rooms, uh the additional retail space, the new retail spaces, and the additional meeting spaces.

So can I build on your question?

Um I think you also have a bar there as well today, correct?

An outdoor bar?

That's part of the restaurant.

That's part of the restaurant.

Right.

And some people are probably going there to have food, other people are there, right?

For drinks.

So not in the city you would like it.

Right.

So is there's not a second restaurant in addition to this other one.

So that's uh so it's the same setup as today.

Yeah, exactly.

And it's almost it the square footage is almost identical.

Okay, um between what the new restaurant and the existing but so I new restaurant is actually slightly smaller, right?

And with the use of today.

So again, so your your study is when you say existing hotel is based off of the the IT, the the report that you use, right?

Not off of vehicle trips, not off of existing conditions.

Right.

And then your proposed hotel and retail is based off of the IT report to use the IT record, right?

But so you're comparing it to something that ignores the restaurant.

No, the red the restaurant's there and the hotel has been.

So you're saying because the restaurant exists you we we have to ignore it the whole time when we're comparing already exists, those trips already this the trip for the 133 existing rooms already.

What we have to show under the special use permit criteria is that what we're adding to this property is not gonna result in a degradation of the service on the okay.

Not not start from scratch and and it's it's the new um uh you see and trips that so like these so the this trip summary isn't all right it a it's it's not it's not based on what's actually there, it's based on piecemeal, what's we're looking at piecemeal or adding?

The the hotel land use category includes meeting space, restaurants, it it's all inclusive hotel.

Yeah, uh so what we're looking at is that addition, but today if we didn't have enough parking for the restaurant hotel, it'd be a private lot.

Yeah.

So we've demonstrated over decades that the hotel, restaurant, and the uses on the property allow them to offer public parking because of the excess space.

It it just makes common sense for that because you have that demand in the downtown area.

We have extra spaces, you can make a little money.

Okay.

Um the other question I had was the strip retail plaza designation, which um I'm assuming that there's a whole uh menu of different retail type products you can choose from in the IT.

Correct.

So this type of retail I would imagine is very pedestrian heavy versus vehicle heavy.

Correct.

So is there what's an example of a more vehicle-heavy retail?

Like this this has to take into account pedestrian use with its assumed vehicle count, right?

No, that would be a typical general suburban low strip and mall location that would have a salon, a bank or uh lending office, accountant office, um, whatever retail component uh in a certain size strip area.

Did you look at all that Hammett's hotel and their experience over there?

Because it seems a little similar, right?

Because they have you know, hotel, they also have retail there and restaurant there and yes, and as Mr.

Jacobi indicated, yes, that's the environment we're trying to create.

It's the same movie as a similar type of retail problem.

Yeah, yeah, we're looking at a similar type of retail problem.

I mean, obviously, again, it's it's a more of a walk, we're more looking for walkability and uh and to capture our hotel guests and people who are passing by the site.

This isn't uh like destination retail, it's not a supermarket, it's not something that's gonna draw, it's basically oh uh, you know, it's cold out, I need a sweater.

And you're gonna go in one of the 1300 square foot stores and purchase some type of goods for you know, it's like it's all that it's a typical, you know, uh, you know, capture of what you have around you, not a destination impulse.

Yeah, and this basically and this being the downtown area and what it is, it's again people park somewhere and they walk around and they go to multiple locations, and that's the intent is to draw in or service that walking environment.

Yeah, that I I asked basically to try to pull out that the trip generation for this retail is probably less than what's suggesting.

Um that's I mean that's what I'm and that's why I said it's highly conservative adjusted numbers that fall.

Any other questions from Mr.

Banner?

Um Thank you very much.

Traffic car parking?

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'd like to have uh Phil Henry, our civil engineer.

And I also need where the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

I do enter in this uh C V and as exhibit C.

Jared, could you turn on your mic, please?

Oh, sorry.

Thank you.

There we go.

We're gonna enter Mr.

Henry's uh CV in to the record as exhibit C thank you.

Um Mr.

Henry, you're uh founder and co-owner of Civil Design Group, which is a civil engineering firm.

Correct.

Could you just briefly describe your background and experience in civil engineering groups?

Sure.

I've been a uh I am currently a registered uh engineer in the state of Rhode Island.

I've been a registered engineer since 2009, and I practice engineering since uh 2003, so 23 years.

And and what type of engineering specifically uh we specifically focus on residential projects and non-residential projects, uh non-residential being retail hotel space, um banks nearly the full gamut of non-residential and have you worked on other projects in Rhode Island and the Newport area, yep.

And have you worked on other projects in Rhode Island and the Newport areas?

Yep.

And the recently approved hotel that we uh was approved last year or earlier this year.

And have you been uh recognized as an expert in the field of civil engineering by other boards and commissions in Rhode Island and Massachusetts?

Yes.

I asked that based on his background of experience.

We accept two as a as an expert with um so could you please begin by describing the existing site conditions?

Sure.

Um the the site is currently I would I would call it a uniquely shaped lot that's about just over five acres in size, and as previously noted today, um houses a hotel uh with some supplemental spaces uh throughout the property.

It today, largely the site is uh I would say it's 90% impervious uh with with very little stormwater controls and sort of antiquated utility infrastructure throughout the property.

And could you explain how this project will result in the upgrade of those conditions, both in terms of stormwater, utilities, uh, and other infrastructure?

So currently, from what we can tell from site observations and survey, the site drains by two or three catch basins.

One catch basin on the north side, proximate to the Harbor Masters building that did that appears to discharge directly to the to the bay, and then uh two catch basins on the southerly end that discharge and tie into market street.

Market Street um has a plethora of utilities in it, um, most notably three drainage structures that appear to discharge into the bay.

So currently the site ties into one of those uh I believe it's a 36-inch line beneath beneath market stream.

Um and what what sort of infrastructure currently exists in terms of water quality?

Uh there's there appears to be those those inlets that I discussed, but they don't appear to be uh hooded or or deep sump.

So the the new development program uh is geared to um CRMC standards, redevelopment standards, which CRMC follows right end stormwater standards.

So uh the new stormwater program will include um seven deep sump putted catch bases and inlets.

And the reason why there's there's seven as opposed to three existing is we wanted to maintain that existing surface grade uh to to not create any um we wanted to maintain the compensatory fill within the floodplain.

So therefore, we there's a series of high points and low points.

So you'll see um on most notably on the south side or page right, uh there's there's a substantial drainage network there with with inlets and drain pipes and whatnot.

Those those all those catch basins uh which are considered pre-treatment go into uh CRMC ride and approved treatment devices, and from there they get discharged into the existing drainage system on Market Square or directly to the bay.

So uh there will be a substantial uh uh upgrade uh from from the ex from the existing uh uh infrastructure that's out there today.

So fair to say that the water that eventually leaves the site once the project is completed, it's going to be cleaner than the water that's leaving the site today.

Yeah, we'll be meeting the water quality volume standards for the state recommendation.

And will there be any increase in runoff as a result of this project?

No.

Uh there won't be any increase in runoff, most notably because there's a there's a slight decrease in impervious area, about 1700 square feet.

With that being said, because we're on the coast, um, the jurisdictional uh, for instance, CRMC does not care about peak peak flow rates because it's discharging rate to the bay.

Needless to say, though, there will be a slight reduction.

And just to clarify, that's a slight reduction in the impervious surface.

Okay.

And and then the corresponding slight reduction in the amount of runoff site.

Yep.

And and as noted uh prior to the compensatory storage is being increased uh with the air volume throughout throughout the existing structures as as prepared to as compared to the proposed structures for about 20,000 cubic feet.

And what that means is if if there was a storm surge that flooded the site, there's actually a slightly greater capacity to handle that on site than previously exactly.

Um and then you mentioned the the plethora of utility lines and other things.

What is the plan for that?

And how are you working with the department of utilities there?

So that that process is ongoing.

We had brief discussions throughout the TRC.

Uh it looks like the infrastructure, gas, water are on markets or on market street.

Um the sewer appears to be gathered on market street and then pumped back up to America's cup.

So our infrastructure is going to tie into the existing infrastructure because the existing the existing infrastructure is still there, which is going to be maintained.

The new infrastructure will handle the new building.

And is there sufficient capacity to handle any additional flow or any additional needs that have come from the expansion of the hotel?

We think so, just by a simple fact in the TR throughout the TRC, there wasn't a red flag, so to speak, that there is no capacity.

