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Commission approves 54,720-square-foot manufacturing, office and warehouse at Middle Street
Summary
The Middletown commission unanimously approved a proposed 54,720-square-foot manufacturing, office and warehouse building at Middle Street/Philmac Drive, with wetland mitigation approved by the IWWA and staff-flagged requirements for lot-line changes and drainage-easement modifications.
The Middletown commission unanimously approved a proposal to build a roughly 54,720-square-foot manufacturing, office and warehouse facility on parcels fronting Middle Street and Philmac Drive.
The project applicant—agent Gary Dayharsch of Eric Clari LLC—said the major tenant will be Encore Fire Protection and that the application lists 75 Philmac Drive as the project address. "We did receive the wetlands approval last week, and that was unanimous," Dayharsch said during the presentation. The site combines two parcels and will include loading docks, office space and fabrication areas, the applicants said.
Why it matters: The commission-approved plan includes wetland impacts with a proposed 2:1 wetland replication ratio that the local wetlands authority (IWWA) approved. Staff flagged several regulatory and technical steps that must be completed before construction, raising points that could change the project footprint or timing.
Engineer Rebecca Lee of Arleveque Associates described the drainage and stormwater approach, saying the design uses two filtration "jellyfish" units and a detention basin so post-construction peak discharges do not exceed pre-construction levels. "We are proposing wetland replication 2 to 1, and that was approved by the IWWA," Lee said. She told the commission the soils at the site preclude infiltration credit, so the design routes runoff through filtration units and controlled outlets back to the wetlands.
Staff concerns and conditions: Director Kazakowski summarized outstanding items staff will address at the administrative level. He told the commission that the project currently "straddles a lot line" and will require either a lot-merge or a revised lot configuration recorded on the land records. He also warned that the proposed parking calculation assumed a warehouse use for the vacant tenant space and could change if the space is occupied by a manufacturing or other permitted use. "So this facility cannot be used as any sort of distribution center or anything like that," Kazakowski said, citing zoning restrictions that limit warehousing to items produced on-site.
Project details recorded in the hearing: applicants described a downsized building footprint (from an earlier 70,000-square-foot concept to the current ~54,720 square feet), with approximately 15,700 square feet reserved for a future tenant, and the remainder to be occupied by Encore Fire Protection for assembly, office and shipping. The owner of the property was identified in the record as Gerald Crean; the transcript also refers to him later as "Mr. Crane," an inconsistency noted in the file.
The commission voted to approve the site plan (SPR 2024-205) after staff and applicant comments; the motion passed unanimously. Before construction can proceed, staff and the applicant must resolve drainage-easement modifications with public works and common council review, finalize lot-line recording, and post required erosion and sedimentation-control bonds.
Next steps: The applicant will work with public works and general counsel to finalize easement and lot-recording details; building permits and any additional agency approvals will follow.
