594-596 Thames Street restaurant expansion
Description
Variances for a two-story rear addition expanding a restaurant and adding a one-bedroom dwelling, exceeding lot coverage limits and skipping six required parking spaces.
Impact summary
Expands a beloved neighborhood club while adding a long-term rental unit and modest parking.
Applicant
- Name
- 594-596 Thames Street, LLC
- Address
- 594-596 Thames Street, Newport, RI
At a glance
- Hearings
- 2
- Public comments
- 2
- Total mentions
- 2
Last vote · Zoning Board of Review
Last discussed May 18, 2026.
Meeting timeline (2)
Zoning Board of Review - Regular May Meeting - May 18, 2026
Protective Club two-story rear addition with a one-bedroom apartment and six-space parking variance, approved with neighbor-protection conditions.
Zoning Board of Review - Special April Meeting - Apr 13, 2026
Continued to April 20 to re-advertise.
Related issues (2)
City Hall area accessibility and facade changes at 365 Thames Street
The city-owned Brick Market building on Thames Street is getting an accessible, code-compliant entrance, new storefront glass, and new signage for the Museum of Newport History, which sees 35-40,000 visitors a year. The Historical Society revised the plan to answer earlier commission concerns.
Protective Club expansion and neighborhood impacts
The long-running Fifth Ward social club won approval for a rear addition and one-bedroom apartment, but only with conditions protecting Dixon Street neighbors: no outdoor service area, long-term rentals upstairs, and bike/scooter parking. Objectors warned about noise, parking, and short-term rentals hollowing out the neighborhood.
We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda, when it's voted on and when its status changes, at most once a day.
The weekly brief for Newport, RI
What the council decided, in plain English — one email a week.
Free. Unsubscribe with one click any time. We never sell your email.