Middletown planning commission approves conditional use for mini‑golf at 6962 Coles Road

The Middletown City Planning Commission on Aug. 2025 approved a conditional‑use permit to allow an outdoor miniature golf course at 6962 Coles Road, a property in the B‑2 Community Business district, with conditions to limit visual and noise impacts on nearby homes.

Staff said the application covers two parcels totaling about 2 acres, with the rear vacant parcel listed as just under 1 acre. Claire Benninger, planning staff, told the commission the northern building lot is roughly 171 feet wide and the adjoining vacant parcel is about 112 feet wide by 350 feet long; Coles Road is designated a collector street in the city's 2011 street master plan. Benninger said the B‑2 zoning permits outdoor recreational uses only with conditional approval and described buffering, parking and setback issues the commission must resolve.

Benninger said the applicant proposed a 15‑foot Type A buffer around much of the course (described in the staff packet as two shade trees, six evergreen trees and 14 small shrubs per 100 feet), a 6‑foot vinyl fence where the course abuts commercial uses and a combination of…