Staff outlines riverfront redevelopment plan, demolition and River Road coordination with DOT

Economic and community development staff told the Middletown Economic Development Committee that the River Road area and the Village at Riverside project will proceed through environmental review, demolition and a developer procurement process.

"Once the building gets taken down, we do further environmental investigation... then we'll put it out to RFP and see when we can attract a developer," staff said. They added the site is slated primarily for housing with possible commercial components and that the $12,000,000 project will need careful coordination with a DOT roundabout and other DOT-funded work.

Why it matters: The riverfront site is a major redevelopment parcel for the town and will affect traffic alignments, connectivity to Eastern Drive and future mixed-use housing supply. Staff said engineers will perform hazardous-material surveys and that public safety departments (fire, police, public health) will be engaged before fieldwork.

Details and next steps: Staff said they have procured an engineering firm for planning and will schedule a departmental kickoff meeting next week. Hazardous-building-material surveys and interior sweeps by police will precede field investigations. After design and plans are complete, remediation and demolition contractors will be procured by public bidding. Staff will coordinate schedules with DOT and report back to the committee following the kickoff meeting.