Middletown Inland Wetland and Watercourse Agency approves wetlands permit for proposed drive‑through at 797 Washington Street

The Middletown Inland Wetland and Watercourse Agency voted to approve application W2026‑6, a request to grade and develop a drive‑through business at 797 Washington Street, at its July meeting.

The motion to approve was made by a committee member and seconded by attorney Richard Carrella; the motion included standard conditions and an additional stipulation that the proposed retaining wall be constructed from the upland (high) side of the property. The commission closed the public hearing before voting and recorded no opposition or abstentions.

Attorney Richard Carrella introduced the application and identified the owners and project team. Patrick Doherty, a civil engineer with Midpoint Engineering and Consulting, told the commission the 797 parcel is about 1.24 acres and explained grading, a modular block retaining wall (ranging roughly 8–12 feet in height), parking and drive‑through circulation. Doherty said the stormwater design uses a lined underground chamber detention system with hydrodynamic separators and other best management practices to avoid increasing peak runoff to the existing wetland and street catch basin.

Dean Gustafson, director of environmental services at All Points Technology and the project wetland scientist, summarized a March investigation and described the wetland as a small, disturbed feature at the northeast corner that primarily conveys stormwater from adjacent commercial development. "It is my professional opinion the proposed project will not result in a likely adverse impact to this resource," Gustafson said, and he requested that the commission issue a wetland permit. He estimated temporary disturbance for erosion‑control installation at about 40–50 square feet and the impacted upland review area at roughly 19,360 square feet.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on alternatives, traffic queuing for the tenant's drive‑through operation, and construction methods to protect the wetland. Doherty said the tenant requires long queue lengths, which drove the current site configuration, and explained that retaining wall installation will be staged from the high side so heavy equipment will not operate within the wetland. He also described outlet control details that will meter runoff from the underground chamber to match pre‑development flow rates.

Staff reported the public works department reviewed the plans and supplied minor comments on stormwater and zoning; staff also asked that the public works department receive a copy of the wetlands permit prior to construction. The approval includes the commission's standard conditions and the added requirement that the retaining wall be constructed from the upland side of the property.

The permit decision closes the commission's review under the criteria cited in the motion, including Section 22a‑41 of the Connecticut General Statutes and the city's inland wetland regulations. The applicant will be required to meet the conditions outlined in the approval before starting construction.