We understand that those those existing utilities um are fairly old, but we're gonna work with the city to try to um mitigate and accommodate as necessary.

Okay, and to the extent that any of those have to be upgraded, that'll be part of the process and the permitting process for the department of utilities.

Yes.

Um questions.

Yes.

Sorry.

Um do you happen to know if there is any tie-in of utilities between the property and the harbormaster building?

They may not be.

I'm just asking because they're just they were built at different times, and I I don't know what the answer to that is.

I mean, based on what what we can gather, no.

Okay.

No.

Is there is there any need for a call on sort of uh storm surge situation or higher higher tides that you have to have some sort of backflow to prevent sort of filling up your parking lot?

Is there any call for that?

Uh well, if there was if there was backflow, it would first back it would backflow through the municipal drainage pipes.

So we don't have control over those existing pipes.

I don't know if there's there might be storm surge controls already in place.

I'm I'm not sure.

Um but that's that's the purpose of um adding more compensatory storage in the proposed condition, providing more air volume for in case of a backup.

What about the water mains for this property and the connection into the city water mains?

Is there any need for change in uh with this renovation?

Well, I think that's we're we're proposing a four-inch and an eight-inch line tying into the water line on market street.

So um, if if there are upgrades that are necessary, that will come through the review of department of utilities.

Thanks.

Anything else?

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh one more with all right.

Okay.

Jim Hole.

Very common.

Um I had to tell the truth.

Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

I do.

Uh I would note that Mr.

Hoole has filed a written report, which you should all have a copy of his CV is attached to that report, and as he has been recognized by this board many times previously as a real estate expert, I asked that he be so recognized tonight.

We recognize you, Mr.

Fall.

Thank you.

Uh uh, Mr.

Hoole, uh so you're familiar with this application, the subject property, the surrounding area.

I am.

Uh and you're also familiar with the current standards of the zoning code for special use permits and dimensional variances.

Yes.

And you analyze this application for compliance with those standards.

I have would you please walk the board through your analysis and your okay.

I you know, I don't mean to be redundant.

You've heard a lot of experts already explaining the situation, but um when I look at this project, you know, this is a hotel complex that was constructed 50 years plus or minus ago.

Um, and and in fact, it really was it's really been a success as part of that whole city redevelopment of water.

But as any building or any business gets older, you expect to have some sort of renewal, um, especially in terms of the hotel, since the building of a hotel is essential for the operation.

So as time goes by, it's very typical to have uh major upgrading on a hotel.

This is long overdue.

Mr.

Jacoby used the term underutilized.

I think that's really a very uh apt term for the property.

It's currently on underutilized, considering all that's happened in uh the waterfront area, other hotels that have been built, other businesses, um, all the retail and everything else that's gone into the development of that whole area.

Um, so I look at this as sort of a keystone um property within that whole little section of the corner of uh Long Wharf and America's Cup on Thame Street, and and really I think that this plan overall really attacks a lot of the issues um that need to be attacked, and they it's extremely beneficial for the city.

Uh, when I look at it, you know, there's um immediately the the new buildings are all resilient, they're being lifted uh to uh you know, allow because of the fact that it is a waterfront um location, it's now being lifted and it's being part of the resilient um the comprehensive plan has been calling for um you know the um wording in the comprehensive land use plan to uh be anticipating what we need for climate change.

Um this is doing that.

You've just heard the engineer talk about water runoff on the site, that's all part of it.

Um this plan is gonna donate um a huge area for a harbor walk that will now tie together Long Wharf and Karate Park with uh Bowensworth and beyond.

Um the the visual improvement of all the accesses to this lot are instead of being seen as an obstacle by people who are walking through the area, it's going to be inviting, it's going to be bringing them in.

Uh you're providing more um hotel rooms that are on the waterfront, which is exactly where they should be located here.

Uh there's no loss of parking.

Um, we're adding retail space in this project.

Um, and I think that overall um they are there are so many beneficial things in exchange for what I consider uh really de minimis uh aspects of the relief that are needed uh both in terms of the special use permit and the and the variant dimensional variances.

And in terms of the let's start with the dimensional variance, you believe that what's being proposed meets the requirements for dimensional variance on the ordinance.

I do.

Do you believe the requisite hardship has been shown?

I do.

I mean, the hardship is clearly the physical location on the site.

Um, to a degree that this is um you can't lift the existing building.

If you couldn't lift the existing building, you'd have more than enough parking.

Um, but the the thing is that you're preserving all the parking with a new climate resilient building.

You're adding all this other um retail space hotel rooms that are necessary.

And I and I just think that um the the hardship of being right on the water, there's no other place that you would donate a harbor walk except along the waterfront.

So that is land that is being given up that would otherwise be very productive to the business that is on the site, and I think to a degree, the zoning code itself is a hardship, considering that right across the street, you have a uh general business zone that doesn't require special use permit and has um almost quarter of the size requirement for um a hotel room for a land area.

So I think that really when you look at it, um this is this particular location is really not very different at all from the locations in which we've just seen, you know, we saw a new hotel built, and the Marriott had been built before that.

Um, without it, they're all sharing the same roads, they're all sharing everything, but the zoning is completely different.

I think that the code itself works as a hardship in this case.

And do you believe the project meets the requirements for special use?

I do.

And and those findings in your report are consistent with the TRC's findings and those of the staff reports.

Yeah, and we've heard the experts tonight go over everything that is in the special use criteria.

I think they did a very good job.

Questions from Mr.

No.

That's all that we've got.

No, for the question, I just opportunity maybe to sum up after any folks in the public would like to Mr.

Regan.

Do we have any uh members of the public signed up to comment?

I'm sorry.

Uh I have to apologize to John Carter, who's our landscape architect.

Uh you do have one more, you have one more presentation.

And he's worked very hard.

All right, just in the interim, before we take this presentation, if there's any member of the public who has not signed up to make comments and wishes to comment, please sign up to do so.

Thank you.

All right.

It's your landscape architect.

You don't swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

I do.

Uh John, you're a licensed landscape architect in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, etc.

Excuse me.

May I just have his name, please?

My name is John Carter.

Carter.

And I'm a registered landscape architect uh in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

My office is 960 Boston Neck Road in Narragansy.

Thanks, Mr.

Carter.

And John, you prepared the landscape plan for this project.

I have, yes.

Could you do the explain?

Uh the word plan.

I will, yes.

Um, you've heard a lot of details, so I'm not gonna reiterate anything if I can help it.

Uh, but there's a couple of points that haven't been discussed that I'd like to point out that I think are really valuable contributions from this project.

The main thing that stands out to me is when you enter the city on America's Cup Avenue, and you're driving south, uh East Side is entirely uh basically from um uh long wharf all the way down along to where the uh Thames Street uh entrance comes in, is all ground level parking.

On the west side for 500 feet approximately uh presently is parking, and that belongs to this project.

Um there was a little discussion about that streetscape.

So the streetscape along the uh property line on the west side of uh America's Cup as it fronts on this site.

There's there's a very vigorous tree canopy there.

Uh and then there's and it's right on the back side of the curb, and then there's a sidewalk, and then behind the sidewalk is about an 18-inch retaining wall that actually supports a planter uh that is in has been planted, it's a little thin right now.

Uh and then behind uh behind the plant uh that planter is an ornamental fence, but the parking is depressed below the street.

So even presently, when that landscape buffer is a little thin, that parking's not quite as uh offensive, not quite as in your face when you're driving uh into the site.

The proposal uh is to plant that planter with significant uh mix of evergreens and hedging materials uh to completely obscure that parking.

So you'd look right across the park on our site, and you would see the new building sitting there, the uh with the podium level, level above and and the tower on the end.

Um I think that's that's a big improvement.

I think coming into the sort of historic portion of the city uh and being uh hemmed in by expansions of parking on both sides, uh doesn't do much for it, and I think this would be a big improvement.

Uh and then as part of that, the owners of the project will maintain their site, but they're also accepting responsibility to maintain that planter.

Um it's it's kind of straddles the road right, that's the line between the private property and the road right away.

And it was some discussion about who's going to take care of it at TRC level with your tree warden, uh Scott Wheeler, and the owners of the project have said that they would accept the responsibility.

So it'll be maintained uh in good condition.

The other uh positive aspect and is and you've seen this in some of the renderings, particularly Justin's uh really well done walkthroughs and so forth.

But as the traffic is you're heading south and the traffic turns right into uh Market Square, presently there's parking there, and the parking is head in and it abuts parking on the other side, which is head in.

