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Planning board: officers elected; several items continued; board recommends special‑use approach for warehousing
Summary
The Town of Middletown Planning Board elected officers, approved meeting minutes, continued multiple agenda items to special dates, and recommended the town council amend zoning to allow warehousing in the Office/Business district only by special use permit.
At its regular meeting, the Town of Middletown Planning Board conducted officer elections, approved minutes, continued several docketed matters to future meetings, and made a recommendation to the town council about a zoning text amendment.
Elections and minutes
- Chair: Paul Sersi was nominated and the board accepted a single-ballot election; Sersi was announced as chair.
- Vice chair: Charlie Valancourt was nominated and elected vice chair.
- Secretary: Michael (Mike) Fenton was nominated and elected secretary.
- Minutes: The board approved the regular meeting minutes of Feb. 12 with one abstention; minutes of the Feb. 24 special meeting were approved.
Continuances and scheduling
- Item 5f (discussion of offshore wind turbines): Continued to the April 9 meeting at the request of a member who was absent.
- Items 5a, 5b and 5c: Continued to a specially scheduled meeting on April 3 at 6 p.m. at Gaudet Middle School (the board instructed attendees to park at the Turner Road lot to enter the building).
- Item 5d (public hearing — combined preliminary and final development plan for adaptive reuse at 499 East Main Road by CCE Development LLC / receiver): Continued to the May 14 regular meeting at the applicant’s request; the receiver indicated a traffic study still needed to be paid for and performed.
Zoning amendments and recommendations
- Window-sign amendment (Town Code chapter 152, article 12, §1209): The board discussed a proposal to increase the maximum permitted window-sign coverage from 15% to 25% of window area and to clarify how window area is calculated (e.g., how mullions and tall windows are measured). Board members requested additional testimony and visual examples; the board voted to continue the item to the next meeting and asked the zoning/building official to attend.
- Warehousing in Office/Business district (Town Code chapter 152 — schedule of district regulations / uses): Knight Capital LLC requested that warehousing be allowed in the Office/Business district. The board voted to recommend the town council amend the ordinance so that warehousing/storage in that district would be permitted only by special use permit (case-by-case review), rather than by right.
Other business and updates
- The board reviewed status reports from staff, discussed historic-resources follow-up with the assessor, and noted that use-table amendments had received first reading at the town council with second reading anticipated. Committee reports included upcoming comprehensive-plan committee meetings and tree-commission activity.
Votes at a glance (selected motions)
- Motion to continue item 5f (offshore wind turbines) to April 9: passed.
- Motion to continue items 5a, 5b and 5c to the special meeting on April 3, 6 p.m. at Gaudet Middle School (park at Turner Road lot): passed.
- Motion to continue item 5d (499 East Main adaptive reuse) to May 14: passed.
- Motion to continue the window-sign amendment and request zoning official attendance at next meeting: passed.
- Motion recommending the town council amend the zoning code to allow warehousing in the Office/Business district only by special use permit: passed.
Ending: The board adjourned after confirming the special meeting schedule and upcoming committee activity.
