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Record of Proceedings

Newport Planning Board Meeting - May 11, 2026: Comprehensive Plan Update and July Meeting Rescheduling

Meeting Portal — Monday, May 11, 2026
BodyNewport, Rhode Island
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, May 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:51:23

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:27

Good evening, everyone.

0:29

It's um 6 30, so I'm gonna call this meeting to order.

0:33

There you go.

0:34

Uh it actually may technically be 6 31.

0:37

Does anyone want to correct the number?

0:40

Um we have an agenda before us here.

0:43

Uh Mr.

0:45

Secretary, would you like to call the roll?

0:50

Um Mark Polski.

0:51

Here.

0:52

Richard Cromwell.

0:53

Here.

0:55

Here.

0:56

Stokes.

0:57

Here's uh breathing here.

1:01

Yeah.

1:04

Michelle here and John.

1:07

Not present.

1:09

Okay.

1:10

Thank you.

1:11

Next on our agenda is to approve the meeting minutes from our April 6th meeting.

1:19

Any questions or comments about this?

1:22

I could refuse myself from that.

1:24

Thanks, Kevin.

1:25

Appreciate it.

1:26

Everyone, please make sure your mics are on and close to your vocal mouth.

1:33

Thank you.

1:34

As opposed to our non-vocal mouth.

1:40

Okay.

1:42

Any questions, comments about the minutes.

1:45

May I have a motion to approve the minutes?

1:47

So moved.

1:48

Second.

1:49

Thank you.

1:50

Any discussion?

1:52

All right.

1:53

All in favor?

1:54

Moving on.

1:55

Any opposed?

1:56

Okay.

1:57

We have a unanimous approval of the minutes.

2:00

Now the next order of business is communications.

2:04

Staff, do we normally take comments from the public when we're talking about communications?

2:12

So in the past, uh for planning board things that have been publicly advertised, which is if there was business bold public hearing that has a public comment period built into it.

2:27

The nature of the comprehensive plan is that it's a community and resident informed plan.

2:32

So it's at the chair's discretion.

2:35

If after the consultant presentation you would like to take a comment from members of the public.

2:48

Okay, then we will if we have um if we have members of the public who care to speak after uh we have received these communications.

2:58

All right, item one, rescheduling the July planning board meeting from July 13th to 20th.

3:05

And we're doing that remind me again why we're doing that.

3:09

So uh scheduling comprehensive plan consultant visits is not for the week.

3:15

Yeah.

3:15

And uh July is tricky because of the 4th of July.

3:18

Not that anyone would want to be anywhere but Newport for the 4th of July.

3:23

Um but in this case we are realigning the planning board schedule with interfaces visit schedule to make sure that everyone gets the full exposure to the consultants while they are here, and we apologize for the uh the shift of that.

3:41

We know it's it's a lot to ask you to change your calendar, so okay.

3:47

Um members, do you have any problem with making that change?

3:53

I just want uh I don't have a problem, but uh how come we don't have to vote on this one, but we had to vote on the one from last meeting.

4:02

So a little different.

4:03

So last month you actually didn't have to vote staff after consulting with the solicitors for the city.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement██████████████████████████████30%
Miscellaneous██████████████████████████26%
Zoning and Land Use███████████████████19%
Technology and Innovation████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Historic Preservation█████5%
Procedural████4%
Active Transportation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Newport Planning Board Meeting - May 11, 2026

The Newport Planning Board met on May 11, 2026, at 6:30 PM to approve minutes, reschedule the July meeting, and receive a detailed presentation on the comprehensive plan update. The meeting lasted approximately two hours and included robust discussion on land use, housing, infrastructure, and public engagement.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes – The board unanimously approved the minutes from the April 6, 2026 meeting.

Communications

  • Rescheduling July Meeting – The July 13 meeting was moved to July 20 to align with comprehensive plan consultant visits. The change was adopted by consensus (no vote required per Rhode Island General Law).

Discussion Items

  • Comprehensive Plan Update Presentation – Mindy Watts (Interface Studio) led a presentation covering:
    • Existing Conditions Analysis: Gaps filled for city services/facilities, land use, and historic/cultural resources. Key findings: 87% of parcels are residential (52% of land area); 38% of harbor-front parcels are water-based uses; significant infrastructure needs (e.g., $98.5M bond for capital projects).
    • Public Engagement Summary: 892 survey responses (target 400), 230 collaborative map inputs, 30 staff interviews, and multiple community events. Top priorities: aging infrastructure, affordable housing, preservation vs. development balance, traffic/crowds, and water access.
    • Draft Vision and Goals: A revised vision statement and updated goals for 11 plan elements were presented. Board members requested stronger, action-oriented, measurable language (e.g., “ensure” instead of “promote”) and better public communication of data.
  • Discussion on Density and Comparisons – Board members asked for comparative density analysis with peer cities (e.g., Annapolis) and block-level data. Staff noted ongoing work on parcel-level density mapping.
  • Technology and Resiliency – The IT director’s input on technology as a cross-cutting theme was discussed. The board emphasized the need to plan for climate change, managed retreat, and rising sea levels.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Hank (public attendee) – Expressed concern about maintaining community sense and the impact of tourism on traffic and housing. He urged the board to keep the public informed and engaged, and to turn data into actionable goals.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous Approval: Minutes from April 6, 2026 approved.
  • Meeting Rescheduled: July 13 meeting moved to July 20.
  • Comprehensive Plan Direction: The board directed staff to strengthen goal language, provide comparative density data, and develop a public report card on past plan achievements. The consultant will continue focus groups (15 total) and return with a fully illustrated draft plan in fall 2026 for state review by December 2026.
  • Liaison Reports: Updates from Tree & Open Space Commission (strategic tree canopy plan), Waterfront Commission, Energy & Environment Commission, and Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission (potential use of federal funds for Narragansett Avenue improvements).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. It's um 6 30, so I'm gonna call this meeting to order. There you go. Uh it actually may technically be 6 31. Does anyone want to correct the number? Um we have an agenda before us here. Uh Mr. Secretary, would you like to call the roll? Um Mark Polski. Here. Richard Cromwell. Here. Here. Stokes. Here's uh breathing here. Yeah. Michelle here and John. Not present. Okay. Thank you. Next on our agenda is to approve the meeting minutes from our April 6th meeting. Any questions or comments about this? I could refuse myself from that. Thanks, Kevin. Appreciate it. Everyone, please make sure your mics are on and close to your vocal mouth. Thank you. As opposed to our non-vocal mouth. Okay. Any questions, comments about the minutes. May I have a motion to approve the minutes? So moved. Second. Thank you. Any discussion? All right. All in favor? Moving on. Any opposed? Okay. We have a unanimous approval of the minutes. Now the next order of business is communications. Staff, do we normally take comments from the public when we're talking about communications? So in the past, uh for planning board things that have been publicly advertised, which is if there was business bold public hearing that has a public comment period built into it. The nature of the comprehensive plan is that it's a community and resident informed plan. So it's at the chair's discretion. If after the consultant presentation you would like to take a comment from members of the public. Okay, then we will if we have um if we have members of the public who care to speak after uh we have received these communications. All right, item one, rescheduling the July planning board meeting from July 13th to 20th. And we're doing that remind me again why we're doing that.

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