Newport planning board sets hearings on Stanton lot change, parish hall plan

Newport planning board will weigh a small lot-line adjustment on Bradford Road and a larger parish hall reconstruction downtown, two proposals that could affect how land is used, how traffic moves and how neighboring properties fit into the street grid.

The board has set public hearings for Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in the Board of Selectmen Meeting Room at 15 Sunapee Street. Case 2026-SDFP-02 asks for approval of a 0.53-acre lot-line adjustment for Scott Stanton and Erin Stanton at 416 Bradford Road in the Rural district. The request would annex land from Map 231 Lot 22 to Map 231 Lot 22-2, a change that may seem narrow on paper but can affect setbacks, future use and the shape of the parcel itself.

The Stanton property is already familiar to Newport land-use boards. Town records show Scott Stanton sat on the planning board in 2024 and 2025, and he was recused from a 2024 Bradford Road subdivision case involving the same property. The board also handled a March 2023 Zoning Board of Adjustment matter tied to Bradford Road and road-frontage requirements, along with a 2024 subdivision review for 416 Bradford Road. That history makes the new lot-line request part of an ongoing file rather than a one-off application.

The second hearing, Case 2026-SPFP-02, comes from the Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester and covers demolition of an existing parish hall at 40 School Street and construction of a new parish hall, along with related site work at 32 Beech Street in the General Residential, or R-2, district. St. Patrick Parish identifies 40 School Street as its parish office and 32 Beech Street as its church location, while the Diocese of Manchester lists 32 Beech Street as the rectory address. The parish says it serves Catholics in the Newport and Sunapee area, and Rev. Michael Sartori is listed as the clergy contact.

For neighbors, the parish-hall plan is likely the more visible of the two cases. Demolition and new construction in downtown Newport typically bring questions about building scale, parking, access, drainage, noise and how long the work will last. The hearing will be one of the first public chances to see the full scope of what is proposed before any approval or modification.

The timing also matters in Newport, where land-use questions have been active in recent months. The town, which has 6,110 residents, covers 43.6 square miles and was incorporated on October 6, 1761, received a 2024 Housing Opportunity Grant through the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority’s InvestNH initiative. Planning board minutes from July 24, 2024, show discussion of housing needs, projected population trends and concerns about water and sewer capacity, along with housing costs. Against that backdrop, the May 27 hearings are another test of what kind of development Newport will allow, and how closely it will scrutinize changes on familiar parcels.