So that whole frontage and that corner into Owens or into uh Market Square is uh parking.

The new building, and it was evident in in Justin's uh renderings he presented.

Uh the the new building will obscure the parking.

So even if in this rendering there's still cars shown parked head in, and that unless the city changes it, that would remain.

Uh, there's just going to be a green wall in front of it.

Uh, the underground parking has a really clever sort of lattice and pillars, and we're gonna be able to, and they provided some planting space, so we'll be able to plant on uh on that side of the building.

So that entire uh frontage along America's cup and then turning into uh market square will be uh able to be landscaped and be bringing the other major significant contribution, uh, which has been well discussed here is the uh the waterfront walk, the harbor walk is a calling it.

Um obviously offering that public access is is big.

Um there was some discussion from one of you gentlemen about uh the interaction between the hotel and the public in that particular space.

So we've actually will have detailed that uh between the actual wooden boardwalk structure itself and the brown level buildings, there's going to be a landscape strip.

There'll be a fence, actually, a security fence that the guests can go in and out of their rooms, but the public won't be able to go in with some plantings.

Uh we're also providing more than just a sort of conduit to walk on from the ferry wharf and so forth.

And you saw in some of the other renderings, and um that there's a lot of uh intent to activate that space.

So there'll be plantings and urns, there'll be and and uh benches, decorative lighting, and apparently a band.

So uh it should be a very activated space, not just uh a walk-through for people.

So we think that's a that's a big plus too.

Um the interior of the site, and this rendering shows the areas that have been landscaped.

Uh the interior of the site, the the parking will have uh planting islands in it, so there'll be shade trees, shrubs, and so forth that break up the expanse of uh there's really none now, right?

It's pretty barren right now, yes.

Um, and then the uh uh valet area.

We've got some designs on that'll be landscaped.

Uh because a lot of this is elevated, we'll be using a lot of uh container plantings, urns, that type of thing.

And we're gonna carry that into the um uh podium also.

So the podium obviously we're not digging holes in it, uh, but we're intending to use some large-scale plantings that we do in the cities with big ferns and shade trees and that type of thing.

So there'll be a lot of green brought into this and a lot of um uh of uh maintenance to keep it looking good, and I do think that one of the main contributions is that that west side of uh America's cup will be greened up.

You won't be looking at the cars in there.

Break up that expanse of parking.

I have detailed plans.

I won't go through them unless you want at this point.

It is you know, we'll come back at preliminary.

And those plans have been reviewed by Scott Wheeler.

They have.

They've been reviewed at PRC by Scott Wheeler.

That's interaction.

Any questions from Mr.

Carter?

Can I ask a question?

Um so that entranceway that's on the left of the drawing up there.

Yes.

That's gonna be open now, so the cars can come in and out.

That's the main entrance.

And where's this planter?

Is it the planter on the left of that entranceway?

All along the length of the parking.

Bloody um where it's a yes.

Um actually sidewall, and then a rage stone bed.

And then it's a plant and plant.

So we're gonna plant that whole alley.

Okay.

So that from my level driving your car, you can do see the cars down below.

Hayden.

Hayden.

If you go to page 30 of the architectural uh handbook, there's actually a detailed drawing of exactly what we're talking about.

30, yes.

Oh, the streetscape rendering.

Yeah, that's a basically if you drive by there tomorrow.

You're gonna see sidewalk, snowwall, it's got a few plants, it's not doing that well.

Behind that, there's about a five foot black the black broad eye fence.

And then below that bar, if you're really looking even standing there now, I can look at the option.

That plant is probably plants that can be kept in a certain money.

Yeah, there you go.

Yeah, see the walls.

Yes.

Is that see the cars to the light or down marketing question?

So there'll be a solid basically green wall on that planter.

So that that fence is gonna go away and market that fence is gonna go away completely, and it'll just be the one or they were gonna leave that.

The fence will stay.

That's staying.

Okay.

The plants go in farming.

Yeah, the gate will go.

Another picture just looked like there was some sort of a granite wall.

Uh someone had there before.

It looked like more of a wall than a planter on the other one.

It looks this one here.

Behind this lantern, it's on the retaining wall.

Gotcha.

Right.

Anything else?

Thank you.

Sorry, Jen.

Yes.

Um uh if we could just um the board has been sitting now for uh over two hours.

So if we could just take a brief maybe five-minute break, will that do it?

That's a head call for you.

Sure.

All right, we'll take a five-minute break.

It is now make sure you turn your mics off.

Yes, thank you.

Who have checked, yes, that they were direct debuters as notified by the 200 feet of butter notification.

Okay, I have one request of those making comments, and and that is to uh limit them to just a couple of minutes, and then also focus if you will on how this is gonna affect you.

Um, and we'll leave the lawyering to the lawyers and the um technical review to the technical reviewers.

Thank you so much.

Thanks.

So we're representing the brick market condo association.

The board has asked us to come here and listen to everything, and everybody did a quick review of these things, and of course, the first thing we saw were the parking spaces.

Um, it was pretty interesting about learning about the 75% rule.

Um our concerns were based on the work done, um, the review at 144 names for the vacation rental.

Uh, that's gonna knock down the Christmas tree shop.

It originally said that they were gonna use a parking lot between Brick Market Condo and the shops at Lawn Wharf.

77 spaces.

We own 22 percent 22 of those spaces.

There had been no the board hadn't been approached about it.

We're surprised to see it, and it eventually got changed, and now they have some kind of arrangement with the parking lot further um on the other end of that uh whatever that restaurant is.

Umacre.

So sounds great.

Hope it works out.

So of course we looked at it and we went how are they gonna move cars around?

Calvert was hit seven three-quarters of a mile, St.

Peter's is a mile and a half.

And of course, when you do the math, 219, 168, 51, minus 10.

You're still coming up 41 spaces short.

So we're sensitive to this because Merica's Cup is a parking lot, as you all know on the weekends.

This summer something happened.

It was a parking lot, and we face it.

We see it all the time.

It was a parking lot Monday through Friday, also.

Parking lot that the actual parking paper parking lot that we look at also was always booked on the weekend.

It's filled up at least some part of the day on the weekend.

But this summer, every single day of the summer, it was completely booked up.

And I thought I was, did that really happen this summer?

It's never happened before.

So I talked to one of the attendants.

He said, Yeah, every single day this summer that lot was filled.

So we're concerned we're people are gonna go for the extra spaces as documented by these numbers.

So I think what I'm asking now is that the documentation about using the transportation center be added into this.

And two years ago I talked to the guys at the transportation center at the opening to the lot there, and they said they're booked up on big weekends too.

So I'm like, where's all the spillage coming up?

Are people I don't know where they're parking, and the other 25%?

I don't I don't get it, but they're this is the these are the numbers, and they would know them.

I'm hoping that's true because I don't people are just gonna be driving around trying to find some place to park.

It's something for you to consider.

Um is my time up.

Um the other thing was um they included the calculation for the restaurant, and um we always walk through um the hotel to go through the bar and go to Bowen's Wharf.

So we love the idea about the waterfront.

That's gonna be fantastic.

Um, but the hotel, the hotel restaurant, the salt, I don't think it's been open for three or four years.

I don't know, it's always empty.

So I'm I'm hoping I I know there's they included a calculation.

I don't know how you do that.

I guess they know how to do it because that's their business, but just to let you know, place is barren.

Uh outside, very popular.

Uh there's always a guy playing guitar out there.

Um people eat outside.

I don't know where that's gonna be, but they'll figure that out.

Um, what else did I want to say?

One other thing.

Um you could wrap it up as quickly as possible.

We'd appreciate it.

Because we represent um three buildings, three structures.

One is along Fame Street, shops on the lower level, residences upstairs, out on America's Cup, it's all residences.

And then there's a structure in between, which is uh where the umbrellas are are shown, and that's residents on top, shops below.

Anybody here from the shops at Lawmore today?

No.

So I'm thinking you go to you stay at the Marriott, you stay at the Brenton, everybody walks along through uh through the park, Parate Park, and then they're gonna walk.

It's gonna be really nice, but it's kind of leaving out the people at the shops at Walmart, the shops at the wharf, everybody on Bame Street, both sides, our shops that are internal, and all along there.

So I think it's a great idea.

And I'm surprised more people from the shops aren't saying, well, wait a second, we're kind of getting left out on this.

Okay.

Thanks.

You're welcome.

Uh okay.

Um, our next speaker is Linda Stevenson for Friends of the Waterfront and the address of Nine Dixon Street.

