Build Housing, Not Hotels
On June 10th, I testified in City Council in support of Councilor Smyth’s resolution to explore limiting or prohibiting hotels. Watch the testimony through the video link or read my full remarks below. Bonus: read coverage on this topic from The Providence Journal!
Thank you, Councilor Smyth, for putting forward this resolution and thank you to everyone who has expressed support today. I urge the Council to pass this resolution, as it is a step forward towards implementing regulations that protect our residents, and our ability to maintain homes here.
I have heard many people say that it is too late for this resolution or zoning changes that would limit hotels. As we say about planting trees, the best time for this change was 20 years ago but the second best time is now. We have plenty of hotels in Newport. That doesn’t mean we have to resign ourselves to only being a resort town, only building hotels over anything else. Implementing smart, thoughtful zoning changes is the best way to prevent more. Residents are rightly worried about properties like the lot next to Chomp on Broadway and space in the North End. We can protect our neighborhoods and prevent these locations from becoming hotels instead of housing.
We can’t take for granted that the way Newport is built now is the way it will stay. Because of the mishmash of zoning that exists in our City, there are many areas in Newport where property owners can build hotels by right, with no input from the City required. We don’t need more hotels in Newport - we need more homes that families can afford to live in year-round.
Those with money and power, such as large corporations and developers, will always find a way to earn more money and power. They don’t need our help. The role of our City government is not to enable this process, but to protect our community and our neighbors. Evaluating our regulations to limit new or converted hotels won’t kill tourism in Newport or prevent visitors from enjoying our City. It will help to ensure families can rent, own, and stay here for good. Thank you.