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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Newport Zoning Board of Review Regular Meeting - August 24, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, August 24, 2026

BodyNewport, Rhode Island

SessionMeeting Portal

DateMonday, August 24, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:46:30

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

0:01

Braun.

0:03

Okay.

0:06

Ladies and gentlemen, uh welcome to the uh August regular uh monthly meeting of the Newport Zoning Board of Review.

0:14

Uh today is August 24th, 2026.

0:18

I want to start with a roll call of officers.

0:21

And we have uh all five of our uh sitting members are here.

0:25

Nicole Chevry, uh Vice Chairman Dave Riley, Secretary Uh Russ Johnson.

0:31

I'm the uh I'm the chairman, uh Wick Rudd, and we have Bark Grimes as well.

0:36

And uh sitting as first alternate will be Richard uh uh Berlinski.

0:41

Right?

0:42

Yes.

0:43

So um and I don't think Melissa Padavina is gonna be here tonight.

0:48

So the first thing I want to do is uh it's been suggested to the to me as the chairman of the board to make a couple of uh changes to the order of what we're how we're gonna hear these uh petitions tonight.

1:01

We've got one summary, a couple of uh abbreviated summaries, and uh at this point four uh full hearings.

1:08

Uh it's it's been it's been asked of us to move um uh Ruggles Avenue uh from a full hearing to an abbreviated summary in view of the fact that uh we got a positive recommendation from uh the zoning the zoning office uh on that uh petition.

1:24

So uh I'd like to just briefly open that up to anybody who wants to uh discuss that.

1:30

Um I think we'd like to take a vote, Nick, on whether uh uh whether we're going to move uh the Ruggles Avenue full hearing to an abbreviated summary to to the last abbreviated summary.

1:41

So that would be the that would be the fourth abbreviated summary that we'll do tonight, I believe.

1:47

Uh is there any discussion on that?

1:49

I'll entertain a motion to that effect.

1:52

I make a motion that we take the petition of um Melrose Muggles LLC and move it from a full hearing to an abbreviated summary.

2:06

Okay, is there a second?

2:08

Second.

2:08

All in favor, please say aye.

2:10

Aye.

2:11

Any opposed?

2:12

Hearing none.

2:13

Where's Mr.

2:14

Lee's?

2:14

Yes.

2:15

Okay.

2:16

You get to go first.

2:17

That's great.

2:18

Um, and and the the really to be to be clear, there isn't much of a distinction between an abbreviated summary and a full hearing.

2:27

We just do the abbreviated summaries first.

2:29

We will have a discussion on this abbreviated summary and then a vote.

2:32

Okay, it won't just be a roll call, just so you understand that.

2:35

Okay.

2:36

Um so next is um it's also been asked of us that we flip-flop uh the two uh uh the um cog shell um petition under the full hearings with the Pope Street petition.

2:50

In other words, right now the Pope Street petition is first, Cogshell is after that, and uh Mr.

2:56

Jackson is requested.

2:57

Is that correct, Mr.

2:58

Jackson?

2:59

Um that that we flip those uh those those two um uh petitions.

3:05

So I'll entertain a motion to uh move the COGShell petition into the Pope Street slot, if you will, and vice versa.

3:14

Yes, uh so I uh make a motion to take the petition of Flory Properties LLC at 75 Pope Street and two West Street to move from second to third position in the full hearing petitions, and that the petition of Flory Properties LLC at 173-175 Coxhill Avenue move in front of that to the second slot.

3:38

Second, please.

3:39

Second, all in favor?

3:40

Aye.

3:41

Any opposed?

3:43

Passes unanimously.

3:44

Thank you.

3:44

Okay.

3:45

Now we can get into the meeting here.

3:47

Um moving on to the minutes of July 27th, 2026.

3:53

Um, I assume that we've reviewed these minutes.

3:56

Dave, have you reviewed these minutes?

3:58

Are they passing the order?

3:59

Yes, I have, Mr.

4:00

Chairman, and they uh they look great.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Zoning and Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████41%

Zoning Variances██████████████████████████████████████38%

Procedural██████6%

Parking and Traffic█████5%

Historic Preservation███3%

Community Engagement██2%

Water And Wastewater Management█1%

Flood Mitigation█1%

Engineering And Infrastructure█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Newport Zoning Board of Review Regular Meeting – August 24, 2026

The Newport Zoning Board of Review held its regular monthly meeting on August 24, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers, 43 Broadway, Newport, Rhode Island. All five board members were present, along with the first alternate. The board considered a range of petitions including a summary calendar item, four abbreviated summary items, and three full hearings. Key outcomes included approvals for a shed, a garage, a seasonal candy kiosk, a deck expansion, and a house addition, while a controversial proposal to convert a garage into a second dwelling unit on Pope Street was continued to the next meeting.

Consent Calendar

Ann E. Arnold – 73 Kay Street (R-10, Historic Overlay): Approved unanimously. Dimensional variance for a 64-square-foot shed located 3' from the rear and 4' from the side property line (5' required both), increasing lot coverage from 20% to 21%.

Public Comments & Testimony

Pope Street Petition (App. #ZBR-26-12 – Fleury Properties): Multiple neighbors spoke in opposition. Jeffrey Dentremont, Mark Thompson, Jan Dentremont, and others raised concerns about massing, density, parking, the visual impact of a second two-story structure on a small lot, and the number of bedrooms (7 total). The applicant’s attorney requested a continuance to address the issues, which the board granted.

