Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Middletown committee to back local bidder for 17 Miller Street and protect Ferry Street community garden
Summary
Dozens of residents and community gardeners urged the Middletown Economic Development Committee to accept Diana Martinez’s bid for 17 Miller Street and to preserve the Ferry Street Community Garden, citing neighborhood stability, food access, and long-term stewardship. Committee members acknowledged the testimony, recorded letters of support, and referred property acquisition and grant questions to staff and land-use bodies for follow-up.
Dozens of residents testified Wednesday night in support of Diana Martinez’s bid for a foreclosed house at 17 Miller Street and in favor of preserving the Ferry Street Community Garden.
“My name is Monica Bellier. I reside at 186 College Street. The published agenda included the bids…and I’m here tonight to urge the committee to accept Diana Martinez’s bid for the foreclosed property at 17 Miller Street,” said Monica Bellier, who told the Economic Development Committee that Martinez has worked with the Miller Street Community Farm and has pledged to keep the current family in the home and make repairs.
Residents described the Miller Street property and the Ferry Street garden as critical local assets. Former and current tenants of Carabetta-owned housing detailed recurring maintenance problems and rising rents, saying a large outside developer could displace long-time residents. “They do not make improvements to their properties on a regular basis,” said Jennifer Janski, a former tenant. Elizabeth Williams and other speakers recounted similar concerns and urged the committee to prioritize neighborhood bidders who have invested in community programming.
Diana Martinez, who lives at 143 Prospect Street and leads the Miller Street Community Farm, told members she was outbid by a corporate subsidiary and warned that the higher bidder would likely evict a long-term resident. “You do not have to select the people who made the highest bids on any of these properties,” Martinez said, urging policy changes that would give preference to resident bidders for city-owned land.
Speakers also described the Ferry Street Community Garden’s role in food access and youth education. Cameron Hinglitz and others spoke about teaching youth agricultural skills and providing food to neighbors; Jade Webb described the garden as a source of fresh produce and community support. Several speakers noted that a state urban community-garden grant program could reduce the town’s cost to acquire the parcel, though sources in the record described different dollar figures for that support (see Clarifications).
The committee closed the public hearing after taking numerous comments and acknowledged a set of letters of support that staff entered into the record. Chair Vinnie Lofredo said the bids for some properties (including others on the agenda) were postponed because representatives of a bidder could not attend due to a family death; he told residents that the in-person bidder requirement remains in effect and that formal consideration will occur at the next regular meeting on April 8.
What’s next: Staff was asked to follow up with land-use and conservation offices, seek an appraisal if acquisition is pursued, and investigate eligibility and mechanics for available state grant funding. The committee did not vote on the property bids Wednesday and left any final decision to a future meeting.
