Planning board backs temporary storage‑unit ordinance but flags proposed $100 permit fee

The Middletown Planning Board on Jan. 8 voted to forward a zoning ordinance amendment to the Town Council that would create a permitting system for temporary storage units (pods) on residential property, with limits on unit size and duration. At the same time, the board expressly recorded concern about a proposed $100 permit fee and asked the council to reconsider any fee that is not proportional to administrative costs.

Under the draft ordinance the board reviewed, one temporary storage unit no larger than 8 by 20 feet would be permitted per residential property; the unit could be placed for up to 120 consecutive days and no more than 180 days in a calendar year. The draft would also direct that, to the fullest extent practical, units be sited on paved surfaces and not block fire lanes or loading zones. The draft explicitly exempts containers and trailers used in association with active, permitted construction work.

Several board members said they supported the permitting structure as a tool to address neighborhood complaints about long‑term placement of pods, but some criticized the $100 fee mentioned in staff correspondence, saying fees should be proportional to administration costs and noting the draft ordinance before the board did not itself set a fee. One board member proposed the board transmit a positive recommendation under state statute while advising the council it did not support the $100 fee.

The board voted for a motion to provide a positive recommendation consistent with state statutory findings and included an express reservation that the board had concerns about the proposed fee. The motion will be forwarded to the Town Council for consideration of the ordinance language and any associated fee schedule.