OPINION/LETTER: New luxury homeowners should pay for new Easton's Beach buildings

Luxury homeowners should pay for new Easton's Beach buildings

I am writing in support of the Beach Commission's letter to the City Council urging the council to move forward in the planning process and retain (or replicate) the Carousel and Snack Bar buildings at Easton's Beach.

As reported by Sean Flynn on Sept. 18, "No council member expressed support for rebuilding the two buildings because of the unknown costs of deconstructing these buildings and the building of new ones." I have a simple solution. I suggest that “new residents” from New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts who purchased a multimillion-dollar second home or a primary residence in Newport during the pandemic, volunteer to cover the costs. These record-breaking home sales in the city have created a housing crisis for low income and middle-income individuals and families, many of whom work in positions that enable the city to function so that these new residents (and existing residents) can reap the multitude of benefits this beautiful city has to offer. As stated in the Beach Commission’s letter to the City Council, Easton’s Beach is one of the city’s jewels – I implore the city to move forward in the planning process to restore or replicate the existing Carousel, Snack Bar, other shingle-style buildings. I am hoping that one or more of the resident celebrities or recent multimillion-dollar home buyers will step up and work with the city to make this happen. 

Lisa Weyandt, Newport