Zoning Approves Howard Wharf Hotel – Newport This Week

After months of hearings, in front of several boards and committees, the Newport Zoning Board of Review voted 4-1 on Jan. 11 to approve a special use permit for Howard Wharf to construct a 21-room hotel with a restaurant at 24 Lees Wharf and 5 Howard Wharf.

The plan has been in the public consciousness for two years. It had already been heard before the Planning Board several times, as well as the citys Technical Review Committee, which is comprised of department heads and experts from police, fire, planning, building, economic development and others.

We have been thoroughly scrubbed down and vetted from a technical standpoint, said attorney David Martland, who represents the owners.

Nearby residents lamented the loss of their water view, and also expressed traffic and pedestrian safety concerns as a result of the hotel being built, which will take about two years. The board addressed their objections, but was generally effusive in its praise for the new hotel. Testimony continued for nearly four hours.

The lone dissenting vote came from board Chair Charles Allott. Its a great design. The petition was well presented, he said. Its not an unsafe condition. I have been down to the site a number of times. The problem I have with this petition is that it doesnt meet the Comprehensive Plan.

He added that the city is losing its waterfront and a true maritime use on parcels along the ocean.

There is nothing coming before us with traditional maritime uses, he said. I just think we are going overboard with hotels. This is a 32,000-square-foot parcel, and we dont have that many left in this district. I dont think we are striking a balance.

But board member Wick Rudd disagreed. To me, it meets all the four findings of fact, he said.

Board member Russ Johnson said, There are so many positives about it. [It is] not a very attractive site and they are putting in what appears to be a very attractive hotel.

Months ago, the board heard from the projects architect, landscape architect, traffic engineer, site engineer and other witnesses for the hotel owners. A revised site and landscape plan were heard at the last hearing, among other modifications.

James Houle, a real estate consultant, said the plan for the boutique hotel meets the standards of the Comprehensive Plan. I think it is extremely well thought out and will have a very positive impact on the area, he said. The lot site where the hotel will be built is covered in asphalt, surrounded by a chain-link fence, with no provision for any runoff containment, and no access to the water.

[The lot] is kind of unattractive; its environmentally insensitive, he added. The plan has taken turns to address all of the issues and all the shortcomings.

Houle said the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council CRMC is satisfied with the projected configurations. There are 50 parking spaces planned on the lot, surrounded by the hotel and restaurant, with the majority of parking under the building.

Its lower and smaller than all of the neighboring buildings, said Houle. It is entirely on this large lot with a newly formed portion that will allow access to the harbor walk.

Vehicular traffic will be reduced, and there will be more foot traffic, with a maximum walking distance of 20 minutes to many city amenities and destinations, he said.

I think this will be an anchor for the neighborhood, said Houle. I dont see any of the public buildings being impacted by this. It certainly isnt a wild and crazy use for the neighborhood.

Abutter Jacqueline Barnum, who lives at 433 Thames St., was upset that her view will be lost when the hotel is built, but her main concern was traffic congestion. There is no way two cars can fit making that turn onto Lees Wharf, she said. There is [also] no functioning sidewalk there. Pedestrians always walk in the middle of the street going down Lees Wharf.

She said [cars] fly down Thames, and that Young Street, at Spring, which is where cars will cross, is a very, very dangerous street.

A 21-room hotel is going to drastically increase traffic, especially people who are unfamiliar with the area, she said, adding that a stop sign should be installed and delivery trucks will create a burden.

Traffic engineer Paul Bannon defended his traffic numbers given at a previous hearing, which were called into question in terms of volume, lane markings and seasonal intensity. He said there was no added traffic danger with the plan, even without a stop sign. You have to inch your way out if pedestrians are coming down the road, he said.

Resident Elizabeth Weldon, who also lives at 433 Thames St., countered, We are only asking for a stop sign. I dont think thats a big deal.

Lori McEwen, who lives in the same building, echoed her neighbors, and contested the data proposed by Bannon, especially in regards to getting in and out of Thames Street onto Lees Wharf. The three women are urging the city to install a stop sign in the area.

I think that is a [legitimate] concern for abutters, said Allott.

But Martland said there is no alternative. To the extent we can make the situation safer, we have, he said. We have exhausted the alternatives.

McEwen also was concerned about utilities on the roof, adding to the obstructive height of the building. Martland said screenings were part of renderings, such as trellises, to block the sightlinesto the mechanical aspects on the roof, which was addressed before the Technical Review Committee.

The plan also calls for widening the easement to the ocean to five feet and further enhanced access. Allott, who made a motion to add these details, said the ultimate goal was to improve the publics access to the water.

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Zoning Approves Howard Wharf Hotel - Newport This Week