Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Middletown board schedules Feb. 26 hearing for proposed middle‑high school, waives permit submission deadline
Summary
The Planning Board granted a temporary waiver of required state permits for the Gaudi School campus preliminary plan so the town can hold a Feb. 26 special meeting. The board also scheduled the special meeting and discussed the permits the town has applied for (DEM wetlands and state road physical‑alteration permits).
The Town of Middletown Planning Board on Jan. 8 voted to waive the requirement that certain state permits (wetlands and state‑road physical alteration) be in hand at the time the town certifies completeness of the preliminary plan application for a proposed middle‑high school project on the Gaudi School campus. The board also voted to schedule a special meeting to hear the preliminary plan on Feb. 26.
Town planning staff said the master plan for the school project received approval on Nov. 6 and that the town has applied to the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the state agency that handles physical alterations to state roads. Because the permit approvals may not be available by the administrative completeness deadline (Jan. 28), the town requested a temporary waiver to preserve the project schedule and associated reimbursement‑maximizing deadlines.
Staff cited a 2024 Rhode Island Superior Court decision allowing temporary waivers of submission requirements in similar circumstances; town staff and the town administrator have been communicating with agency directors to expedite reviews. The planner told the board that, if permits are not issued by the hearing, the board could still proceed and make any approval conditional on issuance of the outstanding permits.
Board members asked which permits were outstanding; staff said a DEM wetlands permit and a DOT/state physical alteration permit related to work adjacent to a state road. After brief discussion, the board voted to grant the waiver and to schedule the special meeting for Feb. 26 to consider the preliminary plan application.
The board also approved formally scheduling the Feb. 26 special meeting so staff can proceed with the public‑notice and application timeline.
