Middletown workshop asks residents to prioritize housing, open space and resilience

Organizers of the Town of Middletown's comprehensive plan update asked residents at a public workshop to prioritize housing, recreation and natural-resource protections as part of a 10-year vision and draft policies.

The workshop, led by members of the comprehensive plan update committee and consultants from Stantec, presented draft vision and goal statements for nine state-required plan elements and invited participants to place dot stickers and leave written comments to indicate their top priorities.

"We're gonna ask you to think about what are the things that are most important to you," said Melissa Welch, chair of the comprehensive plan update committee and a representative of the Middletown Conservation Commission. Welch said the committee and planning staff had already prepared posters summarizing earlier outreach and asked attendees to prioritize rather than mark everything. She added the committee will skip its July and August meetings while consultants refine materials.

"Middletown will preserve its quality of life for all generations as a safe, welcoming, and resilient community," said Phil Schaffing, project manager for Stantec, quoting the draft overall vision statement…