Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Existing Conditions | Page 60

Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan

building for code deficiencies only at the request of an owner or tenant. Greater enforcement might be possible if
this policy was changed to allow more proactive action.
Approximately 58% of the housing in Newport was built before 1940 and fully 86% of all housing units were built prior
to 1980. With lead paint mitigation a requirement of Rhode Island law, landlords seeking to let are subject to strict
guidelines for home inspection. The age of structures in Newport leaves many of the houses with lead paint
liabilities. Awareness of lead paint mitigation and required inspection has promoted compliance among lessors.
Newport's broad array and assortment of historic structures lured many new residents to the community seeing
opportunities to restore and preserve these structures. Significant areas of The Point, Historic Hill, and Kay-Catherine,
Bellevue Avenue neighborhoods are home to structures on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, these
neighborhoods rank among Newport’s finest restored structures.
Limitations on density (that is, how many dwelling units can be built on a parcel of land) have the greatest impact on
development. The lower the density in an area, the higher the cost of housing. Low densities are viewed as
exclusionary. In Newport, lots in the Ocean Drive area can reach millions of dollars.

Housing Age

Many of Newport’s homes were constructed in the first half
of the twentieth century. The median year that houses were
built is 1939. As shown in Table 5-4, over 60% of Newport’s
structures were built in 1939 or earlier. This is a significant
portion of Newport’s housing stock compared to the Town
of Westerly’s 30% and the State of Rhode Island’s 32.8%.
However, the State of Rhode Island as a whole, including
Newport and Westerly, is on pace for the fewest number of
housing units built in this decade. With only 1,721 housing
units built since 2010, the State of Rhode Island is only on
pace for 4,300 new housing units to be constructed by the
end of this decade—far fewer than every other decade since
the 1940s. Newport is on a similar proportional pace.

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As Newport is largely built-out,
there is little development
potential for new housing
units. This could impact
Newport’s future housing
stock, including cost,
preservation, and typology.
Creative solutions, such as
accessory dwelling units,
should be explored to
accommodate growth while
preserving Newport’s historic
character.

Draft Existing Conditions (March 2016)