And it appears we're having some technical difficulties with the screen, but stopper working to get that back up.

Hi.

Hi.

Linda Stevenson, President Friends of the Waterfront.

Um, I hope you're all familiar with Friends of the Waterfront.

We've been advocating for public access along the waterfront for over 42 years.

That's a little short.

I can talk but not that fast.

We should be swearing at people in, or are not for the public commentary?

All right, thank you.

Um and and my being here, um we've been working with the city, we've been working with the applicant, so there's no surprises, but I just want to say this is huge to have a new harbor walk section from Parate Park over to Bowens.

This is really huge.

And I want to also remind you that it's not just for tourists.

I had 60 children on guided harbor walks last summer.

And a number of questions surprised me, but one just always comes to the top of mind.

When one of the kids asked, why don't the boats in the harbor float away?

I mean, these are kids that live here.

Okay.

So we need to get everyone out to the water.

And a lot of people don't have that opportunity.

So the more opportunity that we can provide them with public access, the better it's going to be for our community as well as our tourists.

But this is, you know, a very, very big plus for the city to have this additional harbor walk.

I do ask respectfully that as a condition of approval.

Um the applicant will file and record a permanent easement for the public use of the harbor walk.

And I say this because sometimes we say things and promise things that don't come to pass.

And there are a lot of um details that still need to be worked out.

We certainly expect that the city will work um hand in hand with us as well.

But you know, things like we we really don't want the hours to be too limited.

We don't want it closed down for private events, areas that we have trouble now and existing harbor walks.

Um, those are the things that I'm particularly keen on making sure we don't present those opportunities to have a problem down the road.

Um, but this this is really a a big deal for our city, and I'm very excited about the potential when this finally comes to pass.

Does anyone have a question for me?

Thanks.

Thank you.

Um could we uh make room for the harbor master who I think has another commitment or an issue and has to come forward.

Good evening.

Steve Land Harbor Master.

My other commitment is my two unattended children at home that I have to get home to.

Um so I just want to talk about the uh the transition between Parate Park and this uh new proposed harbor walk.

Um a couple of years ago, we I was starting to develop the plan for the bulkhead replacement of Parate Park when I literally got a phone call from the Pontashaki group saying, Can we meet?

And so we met and uh they they literally said, What would it take for you to move your building back 10 feet?

And I said, Well, I haven't told anyone this yet, but we have to knock the building down to get to the bulkhead.

And that's kind of how this whole merger started here with this.

Um I've been there for five years in that building.

I've watched the traffic, you know, go around my building, then go about 400 yards from the harbor, and that's considered the harbor walk.

Everyone goes, I bet everyone in this on this panel has gone to that area around my building and they run to that that wrought iron gate and they go, I think I can hop this.

You can't.

Um so this is a an a uh a real pivotal point in the city that we can open this up, really change the pedestrian traffic flow and really make a true harbor walk.

This is something that we should not take lightly.

Um, as someone who watches this every day, I moved almost 4,000 people through Parate Park today uh with two cruise ships.

Um this is something that would really improve the pedestrian movement of people.

Um we are uh the train has started to leave the station for the bulkhead builds.

We've uh hired an engineer to do all the design builds.

We've hired a construction company to do the bulkhead.

Next we're gonna be hiring an architect to do the actual designs.

We have some preliminary designs out there.

I'm sure you've all seen it.

It's been in the paper and stuff.

Um we're gonna focus on increasing bathrooms.

Um that is really the key to that building is the bathrooms.

Um and then finally we're gonna have to hire a contractor to build the building and replace the park.

So we're about halfway through the beginning processes of this uh parody park built, but we're moving nicely.

Um the building right now tentatively supposed to go down between September and November of next year.

Um that building will be knocked down to start the bulkhead reconstruction uh November 1st.

Any questions?

Does that help uh clarify a little bit how we we got here?

Yeah, I would just I would just curious as you have your mic on.

Oh, this is it on.

There we go.

Um just curious as to how uh obviously you've been thinking about this a lot and talking to them.

I'm just curious as to how it sort of dovetails into the harbor walk, at least your vision of the building and how you know when people come off either the cruise ships or are walking down the street there, how it's how it's gonna flow going both directions.

That's a great question.

Um a lot of people park at the gateway center.

That's a that's a big hub.

So they're they walk down, and the first place they see of that harbor is in Parate Park.

We have more Instagram pictures right by my office, I think, than anywhere else in the city.

And we all see this every day.

We we look at it and say, Oh, it's another boat.

These these people are coming to see this.

This is the first time they've seen this.

They are blown away.

And they hate having to take that left and walk onto the road and deal with traffic.

Um, the what I really envision is the park is gonna almost look identical to what it is now, just new.

Uh it flows fantastic.

The movement of people is fantastic, and we're gonna have that same width in that right next to the water where the bollards are, go right past my office, and we're gonna continue down to their new public access.

That is the plan right now.

Um, we are you know gonna we are balancing you know bathrooms and size, and I do not want to take any of that park.

Uh park, I've been told this it's highown ground.

We don't out take that to build bathrooms.

So we're gonna hopefully go in the same footprint a little bit closer.

There's a little we have a little bit of a garden in the front there that's not really used.

Maybe use that a little bit, but uh we're gonna have to do some very uh interesting architectural to get to get more bathrooms in there.

If you if you if you haven't been into the my building, I invite you to come take a look.

I'll I'll walk you through the entire thing and you can see kind of what we're dealing with.

And I think everyone will go, oh yeah, we can improve this.

Um it's uh I think it's 22 years old now, and it's time for a rehab of that.

Uh again, the key is bathrooms for that that that building.

My office is secondary on top.

Now, how far do you see from sort of the bulkhead to your building for the harbor walk across the front there?

I um we haven't really talked about exact feet.

What we're saying, uh 15, something of that nature.

Um we are gonna gain a little bit of land with our bulkhead build.

The way we are constructing that, um, we're gonna go three feet out with the whole marina is moving out three feet.

Um we it that is a whale system on how that bulkhead is is being held up.

The sheet pile is just being held right on the bedrock, and then there's a giant rod that goes through the middle of it, holds it to a dead man that's in the park.

So it's a common way to do it.

Um for us to do it properly, we're actually going to go out three feet.

So we're gonna gain a little bit of park.

Uh we are kicking around the ideas of moving those bollards up onto the cap rail again, gain a little more distance, moving those benches onto the grass area on a concrete pad.

So we that the the pathway would be a little bit wider, which I think would be good on those busy days, the boat fest days, the cruise ship days, car show days, boat show days, seafood fest days.

We've got a lot of days.

That park is really being used to its fullest.

And um, it's it is it does function now uh very well, and we're just gonna hopefully make some tweaking improvements on that.

And if we could get the people not to take that left and hit that that skinny sidewalk and walk 400 yards up, but stay on the harbor.

I think you're gonna see a huge improvement.

And it's not just the tourists.

I see locals every day I say good morning to who are jogging to that park, walking to that park, having a good time.

Um, it's it is gonna be a huge improvement for the city.

Any other questions?

Okay, thanks so much.

All right, thank you.

Good night.

Next we don't have any other names signed up.

No other comments.

Okay, from the public.

All right then.

At this point, then I'm going to close the public comment period.

Uh I want to call attention to the staff report.

Uh, do you have anything else?

Anything any comments you want to make with regard to your report?

Okay.

Um may I have a motion to adopt the staff report as sorry.

Oh, you wanted some re comments.

I'm so sorry, Mr.

Reagan.

I'm not sure what's going on.

I don't go right ahead.

I appreciate all of your consideration tonight.

I also want to thank the staff as well as uh everyone else who spoke tonight for for their time and their input over the last several months into the project.

And uh just want to say that we're fully uh on board with the recommendations and proposed conditions of the staff.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Sorry about jumping, jumping over your summary there, Mr.

Regan.

All right.

So then let's get back to uh asking uh for a motion to adopt the staff report as findings of fact.

So moved.

Second.

Any discussion?

All in favor.

Aye.

Any opposed unanimously passed.

Okay.

Now we'll begin the evaluation of the applicant's requests.

Um if you board members turn to your staff report.

And we'll begin first by considering the dimensional variance requests and the standards that we must use to uh evaluate those.

There are two dimensional variance requests, one with respect to density.

We'll consider each of them against the standards individually, and then we'll move forward.

