Newport Planning Board Meeting: Comp Plan Open House, Continuances – September 18, 2026

The Newport Planning Board met on September 18, 2026, at approximately 6:30 PM. All board members were present (a "full house," per the chair). The board unanimously approved the August 3, 2026 meeting minutes, unanimously continued two applications to October 5, 2026, and heard a staff presentation on the comprehensive plan open house results and the review timeline ahead. No public comments were made at the meeting; public feedback had been gathered through the earlier open house and online channels.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes: Motion to approve the August 3, 2026 meeting minutes passed unanimously (all in favor).
• Continuances (unanimous): On the request of Jackson, representing both applicants, the board continued the following matters to the October 5, 2026 meeting because the applicant could not be available:
  • Plan 268 – 59 Washington Street, TAP 12 Lot 120 (unified development review for a minor subdivision).
  • Plan 2611 – 701 Bellevue Avenue, TAP 38 Lot 023, R-60 residential.

Discussion Items

• Reports of the Administrative Officer: Board members had reviewed the administrative matters; there were no questions or discussion.
• Liaison Reports: One member had been away for the most recent meeting and could not report. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission liaison (Hayden/Aiden) was not present, and no board member is currently attending; the chair noted there would be future opportunities to serve as liaison.
• Comprehensive Plan Open House and Review Timeline (presented by planning staffer Becky):
  • The open house drew 70+ attendees, plus 6 online comment submissions (2 by email, 4 through the online comment portal).
  • Activities included 12 engagement stations, a collaborative map on Broadway with a sign-in table staffed by a planning board volunteer, and 3 informational boards (also available online at Engage HQ as PDFs).
  • The team counted 2,650+ community touch points, with a plus sign added because some informal conversations and questions could not be measured.
  • The city had been told to aim for 400 surveys and not be disappointed with 200–400; the process more than doubled that target.
  • The consultant (Interface) prepared 10 key takeaways that framed the open house content.
  • In the "Newport Bucks" participatory budgeting exercise, the top-performing strategies (tied at 11 stars) included protecting and improving the harbor walk and its public access connections, followed by (tied at 10 stars) updating zoning to encourage housing units within existing buildings in keeping with local architectural character, and adopting zoning changes to encourage new housing unit production and preservation of existing units.
  • The strategy with the most bills (22 Newport Bucks) was to pilot micro-mobility programs such as bike share, golf carts, wayfinding signage, and bike safety education to encourage use of the Newport Access Hub and the Gateway Center. The strategy to create and preserve spaces for a diverse economy also drew many low-value bills.
  • 11 chapter stations allowed participants to place star stickers on preferred strategies. Other top goals included coordinating with Middletown and Portsmouth to share information, resources, and facilities to improve government efficiency, with additional ties in economic development and natural hazards/climate change.
  • The open house was the final large public engagement event. The project team is working with Interface to finalize the review schedule and order for the 2026–2027 planning board meetings, using a staggered, section-by-section draft review (3–4 chapters at a time) under Rhode Island General Law Title 45, Chapter 22.2. The final draft will be forwarded to the City Council with a positive recommendation.
  • Staff noted that collecting board comments section-by-section raises open meeting/quorum considerations: back-and-forth discussion in a non-public forum could violate quorum rules, and there are questions about whether feedback submitted to staff after a public hearing may be accepted. Board members may aggregate comments for staff, but the fine print of public hearing rules must be reviewed.
  • Board members offered informal reactions. One member stated they had expected people to be more negative and were surprised by the strong positive support for housing and by residents' sense of empowerment regarding zoning. Another appreciated that both dollar totals and number of bills were shown, because it indicates how strongly people felt about certain strategies. Multiple members praised Interface for being "dialed into Newport" and for exceeding expectations.
  • No formal analysis of the open house feedback has been completed yet; staff noted that different methods and venues (e.g., a Friday movie night event) produced different perspectives.

Key Outcomes

• Vote (unanimous): Approved the August 3, 2026 meeting minutes.
• Vote (unanimous): Continued Plan 268 (59 Washington Street) and Plan 2611 (701 Bellevue Avenue) to the October 5, 2026 meeting.
• No formal action was taken on the comprehensive plan. Staff will distribute the open house presentation PDFs to board members and will communicate the draft review order, format, and level of detail in the coming weeks.