Newport This Week

Attorneys At Odds on Setting Salve Zoning Hearing



Lawyers who have been arguing for and against building two new Salve Regina University dorms to house more than 400 students, a battle entering its fifth year, cannot even agree on the next date to hear the case.

Samuel Goldblatt, chair of the Newport Zoning Board of Review, nearly threw up his hands at the board’s June 27 meeting when attorney Robert Cavanagh, standing in for lead attorney William Landry for Salve Regina, and Karen Benson, representing herself, as a neighbor and opposing attorneys J. Patrick Daugherty and Andrew Teitz couldn’t find a working date to renew zoning proceedings for three months.

“We are getting this done before October,” said a slightly miffed Goldblatt. “This is not satisfactory. I really would like to get one of these hearings in July.”

Cavanagh offered up several available dates, none of which matched the available schedule of Benson, Teitz and Daugherty. Exasperated, Goldblatt circulated a memo to the members of the board to gather all their available dates to set a quorum, then make those dates available to the attorneys. “You’re going to figure it out,” he said. “We can’t continue to go off for months at a time.”

Salve Regina’s original plans were voted down by the Historic District Commission two years ago after a year-long presentation. The university got a reprieve to try again when the Zoning Board ruled, upon appeal, that the HDC should not have made that negative decision procedurally.

The Zoning Board needs to set two final special hearings on the revised dorm plans, which were last heard months ago, with testimony by both sides still to be heard. There have been meeting delays for technical issues, and a lack of a quorum in one case.

Goldblatt was also faced with a third and final hearing that might have to be scheduled as Cavanagh said his team has new rebuttal witnesses, which opponents will then strive to counter. Cavanagh suggested a third date when he predicted testimony would go beyond two nights of hearings, if “the board was inclined.”

“I’m not sure we’re inclined, to be honest with you,” said Goldblatt.

He then asked for a complete list of prospective witnesses, which Benson, Teitz and Daugherty provided. Cavanagh apologized for not knowing the exact number of witnesses Salve Regina would present, but added that Landry would have several.

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