Standard one, that the hardship from which the applicant seeks relief is due to the unique characteristics of the subject land or structure and not to the general characteristics of the surrounding area, and is not due to a physical or economic disability of the applicant, excepting those physical disabilities addressed in uh Rhode Island General Law 45-34-30 A16.

Uh any discussion about uh the extent to which the density uh variance request uh does or does not meet that standard.

Um I just want to echo staff's comments uh on page eight of their report um in reference to them adding upon existing footprint uh as well as lifting up the structure on a platform to uh be above the FEMA floodplain.

Um is towards is the the actual hardship and place for the unique characteristic of the subject lands with it being on the water.

Um I want to agree with staff's comments here.

Any other comments with respect to this standard?

So I think we've had we've heard a lot of uh testimony, uh expert testimony, uh indicating that in their view this standard is met.

The staff believes this standard is met uh while the uh density requirements, they're asking for relief from that density restriction.

Um there are many other compensating factors that have been presented here.

Um, the additional public space, the uh the improvement to the cityscape to the streetscape, many others that have been listed.

So I guess I concur with Jeff that um that this uh when you look at the entire proposal and you look at all of the proposed changes that uh this standard is met.

Anyone else?

I think it's it's also a reasonable request with just the 11 extra rooms where they probably could have built that much bigger and taken up more space in that lot and added another 50 rooms if they really want to be greedy about it.

So I think that's reasonable, 11 rooms above.

Thanks, Kevin.

Anyone else?

Especially within the existing footprint, like they're squeezing the rooms in where they and then when you marry it with the other zoning that's sort of in the area.

Oh I mean, it's a hardship with the zoning that exists, which it goes back to the comp plan, which we're gonna deal with on another day.

Right.

Uh and and a bit later in this in this meeting.

Oh, also uh staff.

Sorry.

I didn't know.

But I had it on.

I apologize.

I would also agree with staff with what Kevin just said about the 11 rooms, but I want to add to that.

This is, and we heard it a few times tonight.

This is such a prominent spot, right?

I mean, this corner is what people see when they come down America's cup into town, right?

After they've sped down America's Cup, forgive me for saying that, past the cemetery, right?

And they're and they've just now passed the Brenton Hotel, and they have Parate Park on the right.

The first real part of Newport they're seeing is this hotel.

And we're fortunate here that we're dealing with a situation where you're taking in an existing structure, right, and you're modernizing it, right?

And so the benefits that that will yield in itself, it's just going to be enormous, right?

To the city.

And so again, in in what uh like Kevin said and what staff says, uh 11 rooms at this point is is insignificant compared to that, to that benefit.

And as we've seen the other uh changes in density, the actual restaurant square footage is slightly decreasing.

There's a very modest increase in the mate in the meeting space.

Uh, and so there isn't, aside from the rooms, that's it.

Um, standard number two, that the hardship is not the result of any prior action of the applicant.

I have not heard any evidence that suggests that this hardship is due to any prior action of the applicant.

Does anyone see this any differently?

No, agree.

That's the existing condition.

Okay.

The third standard we're obliged to look at is that the granting of the requested variants will not alter the general character of the surrounding area or impair the intent or purpose of the zoning ordinance or the comprehensive plan upon which the ordinance is based.

I think what I've heard all of you saying is that uh not only will it it will alter it, but in a very positive way and consistent with the comp plan and consistent with the uh planning goals and objectives of the city as they're evolving with time.

And it's an increasing the mixed use element in the waterfront business district as state of the staff report.

And it's by no means a stretch to say this is mixed use either.

Like there's clearly gonna be retail, there's clearly gonna be waterfront access.

Okay.

I think Manoa's not really in the plan, but the transient uh dockage change at the marina is also beneficial there as well.

I think it would also be we heard it from the doc from the harbor master that you know the benefit to uh tourists who come to visit, right?

Who uh who uh you know who get dropped off for the first time right there, right?

Can now turn right and actually enjoy the harbor walk right into Bowens Wharf.

It's gonna be really, really attractive.

And to those of us who live here and do this all the time.

Standard number four, require that evidence is entered into the record of the proceedings showing that in granting a dimensional variance that the hardship suffered by the owner of the property of the dimensional variance is not granted amounts.

If it's not granted, it amounts to more than mere inconvenience, meaning that relief sought is minimal to a reasonable enjoyment of the permitted use to which the property is proposed to be devoted.

Basically, basically what Mr.

Mishaw said, it's 11 rooms.

I feel it's a reasonable um scale uh addition in reference to the overall scale of the project.

Uh the staff has recommended uh conditional approval subject uh to a couple of conditions.

One, subject to the granting of final plan approval by the administrative officer.

And secondly, that the applicant must file and record a permanent easement for public use of the proposed harbor walk extension spanning from Parati Park to Market Square.

That directing the applicant to work with appropriate staff to determine any maintenance agreements, extents of the easements, and any other terms deemed necessary by the administrative officer.

Any discussion regarding these proposed conditions or any other conditions the members would like to suggest.

Um so if uh you want to discuss you want um motion and vote for strictly the density variants and go back and discuss the parking variants.

Yes, that's what I want to do.

Okay.

Let's go through the part, let's go through the park and then we'll vote on both of them at the same time.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um we'll discuss each of them separately.

Yes.

Uh review them against the standards separately separately, talk about conditions separately, and then we will I'll call for a motion to either approve or disapprove.

That's great.

So any conditions, uh any discussions regarding the staff's recommended conditions or any additional conditions the board would like the applicant to consider.

Um none for the density, but I think when we go through the variance, um uh the relief for parking and go through those four standards, we may have uh additional conditions.

Okay.

Anybody else?

I I think the staff's recommended conditions are perfect there and necessary.

Okay.

Thank you.

All right.

So now let's move to the parking variants.

And here uh the uh you have the staff report, you've seen it.

Ums or discussions about the variants sought with respect to parking.

Standard number one, let's go back to that.

Which was the hardship the hardship standard standardship is due to the unique characteristics of the of the property itself.

Um I I feel that uh staff really did a great job and going through their explanation of it with its proximity to the harbor launch, the ferry um proximity to the newport uh public parking down by Cardeans and um just its overall existing uh use that there it's not that much of a reach to be requesting this level of parking.

Um that said, I do you know, from some of the conversation personally, I'd like a little um uh a little assistance to help meet this hardship.

Um to show that they're uh coming to the table and and not asking too too much.

Is that I would not would want to ask them to at least provide some form of shuttle service uh at the hotel to help alleviate some of that parking strain on what's there.

Um so we'll discuss.

I won't discuss that verbiage as we get down to the condition side, but for me to meet that standard, I would I would want some kind of shuttle service included.

Okay.

Um standard two is that the hardship is not the result of any prior action of the applicant.

I haven't heard any testimony that suggests that that's the case.

Any comments on the standard?

No.

Uh standard three, the granting, again, we're talking about parking, the granting of the variants uh will not alter the general character of the surrounding area or impair the intent or purpose of the zoning ordinance or the comprehensive plan upon which the ordinance is based.

Comments.

I don't believe that it uh alters the general character at all.

But to Jeff's point, I would have to agree that some form of shuttle service would be appreciated because as has already been stated by members of the community.

America's cup Avenue is a parking lot in the summertime.

And those of us that live here, how many of us have resorted to Uber to get from one place to the other in our own city?

So I do think having a shuttle service, and and I really wish all the hotels would do it would alleviate some of that.

You sign anything anything further on that okay.

Uh standard four.

Uh this is requiring that evidence uh is entered into the record showing that granting a dimensional variance, that the hardship suffered by the owner of the property, if the dimensional variance is not granted, amounts to more than a mere inconvenience.

Any comments.

I think we've heard a lot about the architectural design and the uh economic requirements for this project and the indication that in fact um sacrificing some of the parking, supplementing it with scooter bike parking, um, improved public access, necessitating less uh parking to begin with on site, um is seems seems to in some way compensate for uh the need for a variance here.

It's great.

And I think as the as our as we begin discussions with the comprehensive plan, as we've been discussing over the previous years, there's an evolving desire to create incentives to walk more, bike more, use public transportation, use shuttle services and so on and so forth, rather than bringing cars into the city and parking them and driving them around.

So I think that the standard we can argue is meant.

Any other comments?

You want to talk about conditions now?

Um the to echo the condition I referenced earlier.

I was the language I have is the applicant, the applicant to provide a written action plan on providing shovel service to accommodate the hotel's guests for local travel as well as guest drop off and pickup.

Okay.

Um any comments from the board?

Does that condition sound good enough?

Yeah.

All right.

Okay.

