Middletown planning board declines public comment on offshore wind item; board members urge council and regional forum for wider public input

The Middletown Planning Board discussed a request from the town planning board/administrator for consideration of a position on offshore wind projects and related correspondence but decided not to host public comment on the item at Wednesday's meeting.

At the meeting chairing remarks, staff explained that the town had received correspondence from the town attorney to the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) regarding the town's opposition to one project, South Coast Wind, and that the packet included letters from local organizations opposing offshore turbines. The chair told the audience the board would not take public comment on the agenda item that night but noted the materials were available from the clerk.

Board members and members of the public who remained raised the broader issue of how the town should engage on offshore wind topics. Several board members proposed recommending that the Town Council hold a dedicated public forum or symposium to gather public input and to assemble regional municipal representatives. Planning board members said a forum should include both educational material and opportunities for public comment; a number of speakers in the audience offered to serve as local resources. Green Oceans and other speakers offered to provide scientific, economic and regulatory material to inform a town-level discussion.

Why it matters: Offshore wind proposals include federal and state permitting, as well as onshore infrastructure that can affect local shorelines, viewscapes and marine resources. Middletown's letter and staff materials referenced the South Coast Wind project and counsel correspondence to CRMC.

What the planning board decided: The board did not open the item for public comment that night. Members asked staff to forward a recommendation to the Town Council that would (a) consider holding a public forum/symposium with educational presentations from multiple perspectives and (b) explore regional coordination among neighboring towns to aggregate community input. The board agreed to continue its internal discussion and to bring any formal recommendation to the council and suggested town residents sign up for the council's public forum or reach out to the clerk if they wanted to speak to council directly.

Public participation and next steps: Several members of the public said they would serve as resources. Dr. Lisa Quattrucci-Knight of Green Oceans offered the group’s research and materials and invited officials to use the group's compiled information. Planning board members urged the public to use the Town Council public forum as an immediate channel for comment and suggested a future special meeting or joint regional meeting to combine education and public comment.

Ending: The board continued related agenda business to a future meeting and asked staff to relay interest in a more formal town-level forum and regional outreach to the council. No formal position on offshore wind was adopted by the planning board at the meeting.