Written By Sean Flynn - Newport Daily News - Friday January 4, 2005
More than half the neighbors of the vacant Sheffield School in Newport would prefer limited commercial business in the building rather than condominiums or affordable housing, according to an informal poll Thursday night.
Mayor Stephen C. Waluk asked for a show of hands from about 45 people who attended a City Council workshop to discuss possible uses of the school. They were influenced by a presentation by a business owner.
Michael Sigourney, president and founder of AVTECH Software Inc., at 221 Third St., said his company would like to move into the school. He said the company now employs 26 people but he hopes to add 18-24 employees in the next year or two. Right now, he said he has people working in hallways at his current location. He said his employees earn an average of more than $50,000 annually and receive full health-insurance benefits.AVTECH produces computer programs that monitor secure data centers. Sigourney said 80 percent of the Fortune 1000 companies use his firm's products. Despite the big customer base, he said no one comes to the company headquarters except employees, since all sales and monitoring take place through computers. He lives at the corner of Broadway and Bedlow Avenue and said he would be able to walk to work.
"I think business is a good thing," said Dave Hallman, of Hoppin Road, which runs behind the school. "We don't need any more low-income housing."
The building has been vacant since June 2006, but the School Committee did not vote until May 2007 to turn the building over to the City Council for disposition.
The Rev. William Bogholtz, pastor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church next to the school, asked the council to act quickly in securing a new property owner.
"The longer a building goes vacant, the more likely it is to be hit by vandals," he said. He said that happened at the former Lenthal School, which was vacant for several years until it was sold to a condominium developer last year.
Jane Dyer lives on Broadway across from the school.
"If you decide to do low-income housing, it would devalue my property," she said. "It should be a business property."
Councilman Stephen R. Coyne said no one on the council wants to convert the building to low-income housing, in the sense that it would be government-subsidized housing. He said the alternative discussed by council members was "work-force housing," which would be for middle-income people and families who have trouble finding affordable housing in the city.
Speakers from the neighborhood and some other city residents did not warm to that idea.
"I think a business would be a good neighbor," said Phil Morris, a Hoppin Road resident.
"We should increase the tax base in the city," said Roy Dutra, a Commercial Wharf resident. "I'd like to see the property put to a good commercial use."
Paige Bronk, the city's director of planning, zoning and inspections, said the area is zoned residential. He said under the current zoning, as many as 26 housing units could be located on the 1.5-acre property with a special-use permit.
Besides an outright sale of the land and building, Bronk said the council could enter into a long-term lease of the land, for 50 to 100 years, with the lessee responsible for all rent, insurance and taxes on the property. He said the council also could subdivide the property before selling or leasing it.
If the council wants to target the building for professional or business offices, Bronk said the city's comprehensive land-use plan would have to be amended and the parcel would have to be rezoned for "limited business."Jonathan Edwards, the city's director of economic development, asked the council to consider rezoning the property. He said a business would protect the architectural integrity of the building.
Keith Stokes, executive director of the Newport County of Commerce, lives on Vernon Avenue behind the school. He had concerns about deciding to rezone the property without more study and more input from the public.
"It's a residential neighborhood and it should stay that way," he said. On the other hand, he said locating quality high-paying jobs there might make sense.
"If after a public process the public consensus is to change the zoning to accommodate a business use, it should be designed as a special overlay zoning district," Stokes said after the meeting.
He noted that a "limited business district," as defined by city ordinance, allows standard restaurants, retail stores, fast-food restaurants, gas stations, taverns and commercial parking lots.
He said a special overlay district could exclude the uses that would "intensify commercial activity in a residential neighborhood."
AVTECH Software, Inc.