Do you let me get that language again, Jeff?

The applicant to provide a written action plan.

Action plan on providing a shuttle service to accommodate the hotel's guests for local travel as well as guest drop-off and pickup.

Do you have any concern about people using the restaurant?

Um, because the you know the the parking lot that's there is the parking lot that's there.

Um, like they said, the valet is gonna accommodate as much as they can.

Um, but it's more the the level of the parking lot that's eaten up 24-7 with guests that are there for the hotel.

Plus guests are in the hotel are using parking, more parking's available for everyone else.

All right.

May I have a motion uh to find that the applicant has addressed these applicable standards to grant them a variance for both density and parking, subject to the following conditions?

Uh subject to granting of final plan approval by the administrative officer that the applicant must file and record a permanent easement for use of the proposed harved walk extension spanning from karate park to market square.

The applicant shall work with appropriate staff to determine any maintenance agreement, extents of the easement, and any other terms deemed necessary by the administrative officer, and a third condition with regard to a shuttle service that the applicant provides a written action plan to provide shuttle service to accommodate the hotel's guests for local travel as well as drop-off and pickup.

So moved.

Second second.

All right.

Any discussion about either the compliance with or the applicants meeting these variants standards or the conditions we're asking the applicant to uh meet.

Okay.

Um then may I have a vote?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

All right.

This passes unanimously the variances.

Um board has agreed to grant the variances.

Now we move to uh the special use permit and the request for a special use permit.

Uh the applicant has requested a special a category three special use permit.

I'm going to refer you to the staff report and we'll work through this together using the staff report as a guide.

Um each uh special use permit uh has to be reviewed against the standards that the staff is providing.

Nine standards.

I'm sorry, what's that?

Against nine standards.

Against nine the nine standards the staff has um itemized for us in the staff report.

So if you'll turn to the staff report the first of these, so this is uh one special year uh use permit request.

No, sorry that's category three seconds.

That's the category three to these standards.

So first standard is that's right.

Yeah, yeah, but if there's just one request for a special use.

Yeah, that's it.

That's only one special use permit that's being requested.

Um so the first standard uh pertains to chapter 17 uh dot 104, parking and loading standards for the proposed use.

Um the standard is not met, uh, but there have we just uh agreed to a variance.

Um I think any other discussion on this.

Thanks, Margaret.

So I think that the the part we discussed parking more in particular with the last uh relief that was just sought, but for the loading standards, you know, I personally I'd like at least a little a little limitation um for the loading uh with the use of market square, even if it's as simple as just to limit deliveries to the morning time between 5 and 11 a.m., which is when deliveries would be happening anyways, but hopefully that'll alleviate some of the general drop-off traffic with Ubers and everything else on market square.

Um for me for that standard to be met.

I would like a condition uh to limit the time.

So you want to so what exactly would you like to do, Jeff?

Um limit deliveries to restaurants, retail, and hotel to morning delivery times on market square between 5 a.m.

and 11 a.m.

So limit deliveries to restaurants, retails and hotel to morning delivery on market square between 5 and 11 a.m.

Madam Chair.

I'm sorry.

Would you consider the end of noon?

Just in terms of restaurants, because if it's all in restaurant with us, sure, right?

I guess.

Do we have five to noon?

Is that what you or five a.m.

to noon?

Yeah.

You're comfortable with that?

Sure.

Anybody else?

Any discussion about this?

I just don't know if it's a great request.

It should be blanketed.

Ordnance for the entire city.

Yeah.

I'm not sure it's fair that we require one place to do this when everybody else.

Frankly, this is a condition we put on almost every LS cover in front of us the last few years.

Yeah.

Sorry, I've missed it.

But I mean, just so you know, wait for I think we limit it to five to nine a.m.

Um for that hotel.

We yeah, very early.

Okay, perfect.

Yeah.

But no, I don't disagree.

It should be pretty standard, but yeah.

Okay.

Any other discussion about the standard?

All right.

Uh standard two.

Uh performance uh standards designated in chapter 17.96.020.

Um the TRC, according to the staff report has reviewed and deemed um them acceptable.

The standards can be found in the Newport Code of Ordn Ordinances.

Any discussion with regard to this standard?

Um obviously they're they're improving the building.

Yep.

They're improving the building, the site, um, and multiple aspects of it.

So in that standard is being met.

My opinion.

Anybody else have a different opinion?

Okay.

Uh moving on to smartly to three, the development standards for transient guest facilities.

Uh again, the variance request is relevant here.

Um this is the development standards for density and and parking and parking.

Uh, we have granted those variances.

Um so by doing so, they are now meeting that standard.

Is that one logical way to think of it?

Um sorry, staff.

What what are the development standards for transient guest facilities?

That's just density.

Because it's just, I mean, it's just found in the Newport Code of Ordnance.

So I mean, what's the not?

Yeah, we linked it in the code of ordinances.

So if you had questions, you could look at it.

Um we can try and pull it up.

Oh, it's all right.

You want me to read through it because I have it right here?

Sure.

Yeah, so transient guests.

Um it's the number of bedrooms, number of rooms guess bedroom as to or unit for higher shall have 300 square feet.

Um is that's met is the um zoning districts where transient guest facility is allowed by right, no more than one guest bedroom for each 400 square feet of lot area.

I think these were all covered by the TRC.

The height of the facility, I don't think they're going higher than they're 43 out of 48.

They're consistent with the surrounding area.

Again, the the guest bedrooms for 500, no more than one guest bedroom for each 1,500 square feet of lot area.

Uh new construction or renovations resulting in the upgrading of service, all utilities shall be installed underground.

They're doing that.

Um share properties are covered, but this isn't a timeshare.

And whether they're gonna have a manager in place.

So I think they've got more metal.

So aside from the variances that we've granted for density and parking, they um are meeting this standard, it appears.

Anyway, uh question of staff uh at the TRC meeting.

I thought I read something about there were some comments made um about design aspects, like from historical aspect.

Do you call that um at the TRC?

We did talk the uh about the design of the building and how it fits into a historical context.

Our city uh historic preservation planner sits on the TRC and address that through the that meeting process.

Okay, perfect.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Let's move on to uh standard four for new construction and alterations exceeding 50% of any building dimension, provision of a minimum of four bicycle parking spaces located on site and within 100 feet of the entrance to the primary building.

There are 32 covered bicycle spaces uh within the proposed structure within 100 feet of multiple entrances.

It appears the standard is met.

Any comments?

They're far exceeding it.

And scooter park.

Standard five for new construction alterations exceeding 50% of any building dimension, provision of sidewalks connecting the parking areas and building entrances and sidewalks connecting with public sidewalks and bicycle and scooter parking within 200 feet of property lines.

Um the evidence uh provided uh and the staff findings uh show an extensive pedestrian network um and uh incroved access on within and off this property compared to the current the existing use any absolutely so I think this standard is met.

Anyone else?

Okay, no net increase in stormwater runoff from the site.

Uh the stormwater reporting is suggesting that uh there will not be any net increase in stormwater runoff.

Moreover, the stormwater management will be improved by this restoration.

Any comments?

Any other thoughts on meeting this standard?

Anything's an improvement.

Seven, the proposed development shall not result in a reduction of the level of service for roadways and intersections within 200 feet of the property line.

Um the staff has found that this actually the proposed plan improves the level of service and safety for pedestrians, bikers, and transit riders again because it's a multimodal approach.

Uh there's increased public access.

Uh and we have um traffic reports and we have potential conditions that would address some of the delivery and traffic concerns.

Any strong feelings about this one?

Definitely the second entrance entrance and exit way on America's Cup is going to be a huge improvement.

Um taking as many cars off of Market Square as possible, I think is is an improvement for the city.

I also think that more foot traffic on the waterfront will cut down on the chance for accidents on America's Cup because that sidewalk in summer is very dense.

It is and so you're gonna now redirect some of that volume in a different way.

So I think it it greatly helps also the health of our visitors, right?

Yeah.

Um, I think we'll find uh that visitors and guests will be more apt to park at the Newport parking lot over by Cardin's Field, knowing that now we'll have a more conducive walk down and into town versus walking along the America's Cup corridor.

So I do think that again, continuing the harbor walk uh is a huge improvement, and that's gonna really truly help.

I think it's a very thoughtful tool, bringing the the valet apron further up and therefore taking traffic off the off the street.

So I think that that's I think we're saying that that standard is met.

Standard eight is all proposed lighting is dark sky compliant.

Uh I believe we have dark complete dark sky compliance here.

