Middletown Council OKs Penrose to pursue revised senior-affordable housing plans after heated public debate

The Town of Middletown Council on April 28 authorized Penrose LLC to proceed with a revised plan for senior affordable housing at the Berkeley/Peckham site (Green End Avenue/Elephant Lane) and the Oliphant site, directing the town solicitor and administrator to update legal documents and allowing Penrose to resubmit the proposal to the Rhode Island Department of Housing for financing.

The move follows a presentation from Penrose representatives and a lengthy public comment period in which neighbors and community groups raised concerns about parking adequacy, traffic safety on West Main Road and Oliphant Lane, building height and impacts on the adjacent senior center and ball field.

Penrose senior developer Rebecca Scofield opened the firm’s update by saying the presentation focused on changes since the last public review and answers to earlier questions. Carmen Chung of Penrose said the revised residential parking allocation at the Berkeley/Peckham site adds 32 spaces for 30 units—“a little bit more than 1 to 1,” she said—and noted an option for 12 additional overflow spaces in a nearby open area. For the Oliphant site, Penrose described a 72-space allocation for residents plus five spaces reserved for a nonprofit commercial tenant in the former school building, which the presentation characterized as a 1.8…