Middletown planning board approves new 2,442-sq.-ft. commercial building at 985 Aquidneck Ave.; neighbors raise parking and traffic concerns

The Middletown Planning Board voted to approve a combined preliminary and final plan for a new 2,442-square-foot commercial building at 985 Aquidneck Avenue and granted related dimensional variances and design waivers on Wednesday after a lengthy public hearing that drew technical experts and nearby residents.

The approved project, filed by C Safe Holdings LLC, calls for a single-story commercial building intended to house contractor garage and storage uses; the application included requests for setback variances and waivers from several commercial design standards. The board approved the variances for an easterly side setback (proposed 5.1 feet where the code requires about 18 feet) and a northerly rear setback (proposed 43.9 feet where roughly 47.6 feet is required). The board also granted waivers for required landscape buffers and for the five-foot landscape buffer between buildings and parking areas. Approval included conditions required by the Technical Review Committee and the town planning staff: the applicant must confirm that the bottom of the proposed sand-filter stormwater treatment will not intercept groundwater, and the sanitary sewer stub for the existing building to be abandoned must be capped at the foundation and inspected subject to the Department of Public Works' approval.

Why it matters: The site sits on a narrow, commercially zoned lot with direct access from Trimble Road, a short, low-volume residential street that neighbors and some board members said is sensitive to additional vehicle maneuvering. Opponents said the plan formalizes an intensification of contractor-type uses on a site that abuts residential properties and argued the proposed layout — particularly five parking spaces at the Trimble/Aquidneck corner — creates safety and compatibility concerns. Supporters and the project team say the new building will replace outdoor storage, improve stormwater controls and screen equipment.

What the board heard: Applicant witnesses described the building as a necessary workplace for the owner's construction and excavation business. Applicant principal Mr. Ko told the board, "Mostly because I would like a home for my business," and said the new building would let him store and maintain trucks and equipment indoors rather than in connex boxes and open yard areas. Project engineer Lynn Small said the design adds green area, separates proposed sewers as requested by public works, and includes a sand filter for water quality; she told the board the stormwater design reduces peak runoff and DOT has reviewed the drainage tie-in to Aquidneck Avenue.

Opposition centered on traffic, parking and neighborhood compatibility. Neighbor Michael Miller, who lives on Trimble Road, described repeated close calls when vehicles back into spaces at the corner and testified that striping and use at the corner have varied over decades. "They are dangerous to me," Miller said of the corner parking. Land-use expert Doug McLean, who reviewed the application for the objectors, found the proposal to be "an overintensification of commercial uses and structures that will have a negative spillover effect to the immediate surrounding area" and concluded the application did not meet Middletown zoning and comprehensive-plan standards for variances and waivers.

Traffic evidence: Traffic engineer Emily Buck (Bowman) said Trimble Road is very low-volume — about 122 vehicles per day, or roughly 27 vehicles in the morning peak hour — and she reported no crash history at the Trimble/Aquidneck intersection in the five-year review window. Buck told the board the low existing volume and crash record meant the proposed plan did not create a current safety concern for intersection operations.

Board response and vote: Board members debated competing technical opinions, the preexisting condition of parking at the corner, and whether the applicant had created his own hardship by prior choices on access and building placement. After deliberation the board moved and seconded motions to grant the two dimensional variances and to approve the combined preliminary/final plan with the requested waivers, incorporating conditions from the administrative/technical review memorandum. The motions carried by voice vote; the transcript records a majority in favor but does not provide a roll-call tally of individual member votes.

What remains: The approval carries construction conditions and follow-up items the applicant must satisfy before building permits are issued, including DPW sign-off on the capped sewer stub and confirmation of the sand filter elevation relative to groundwater. The board referenced required TRC follow-ups and inspections for utilities. The application, as approved, allows the proposed building to be built with the variances and waived design elements the board found acceptable with conditions.

Context and background: The site is in Middletown's Limited Business/Traffic-Sensitive area; the project required relief from portions of the Middletown zoning ordinance and the town's commercial design requirements. The board's technical memorandum and the TRC review were part of the record; the board also received review memoranda and letters from Crossman Engineering and other review authorities during the hearing.

Ending: Project proponents said the new building will remove outdoor storage and improve site landscaping and stormwater treatment; neighbors said the corner parking condition should be addressed by the town and invited the board to attach conditions or require the applicant to remove or reconfigure the corner spaces as a condition of approval. The board's approval is subject to the administrative conditions noted in the motion and to any required agency permits and inspections.