Middletown planning board hears public concerns as developer seeks zoning overlay for West Main/Coddington site

The Middletown Planning Board held a public hearing on a petition by Middletown Commons Town Center LLC to amend the comprehensive plan and zoning for town‑owned parcels fronting on West Main Road and Coddington Highway.

Gerard Galvin, an attorney with Galvin Law representing Middletown Commons Town Center LLC, said the developer is asking the board to recommend three actions to the Town Council: change the future land‑use designation from “institutional” to “general business” on Future Land Use Map L4; rezone the lots from public/traffic‑sensitive to general business/traffic‑sensitive; and adopt a West Main–Covington overlay district to govern size, uses and design for the site. “Tonight is about the zoning ordinance and the comprehensive plan versus the specifics of the project itself,” Galvin said.

The purpose of the changes, Galvin and the project planner said, is to allow a single unified mixed‑use development that the developer and town negotiated through a development agreement signed in October 2024. Sean Brown, speaking for the town administration, gave a history of the reuse planning process that led to the current stage and said the town views the site…