Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Existing Conditions | Page 130

Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan
Many of these parks, including Almy Pond and Miantonomi, reflect the foresight of Olmsted’s 1913 plan.
Community parks are well-distributed throughout the city, with a high concentration along the southern coast.
Overall, community parks account for 48% of the city’s overall recreational open space acreage.

Regional Park
A regional park is defined as being larger than 50 acres, serves a broad spectrum, of regional recreation needs,
requires partnerships and substantial financing, and has destination activities.
Newport has two regional parks of more than 50 acres. Brenton Point and Fort Adams State Parks lie in the
southwestern corner of Newport, but serve a broad population. Maintained by the State of Rhode Island Division of
Parks and Recreation, these open spaces are used by tourists and residents alike and play important roles in water
access and scenic views. Together, these parks total 280 acres, accounting for 40% of the overall recreational open
space in the city. This number exceeds recommendations for regional parks by year- round residents and summer
tourists and visitors in a city of Newport’s size.

Park Proximity
From a quantitative perspective, Newport’s overall open space availability is quite high. The availability of this open
space to residents, however, varies significantly throughout the city.
The number of parks is highest in Downtown and central Newport. The southern part of the city well-served by a
number of community parks, natural areas, and Brent Point and Fort Adams state parks. The North End has less
access to parks, with only a few located within the neighborhood. Finding opportunities to address thi ́