The view of Lake Boone in Exeter from a house on East Shore Drive, showing houses on West Shore Drive.

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Actor James Woods sues City of RI over construction of house on Lake Boone

December 4, 2022

EXETER — Oscar-nominated actor James Woods, known for his Family Guy cameos and ultra-conservative political views, is taking on a new cause: he’s defying his neighbor’s efforts to build a house by Lake Boone.

Woods is a Rhode Island native who graduated from Pilgrim High School in Warwick. His family has owned property on Lake Boone, not far from the Arcadia Management Area, for decades.

The 75-year-old actor is suing Exeter’s zoning board in the state’s Superior Court for approving a waiver that would clear the way for neighbor Harry Hawker III to build a two-bedroom house on unclaimed land. built at the water’s edge.

The land served the Hawker family as an access point to the scenic lake and features a dock and fire pit.

In his filing, Woods argues that the council broke local zoning rules in granting the waiver, and that Hawker failed to show that the proposed project would not alter the character of the lakeside community. Woods also says Hawker has failed to prove he has no “reasonable alternative” to enjoying the 0.14-acre property at 0 West Shore Drive, which borders the Woods family estate.

In asking the court to overturn the zoning approval, Woods blames the zoning board for failing to consider the project’s impact on surrounding property values.

His attorney, Timothy J. Robenhymer, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Why Exeter RI says Harry Hawker III can build his house on Lake Boone

In its response, the city says Hawker originally got approval for a dimensional gap for a two-bedroom home in 2011, but let the approval lapse. The property is a non-conforming pre-existing lot that was created before the city adopted a minimum lot size of 2 acres in this residential area.

Hawker submitted an application for the same plans again this year, with public hearings before the board on April 14, May 12, June 6 and June 15. The council pursued the case twice to allow the measures to be corrected and once again when Robenhymer obtained COVID, according to court documents.

Council approved the scheme on June 15, noting that it was consistent with neighboring properties and that Hawker had sought to minimize the amount of relief needed by centering the house on the property. In granting relief to Hawker, the council observed that the plans were in line with surrounding properties and “modest” in size, with a footprint of 950 square feet.

In opposing Woods, the council asks that its approval be upheld and Woods’ complaint dismissed, arguing that the council’s decision was supported by substantial evidence and based on the correct legal standards.

The board correctly determined that Hawker’s difficulties were due to the unique characteristics of the lot, namely its small size, wrote Steven J. Sypole, on behalf of the board.

What accommodations on Lake Boone are allowed

“The fact that the neighborhood around Boone Lake is made up of many similar small lots – in addition to the fact that single-family homes are a permitted use by law – was sufficient to satisfy the … test that “the requested variance will not alter the general character of the surrounding area,” the council said.

The board rejected Woods’ arguments that Hawker was required to present evidence that the proposal would not alter the surrounding area. Nor was the council required to consider the possible impact on nearby property values, Sypole wrote.

“The board obviously could not refuse Mr. Hawker’s candidacy on the basis of non-existent requirements invented by [Mr. Woods]“, said the board of directors.

Hawker, through Sypole, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Woods is an Emmy and Golden Globe winner, who was twice nominated for an Oscar in the 1990s, first for Oliver Stone’s “Salvador” and again for “Ghosts of Mississippi” by Rob Reiner.