Board approves 5 Tyler Street variances to formalize curb cuts and add engineered driveway access

The Newport Zoning Board of Review on July 27 approved a petition from Sam Hallowell for retroactive dimensional variances at 5 Tyler Street that formalize an existing narrow parking space adjacent to the sidewalk and allow a second curb cut on a substandard 45‑foot lot.

Hallowell told the board he had modified plans after earlier feedback: he proposed widening an existing curb cut to 12 feet and adding a second 12‑foot curb cut so a driver could enter and exit without driving over the sidewalk. "I added an additional 12 foot curb cut...so you can drive out of the parking space," he said. City staff found aerial evidence of past parking in the location but recommended that any construction obtain proper engineering permits and that no portion of a vehicle be permitted to remain on public sidewalks. The board attached both conditions to the approval: the variance does not authorize parking on the public sidewalk and the petitioner must obtain physical‑alteration/curb‑cut permits from engineering.

After questions about vehicle overhang, public safety and streetscape precedent, the motion to grant the petition passed 4‑1. The board's approval requires the project to begin and be substantially complete within 12 months and for all public‑notice fees to be paid before recording.