The Newport City Council will hold public hearings Wednesday, Oct. 14, on creating a Waterfront Campus subdistrict within the city’s Innovation Hub and applying it to the former Navy Hospital site in the North End.
The ordinance language describes the intent plainly: the subdistrict is meant “to accommodate research and development uses while providing public access to the waterfront and park-oriented amenities,” and says the former Navy Hospital site “should become a combination of public open space along the waterfront with compatible development supporting the Blue Economy and community needs.”
“Public access to the waterfront is a top priority for this subdistrict,” the draft reads. “This is the only place in the North End with substantial additional public waterfront space.” It adds that ensuring adequate dock space for marinas, research vessels and other blue economy uses is critical to the city’s economic future, and that the two priorities “are compatible and must be balanced.”
The parcel, Tax Assessor’s Plat 9, Lot 219, runs roughly 8.5 acres on the harbor side of Third Street, bounded by Dorsey Road to the north and Cypress Street to the south and taking in Biello Road and Dauser Circle. It sits in the Innovation Hub’s Urban Village subdistrict now, which covers the surrounding land.
Thirty-four uses would be permitted by right, among them marinas; docks, slips and piers; marine and oceanographic research laboratories; advanced manufacturing; research and development in clean energy, defense systems, ocean technologies, medical and pharmaceutical and digital industries; maritime museums and aquariums; maker-space; co-working space; boating instruction; yacht and sailing clubs; natural beach swimming areas; parks, trails and open space; and professional offices, including those focused on maritime work.
Housing would be allowed, capped at 35 percent of a mixed-use project’s gross square footage, or up to 50 percent if half the units are rented or sold as workforce housing.
Thirteen more uses would need a special use permit through the Planning Board’s unified development review, including hotels-adjacent uses such as convention or conference centers, schools and universities with dormitories, standard restaurants, taverns, retail stores, outdoor retail and open-air markets, playing fields and commercial outdoor recreation.
Minimum lot area in the subdistrict would be 10,000 square feet, with a 45-foot height limit — the same standards as the existing Maker and Maker-Tech subdistricts. Buildings cannot exceed three stories above abutting principal streets, structures abutting residential lots are limited to 24 feet within 30 feet of those lots, and buildings in flood hazard areas are capped at 30 feet.
The Planning Board reviewed the package Oct. 5 and voted unanimously to forward a positive finding of consistency with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, according to a letter from administrative officer Patricia Reynolds. The board cited goals including achieving the North End Urban Plan’s vision, protecting public access to the shoreline and supporting maritime businesses.
The council meets at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Supporting documents are at clerkshq.com/newport-ri.