Discussion Items

Agenda Reorganization: The board voted to move the Melrose Muggles petition from a full hearing to an abbreviated summary and to swap the order of two Fleury Properties full hearings (Coggeshall Avenue moved ahead of Pope Street).
Paul Tobak – 16 Andrew Street (R-10A): Abbreviated summary. Approved unanimously. Dimensional variance for a one-story attached garage located 1.75' from the north side property line (8.28' required), increasing lot coverage from 28.9% to 32.67% (23.44% allowed). The applicant discussed neighbor support and the hardship of adding a pool, which was not counted as lot coverage at the time.
Hannah Wade – 0 Long Wharf Mall & Thames Street (GB): Abbreviated summary. Approved unanimously. Dimensional variance for a temporary retail candy kiosk without providing the required one parking space. The applicant stated she has a parking spot on an adjacent lot and will walk to the kiosk.
Christine Chisholm – 381 Gibbs Avenue (R-20, Historic Overlay): Continued to October 26, 2026, at the applicant’s request.
Melrose Muggles, LLC – 58 Ruggles Avenue (R-10A): Abbreviated summary (moved from full hearing). Approved unanimously. Dimensional variances to expand a second-floor deck to 372 sq. ft. (100 allowed), expand a third-floor deck to 110 sq. ft. (30 allowed), and construct a 640 sq. ft. rear addition, increasing lot coverage from 14.16% to 21.24% (20% allowed). The board noted the hardship due to the house’s raised first floor (living area on second floor) and the minimal impact on neighbors.
Matthew Feeney – 30 Poplar Street (R-10, Historic District Overlay): Full hearing. Approved unanimously. Dimensional variance for a one-story addition located 1.5' from the east side property line (4.71' required). The applicant explained the historic 1859 house is in poor condition and sits on a small lot; the addition will provide 250 sq. ft. of space. The board praised the applicant’s cooperation with city staff.
Fleury Properties, LLC – 173-175 Coggeshall Avenue (R-10A): Full hearing. Approved 4-1 (Nicole Chevry dissented). Dimensional variances to construct a front porch roof overhang 13.5' from the front property line (15' required), third-floor dormer additions matching the existing roof height of 36.5' (30' allowed), a 420 sq. ft. in-ground pool, and a 1,296 sq. ft. two-story accessory structure (garage with communal space above), increasing lot coverage from 19.11% to 23.34% (20% allowed). The board conditioned approval on maintaining mature vegetation on the north and west sides for screening.
Fleury Properties, LLC – 75 Pope Street and 2 West Street (R-10): Full hearing. Continued to September 28, 2026, to allow the applicant to address neighbor concerns about the second dwelling unit, massing, and density. The board indicated that the second structure was a key issue.

Key Outcomes

Minutes: Approved for July 27, 2026.
Communications:
- Extension granted for 12 Elliot Place (App. #2025-May-010) – 12-month extension.
- Withdrawal without prejudice granted for 18 Barney Street (App. #ZBR-26-50).
Votes:
- All summary and abbreviated summary items passed unanimously.
- Melrose Muggles, LLC – approved unanimously.
- Matthew Feeney – approved unanimously.
- Fleury Properties (Coggeshall Avenue) – approved 4-1.
- Fleury Properties (Pope Street) – continued to September 28, 2026.
Next Steps: The Pope Street petition will be revisited at the September meeting. The board encouraged the applicant to engage with neighbors.

Meeting Transcript

Braun. Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, uh welcome to the uh August regular uh monthly meeting of the Newport Zoning Board of Review. Uh today is August 24th, 2026. I want to start with a roll call of officers. And we have uh all five of our uh sitting members are here. Nicole Chevry, uh Vice Chairman Dave Riley, Secretary Uh Russ Johnson. I'm the uh I'm the chairman, uh Wick Rudd, and we have Bark Grimes as well. And uh sitting as first alternate will be Richard uh uh Berlinski. Right? Yes. So um and I don't think Melissa Padavina is gonna be here tonight. So the first thing I want to do is uh it's been suggested to the to me as the chairman of the board to make a couple of uh changes to the order of what we're how we're gonna hear these uh petitions tonight. We've got one summary, a couple of uh abbreviated summaries, and uh at this point four uh full hearings. Uh it's it's been it's been asked of us to move um uh Ruggles Avenue uh from a full hearing to an abbreviated summary in view of the fact that uh we got a positive recommendation from uh the zoning the zoning office uh on that uh petition. So uh I'd like to just briefly open that up to anybody who wants to uh discuss that. Um I think we'd like to take a vote, Nick, on whether uh uh whether we're going to move uh the Ruggles Avenue full hearing to an abbreviated summary to to the last abbreviated summary. So that would be the that would be the fourth abbreviated summary that we'll do tonight, I believe. Uh is there any discussion on that? I'll entertain a motion to that effect. I make a motion that we take the petition of um Melrose Muggles LLC and move it from a full hearing to an abbreviated summary. Okay, is there a second? Second. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none. Where's Mr. Lee's? Yes. Okay. You get to go first. That's great. Um, and and the the really to be to be clear, there isn't much of a distinction between an abbreviated summary and a full hearing. We just do the abbreviated summaries first. We will have a discussion on this abbreviated summary and then a vote. Okay, it won't just be a roll call, just so you understand that. Okay. Um so next is um it's also been asked of us that we flip-flop uh the two uh uh the um cog shell um petition under the full hearings with the Pope Street petition. In other words, right now the Pope Street petition is first, Cogshell is after that, and uh Mr. Jackson is requested. Is that correct, Mr. Jackson? Um that that we flip those uh those those two um uh petitions. So I'll entertain a motion to uh move the COGShell petition into the Pope Street slot, if you will, and vice versa. Yes, uh so I uh make a motion to take the petition of Flory Properties LLC at 75 Pope Street and two West Street to move from second to third position in the full hearing petitions, and that the petition of Flory Properties LLC at 173-175 Coxhill Avenue move in front of that to the second slot. Second, please. Second, all in favor? Aye. Any opposed?

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