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Middletown agrees to buy ~19 acres on Boston Road for open space; commission approves related subdivision
Summary
The Planning & Zoning Commission approved a subdivision enabling two building lots and voted to forward an affirmative acquisition report for a roughly 19‑acre parcel at 159 Boston Road (S‑2026‑4; GS 8‑24 2026‑5). Director Mary Kazakowski said the owner will retain a license to hay the property and the purchase agreement does not currently specify guaranteed public access.
The Middletown Planning & Zoning Commission voted June 10 to approve a subdivision and to advance an affirmative acquisition report for a roughly 19–20 acre parcel at 159 Boston Road that the city plans to buy for open space preservation.
Mary Kazakowski, director of land use for the City of Middletown, told the commission the owner, Robert Saranowitz, had approached the city about preserving the land and that the negotiated deal would allow the owner to retain roughly 1 acre for his house and an ongoing license to hay and steward the property. Kazakowski said the remaining roughly 19 acres would be conveyed to the city as excess land and added to the city's open‑space inventory.
Resident Kate Miller, who described herself as a Boston Road resident and a member of the Commission on Conservation and Agriculture (not representing the commission), spoke in support of the acquisition and urged the city and the owner to ensure public access. "I hope that the owner and the city will work together to try to find some way to provide public access to this property, even during the period of the lease," Miller said. Kazakowski responded that the agreement is a license (not a lease) that does not prohibit public access and said park development (trails, parking) would be planned after the owner has settled into the new arrangement.
Kazakowski said the two proposed building lots front Boston Road, meet frontage and area requirements, and would have public water and sewer. Commissioners asked how the public would access the land and whether parking would be provided; Kazakowski said the property has about 66 feet of frontage on Boston Road and that parking/trail planning would be developed after acquisition. The commission approved the subdivision (Item 8.2, S‑2026‑4) and the GS 8‑24 acquisition report (Item 8.3, GS 8‑24 2026‑5) by voice votes.
Next steps include finalizing the purchase and sale agreement language and determining whether to add explicit public‑access provisions before closing or during subsequent park planning.