Anyone see it differently?

Any comments?

All right.

Number nine, last but not least, for new construction, parking lots shall be located in the rear or side of the property.

Um so the staff indicates this does not apply because parking lots are not new construction here.

Yeah, the lots already exist.

The lots already exist.

There's not a new construction of lots.

Um which case standard doesn't really apply.

Any thoughts?

Any comments?

All right.

So I think we have a recommendation here from the staff uh for conditional approval of the special permit category three, um pursuant to section 17.109 and subject to standard conditions of approval and subject to the granting of a final approval by the administrative officer and uh limiting deliveries to restaurant retail and hotel uh to morning delivery times, 5 a.m.

to 12 p.m.

Those are the proposed conditions.

All right.

So may I have a motion to find that the applicant has met the standards to grant approval for the special use permits?

Second.

Second.

Uh any discussion further discussion.

So subject to the the conditions stated, uh may I call for a vote.

All in favor?

Uh any opposed.

All right.

Unanimous approval.

Uh I'll now uh close the public hearing and we'll move to a development plan review.

Here we're reviewing uh the proposed development against the standards in the comprehensive plan.

I'll refer board members to the staff report and the staff's analysis.

Uh the first standard we're looking at here in the preliminary uh development plan review is that granting of the approval will not result in conditions in Mical and easy for me to say in the public health safety or welfare.

Any comments actually a little improved.

Yes.

And I think several Frederick has mentioned that as well.

It it it actually improves it.

Secondly, the granting of the approval will not substantially or permanently injure the appropriate use of the property in the surrounding area or zoning district.

And I don't hear any evidence that there's going to be any injury to the appropriate use of the property.

Um with our with our conditions put in place, I feel that um we won't be injuring the surrounding area and we'll be improving uh the general access and appeal to the surrounding area, the zoning district.

Any other comments?

Okay.

Third standard.

The plans for the development comply with the requirements of the zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations.

I'm not going to read through this entire thing.

Um staff has finds that if the if that if we approve, as we have the request for variances and the special use permit, that the other requirements listed have been reviewed and approved by appropriate staff through the TRC process.

Any discussion or comments?

Agree with staff's con uh terms.

Four the plans for the development are consistent with the comprehensive plan.

Um the staff has uh identified a number of uh relevant plan goals and policies.

Uh here I'll briefly mention them.

The a comprehensive multimodal transportation system, uh supporting public-private planning that improves the appearance of Newport's four primary entryways, providing sufficient and suitably located parking designed to eliminate, mitigate, or reduce impacts, encouraging upgrading, beautification, and revitalization, and environmentally appropriate reuse of existing commercial areas.

I feel this policy is a gold star for this project.

Yeah, absolutely.

Uh the city shall uh support key economic drivers.

We're also seeking to attract and grow its technology sector.

Um presenting new concepts and technologies.

I think it's a little bit of a stretch here.

This uh policy ED 1.1.

Uh the staff's argument is that the conference and meeting facilities uh support uh discussions of innovation.

Any comments on this?

Kind of a stretch, but yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Uh protect and enhance public access to the shoreline and water uh front areas.

Gold star.

Totally.

Any other thoughts?

To provide a secure and resilient water system, including enhanced storage transmission and treatment, and the applicant is doing their best to improve that and certainly making an improvement over the existing conditions.

Any other thoughts or comments?

Agreed completely.

The city will strive to implement innovative measures such as green infrastructure to manage stormwater.

Um, here the uh applicant is using a couple of uh innovative uh bioretention system capabilities that are that are mentioned in more detail in both the the uh expert reports and in our staff report.

Also subject to technical review committee.

Any other thoughts on this?

Um I I wanted to add goal uh policy NHC four point what NHCC 1.2 is that the one I get picked up.

That the city shall that the city's help take actions to implement both an adapt to mitigate impacts of climate change.

Um no, 1.1, sorry.

Um we'll work with the board broad coalition of stakeholders, create, adopt, implement, refine innovative, comprehensive strategic plans to address sea level rise.

Basically, I'm I'm trying to like I'm trying to shoehorn in one of these policy goals for addressing climate change and and addressing on our waterfront um with redevelopment of existing properties and structures to have us better handle uh future climate change impact.

And this is a perfect example of it, creating a platform of retail space, lifting up hotel uses and everything else.

So I I I appreciate it.

So I wanted to make sure we gave a nod to um the natural hazards of climate change chapter.

And I felt yeah, I concur.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Uh I think it meets the overall intent of that chapter.

Yeah.

But even though the specific goals and policies are somewhat and uh making efficient use of parking in that in that context.

Yes, I mean they the decision could have been made, let's elevate just on top of soil.

Right.

But instead by using, I think by creating a parking space, it's a much more efficient way of of dealing with all the challenges we have.

Um so I guess just reference goal NHC one, not not necessarily just the policy, but the goal will help with there.

Um thank you, Margaret.

And sure.

Any other goals or policies?

The staff has recommended uh per the TRC memo, uh that we uh approve this and preliminary that we say that it does in fact comply.

Um the TRC memo requests uh some standard conditions as well is that the applicant submits a physical alteration permit for work within the public right-of-way, that the applicant works with the utilities department to resolve any issues regarding the sewer and drainage systems, and that the applicant submits alternative renderings to the staff for the proposed tower.

Um apparently this is now satisfied.

Is that correct?

So we can strike that one.

Any other uh conditions one wants to put all approvals are subject to uh one more condition from the staff.

All approvals subject to granting a final plan approval by the administrative officer.

Uh any other conditions anyone wants to propose.

Then may I ask, may I have a vo uh motion that to find that the uh propos that the applicant's proposal um meets the standards of the development plan review, uh subject to the conditions listed.

So uh second, second.

Uh any further discussion?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

That's that gentleman.

You have it.

All right.

Thank you.

Thanks for investing in Newport.

Next on the agenda.

Next on the agenda, so we can get ourselves out of here.

It's 9 49.

Let's go.

Uh the staff has listed for us in our agenda actions of the administrative officer.

Uh does anyone have any questions of the staff regarding administrative uh decisions?

Um for the uh subdivision new propel bridge realignment.

I was having a hard time reading through those parcels.

I'm assuming that's basically just putting the pins at the end that the engineers found on record for the plotting.

Right.

It was DOT um actually defining what those excess parcels look like that were uh results of the bridge realignment.

Okay.

So we knew there was going to be excess land.

We just didn't know exactly what the dimensions and the shape were, so that was them codifying that and recording those plans.

Right.

Okay.

Can I ask, did the weight swarf order ever get finalized and entered?

What I'm wondering is did they because they they couldn't start their appeal period.

Right.

So they we did record the letter and we let the objectors know that it had been recorded, but we haven't had any appeals submitted yet.

It hasn't.

Oh, so it's been just okay.

It took me a while.

It was 65 pages long.

I was infuriating.

Jeff's fault.

Um 65 pages long.

Yeah.

Okay.

It's getting late, folks.

Um, any questions about any of these other administrative decisions listed in our agenda?

That land is that going to be turned over to us, or are we gonna fight for it?

Or so the only thing that's happened is they've been recorded, and that's one of the first steps to kind of looking to um to purchase those or sell them for the DOT.

But and Kevin, your question had to do with the Newport Pell the bridge, the bridge part yeah.

I I know the city council has a workshop on that coming up soon.

So okay.

Uh let's move on to the liaison reports.

Uh what I do we have a tree and open space commission request.

Okay, and it's right there with Bellbridge Landscape.

Okay.

So they had some discussion about that.

Um, other than that, they were reviewing park hours.

There seems to be some inconsistency and confusion about park hours.

Um, some have sunset to sunset on their signs, some say until 9 p.m.

So I guess there's a whole committee working on that.

Um, I'll keep you updated, even when it's finalized.

Okay.

Uh along that was with their signage.

Um talking about the Murphy Park slide.

Apparently it has deteriorated so much that they really can't, they don't think they can renovate it.

Um, so their their discussion was about having it documented and then demolished.

And I don't want to be here when the rest of the old new porters hears about this.

They've been talking about that slide forever.

I know we have one next door to us.

Yeah.

I'm like, well, when's that gonna happen?

We'll see.

I heard they were gonna take it apart.

They're gonna take the slide apart and keep it in pieces.

And someday they're gonna put it back together.

Really?

That's what I heard.

Okay.

I mean, I don't know why Murphy Park couldn't have been done the same way with the park next X, which we all call Vernon Park, by the way, even though it is a burnt park.

