NEWPORT, R.I. — The Newport City Council will cast its final votes Wednesday, Oct. 28, on a zoning change that would shape what can be built on the former Navy Hospital land on the North End.
Councilors meet at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 43 Broadway, for second readings of three linked ordinances. One moves the parcel, listed as Plat 9, Lot 219, out of the Urban Village part of the Innovation Hub district and into a new Waterfront Campus subdistrict. The other two rewrite the list of allowed uses and the size and use rules for that new zone.
The site covers roughly 8.5 acres and is still owned by the federal government. The draft zone would open the door to docks and marinas, marine and ocean research labs, advanced manufacturing and maritime museums, and it would allow apartments only as a set share of a larger project. Public access to the water is named as a priority.
The council passed the measures on first reading Oct. 14 by voice vote, with at least one councilor opposed on each. Planning Director Patricia Reynolds told the council that the zone grows out of the North End Urban Plan adopted in 2021, and that hotels, guest lodging and heavier uses such as commercial energy plants and woodworking shops would no longer be allowed.
According to city officials, the Navy has appraisals of the property under way, and Newport holds a right of first refusal if the property is sold. Staff also promised firmer waterfront access language before the final vote.
The same agenda includes a first reading on new stormwater rules and a stormwater utility, plus a letter of intent with Solect Energy to study rooftop solar at city schools.
Section: More Newport RI politics news
Filed under: Newport RI Politics News
