Boston Globe — A seaside R.I. town added parking near a surfing hotspot. Now they’re getting sued for it

Couples walked along the water’s edge on opening day at Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett, R.I., in May 2020. ARAM BOGHOSIAN FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/ARAM BOGHOSIAN FOR THE BOSTON GL

July 14, 2021

By Brian Amaral — NARRAGANSETT — For decades, according to local surfers, there was a live and let live attitude about parking in these neighborhoods. But coastal McMansions replaced beach shacks, homeowners started calling the police to get cars ticketed near public rights-of-way along the shore

After months of debate, the Town Council in Narragansett in May passed a law to ensure parking on three local roads near a surfing hotspot on Point Judith.

Despite happening mostly over Zoom, the debate was lengthy and at times heated. Now it’s tied up in litigation: Some nearby homeowners say the council’s move was illegal and, therefore, null and void. Their lawsuit effectively seeks to have the courts block newly formalized parking access on three streets near the shore because, they say, the town violated their due process rights under the Rhode Island Constitution.

“In addition thereto,” the lawsuit goes on, “the enactment of the Parking Ordinance violates the Town’s Subdivision Regulations and the Town Charter of the Town of Narragansett.”

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