Um we have a slide there, and they renovated the bathrooms and everything, and it seems to be pretty stable and in good condition.

So I don't know what disconnect was because they were both constructed at the same time.

Thanks, Sunny.

Any questions of Sunny on that?

Okay.

Uh waterfront commission.

Well, we heard from the Harbor Minister, so I have no report.

And and Richard, you're willing to continue to sit on that, be the rep liaison.

Okay, perfect.

Um, I have nothing to report on the energy and environment commission.

I imagine their heads pens down and heads down working on the the their drafting of a new chapter for the comp plan.

Um I would like to ask if there's anyone else on the board who would like to be the liaison to the energy and environment commission in my stead.

I would be willing.

All right, thank you, Jared.

Thank you.

Um and I'll give you contact information and so on.

Uh the housing and zoning working group.

Um Jeff, anything you want to report there?

And can you talk tell us what your recommendation is in terms of replacing you on that?

So the liaison um I'll I was thinking, can we basically swap this out?

The housing zoning work group to um just reference updates on the uh comp plan.

So make basically make it the comp plan update.

Um who's on the comp plan group?

Myself, Frederick and Kevin and Kevin.

Roderick, do you want to take it?

And then additionally, Sunny volunteered at our last planning board meeting.

So we'll be incorporating her in the um the advisory committee.

Yes, the advisory committee, thank you.

So we could have four members advisory committee and then have it not be.

No, it has to be three members, it has to be three, yeah.

No, but so this is the staff working group that is bi weekly, and that's the advisory committee that has a little bit more exposure.

It's and so they were supposed to get kicked out kicked off at the same time, but we kind of hit a roadblock with council and how they feel the advisory com committee should be constructed.

So when we were here at our last meeting talking and asking for volunteers, Sunny graciously volunteered, but then we hit kind of a council roadblock a little bit.

So it's under work, but um, yeah, that's so there can be four, or there can't be no source staff and advisory committee are two separate things.

Okay.

And now I'm confused because I'm totally convinced.

Now you're saying you've already had three because we all three volunteered at the same time.

Okay, yes.

There must have been a misunderstanding.

So I will get with you guys on that.

Okay.

So what I what I was saying is basically dissolve the house zoning work group because that doesn't really with all the state, like that was going on because the state was sending us workloads for like two, three years straight, in addition to our housing being such an issue.

We've got the housing chapter and most of the state stuff.

They're still sending us stuff, but not to the same volume.

It's like six or seven new statutes.

Wow.

Um, well, that's if that's the case, then yeah, dude.

So yeah, then can we say do you want to be the liaison?

Yeah, that yeah.

Oh, possibly.

Um, and then can we make one for the comp plan liaison?

And one of the members of so one of the existing people we already have.

One of the existing people report back.

Yes.

To have some kind of report back.

So you want Patricia plus one to be the liaison?

The housing, but then we're going to have liaison for the comp plan.

Yes.

But it's got to be one of the three people.

Yes.

Has to be one of those three people.

And it's not going to be housing, that's zoning.

It's just going to be zoned.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I think it is worth uh considering eliminating that reporting back group because we did the housing chapter.

We updated that.

And now we are actually the body that knows the most about the new housing production.

So it's sort of people are now coming to the board.

So we saw 525 Broadway and we know what's happening there.

So there's really no need to sort of the results are are with us.

And the chapter is done.

So this sounds like we reframe it to the zoning working group.

And we used to have sure we'll have we'll be the liaison to that zoning working group.

Do we have to vote on that?

Or can we just no, we can just establish it.

All right.

Uh and last month I asked for there to be a line item, maybe not for liaison, but a line item for any updates um with DOT with road work, traffic update, yada yada.

Remember?

You want to talk about green and complete streets.

Yes.

Remember, we discussed that.

Specifically B uh DOT or uh BPAC.

Sorry.

No, not B Pack.

Oh, okay.

Um, I'm trying to remember what relation it was to.

Um I think it was the state.parcels that we recorded would be the most recent update for that.

Um, that we recorded in the next step is that now that it's recorded.

I worked with the tax assessor and the um GIS coordinator to establish those parcels.

So now it will be available for sale and transfer.

Thank you, Hayden.

No, it was more in relation to, I think what it was was in the discussion of 525, like a lot of conversation came up on the intersection for Admiral Calabus and Broadway.

And well, the state was doing this or doing that, and da-da-da.

And it's just kind of like we're sitting here and it's all news to us.

So if there's any news in the month of between the state or the city and updating or you know, they change the direction of Dixon Ave from east to west.

Things things of that nature, I feel like that should be included so we are aware.

Oh, by the way, you know, they dedicated a new road.

Yeah, does the state traffic committee report back to you like our their requests for so what what so what is that just we have a for city-owned roads?

We have a city uh interdepartment traffic committee that um sits on well, and I think too, probably the most global thing happening is our city engineer has a road improvement program that he's working on now.

They're getting ready to submit that, and that's his list of things that we're gonna repair and look at for the for the city agenda, and that we are right now um putting together a process to evaluate those for green and complete streets options, and it hasn't been published yet.

We're gonna be going through that process.

Green and complete streets was a program that we approved several years ago, but haven't actually been uh evaluating new streets or haven't been many opportunities.

So we're going through the complete list now and putting uh uh you know, sort of a uh folder together on each of the proposed roadways that engineering is looking at, so we have that prepared as we move forward, and that's really I think the most significant thing that's happening in transportation right now.

So maybe could we do this?

It's getting very late.

Staff, maybe you can make a recommendation to you heard what Jeff has suggested.

Maybe you can make a recommendation to us at our next meeting about how to stay up to date on roads and transportation issues.

What would be the smartest best way to do that?

CBN.

Yeah, city and state.

Yes, we could we can definitely do that.

Do do we have a liaison to the bicycle and pedestrian advis advisory commission currently?

Uh we we don't have one from the board.

We had Adam Moore when he was here, used to be that uh liaison, and nobody has stepped up for that position um since then.

Does anyone want to step up to that?

We we occasionally attend if there's uh something that's happening at the bike and pet commission.

We as staff will attend that.

And if we do that, we can report back.

We don't regularly because we're busy with other meetings.

But I did attend the last one and asked uh the upcoming for the focus groups relating to uh the comp plan if any of their members would be interested in that.

And also, as Trish mentioned, with implementing the green complete street policy.

I did let them know that I was working on an evaluation model for um upcoming street projects, and I'm anticipating either next their next meeting or their November meeting to go there and solicit um comment on the 70 um road segments that are up for um construction to see which ones we can uh improve the facilities.

Cool.

Thanks, Aiden.

Thank you.

Um and then just so that I do a is there a issue or an unresolved issue here with regard to the comp plan advisory group.

I have on there, Frederick, Jared.

No, but the advisory group is separate, yeah.

Yes, from staff.

Who's on the so we have a couple of different ways that people can weigh in on things?

So there's staff that's actually participating in the sort of bi-weekly development process that the consultants represented, and that we have Kevin, we have Jared, and we have Frederick.

They volunteered for that.

Then we also have the opportunity to put together other different ways for people to uh to support and participate in the comp plan process, especially as the planning board is the steward of the plan.

It's really important that we we get everybody included as we can.

We are putting together an advisory committee that will respond to the drafts of the chapters as we're looking at them and give consultants feedback.

They're gonna meet periodically.

The city council wanted us to look at a different way to kind of organize that and constitute it.

So we're still working on that.

Um, it's not urgent right now because there's really nothing for the advisory committee to respond to.

So we're waiting for council to either give us a little bit more guidance and how they think that we should put that together, or we're gonna come up with an idea and we're gonna present a revised version of that.

So um that that's something that's gonna happen in the near future.

I think that would be a really good way for the planning board to be represented as part of that advisory committee.

And so that's any that's something Sunny, you're interested in.

Um I'm gonna have to think about it now.

Okay, it's not what I thought I was signing up for.

So okay.

And could do you want to sign up for the staff compant input group?

No, that's already we already have three, which is you'll only want to have a quorum.

Okay, all right.

Well, we'll leave it at that for the time being.

It is now 10 04.

May I have a motion?

If there is there any other business that we need to address tonight?

Motion adjourned.

So moved.

All right, second.

Uh any discussion all in favor.

All right, thank you very much, everyone.

Thanks so much for your participation.

You're very active participation.

Good job.

Thank you.

I'm gonna do that.

I'm gonna miss you for sure.