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Commission approves three-building industrial development on South Main Street with departmental conditions
Summary
Planning staff and the applicant presented site plans for three industrial/warehouse buildings across two South Main Street parcels; the commission approved both site-plan applications with conditions requiring departmental sign-offs, recorded easements, landscaping revisions and an erosion-control bond.
The Middletown Planning & Zoning Commission approved site-plan applications for a multi-building industrial development on 1985 and 2015 South Main Street (SPR2026-93 and SPR2026-92), subject to several conditions the land-use director recommended.
Engineer Richard Reynolds of Indigo Land Design described lot-line modifications, a three-building layout, on-site septic and stormwater systems, sediment-forebays and erosion-control measures intended to limit runoff. The proposal includes EV charging and EV-ready spaces, two dumpster pads and no outside storage. Architect Carmelo Rosa of Hibbert and Rosa Architects described Building A as a one-story, 40,447-square-foot industrial warehouse with four loading docks; Buildings B and C are two-story industrial/warehouse and contractor-flex spaces of roughly 29,600 and 29,750 square feet respectively.
The commission’s land-use director recommended that any approval be conditioned on receipt of satisfactory, final comments from Public Works, the Water & Sewer Department, the Health Department and the Fire Marshal; the director also requested recorded cross-easements and a required lot-line revision filed on land records. Director Kozakowski asked that tenants for contractor spaces be reviewed by land-use staff for compliance with allowed uses.
Applicant Joe Wren, principal of Indigo, told commissioners most review comments were technical and that the revised plans do not require substantive design changes. He also provided development-impact estimates, saying the largest building "could potentially employ 150 or 200 people" under a 1 person per 200 sq ft assumption and that buildout value would be "north of $20,000,000," which he said would increase city tax revenue by roughly a half-million dollars annually. The commission and applicant agreed to await final departmental reviews before permits issue.
Commissioners also pressed the applicant on landscaping and tree replacement. Developer Mark Fontaine agreed to revise the landscaping plan to replace half of the 50 proposed ornamental dogwoods with 25 shade trees (maples), achieving a mix of 25 dogwoods and 25 maples on site. The fire marshal's review on access/turnaround requirements remained outstanding at the meeting; applicants said sprinklered buildings could reduce some fire-access distances but final fire-marshal input will be required.
The commission voted separately to approve SPR2026-93 (the 40,447 sq ft building) and SPR2026-92 (the two buildings on the adjacent parcel), each with the director's conditions; both motions passed by voice vote.
Next steps for the project include satisfying department review comments, finalizing cross-easements and lot-line revisions, submitting any required DOT encroachment permits for work in the state right-of-way, and obtaining the Fire Marshal's approval before building permits are issued.
