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Record of Proceedings

Middletown Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting - March 11, 2026

Common Council & Commissions — Wednesday, March 11, 2026

BodyMiddletown, Connecticut

SessionCommon Council & Commissions

DateWednesday, March 11, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 21:31

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:26

Seven eleven, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance if you're able.

1:31

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

1:38

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:44

Okay.

1:45

Mr.

1:46

Secretary of the role.

1:49

Tom Badavino.

1:50

Present.

1:51

Tyler Ekstrom.

1:54

Present.

1:54

Okay.

1:55

Nathaniel Spencer, present.

1:57

Um Commissioner Elizabeth Emory is here.

2:01

Um Commissioner Andrew Regan.

2:04

Present.

2:05

Uh Commissioner.

2:07

Morgan Monarca.

2:10

Commissioner Vinny Sinkowitz.

2:13

Here.

2:14

Uh alternates alternate commissioner Alan Cunningham.

2:19

Commissioner Emily MacElvoy.

2:21

Present.

2:22

Commissioner Conrad Leonard.

2:25

Okay, there that is the role.

2:27

Okay, Commissioner McAvoy will be seated for Commissioner Mark Monarco.

2:37

Okay, item three.

2:40

Items removed from the agenda.

2:42

Let's see.

2:43

Item eight point one has been uh postponed by the applicant to March twenty fifth so that they can address uh staff comments and more specifically obtain uh health department approval.

2:56

And item eight point two was postponed and extended by the applicant um to both to the March twenty-fifth meeting uh so um they can address staff comments.

3:10

Public comment on items on the agenda which are not currently scheduled for a public hearing.

3:14

Hey, there's no one here in the chambers.

3:16

Is there anyone online?

3:17

There is nobody online, but we do have uh Judas Judith Lambson Rockwell to speak on items eight point three and eight point four.

3:25

Okay.

3:32

Uh item eight point three request for an affirmative GS eight dash twenty-four report for a new commercial lease for Wild Rose Studio LLC at the RM Keating Historical Enterprise Park, one eighty Johnson Street, applicant agent Christine Marks, economic and community development.

4:19

Starting at four dollars a square foot.

4:45

Any opposed signify by saying nay.

4:48

Thank you.

4:49

Motion passes.

5:00

Item 8.4 request for a partial release and allocation of the Mercy View subdivision bond, um, subdivision S 2020 2016-1 in accordance with the purchase and sale agreement between the City of Middletown and Cacomo 2, LLC applicant agent, City of Middletown S 2026-1.

5:12

Okay, apologies, Mr.

5:14

Chair, I'll speak on this one.

5:15

Okay.

5:16

Um so this is a request to um release portions of the bond before before I get into exactly what the request is from the commission for for a motion.

5:30

Um little background, there was a subdivision, um, Mercy View subdivision uh that got final subdivision approval back in 2019.

5:39

Um developed under that, um, including um the creation of a roadway and an open space parcel.

5:48

Um in 2022, um the developer bought an adjacent lot and built two more new houses on that road.

5:56

So um bringing us to this date in 2026, about seven years since um final approval, the roadway has not been completed.

6:07

Um we've been working with the developer for we've been really talking about this for over a year now, and we tried to come up with a plan to get the roadway completed last year, and we did not do that.

6:21

Um so um we've come to an agreement that we're the best way to ensure completion is for the city to take the road as is and um and complete it ourselves.

6:35

Our public works division is ready to mobilize um now that the weather is clearing up, and um once we take title to the road, we'll be able to um get get the work done.

6:48

So part of the uh negotiated deal with the developer um is really what what to do with the 250,000 dollar bond that's uh being held for this uh development.

7:00

Um so what what the plan was was the city was going to take 145,000 dollars of that bond and to complete the road, um which includes um a little bit of grading um on the edges, installing a curb, um making adjustments to the catch basins, and then putting down a uh a top layer coat.

7:22

Um there may be some repairs to the base course as needed, but that will be evaluated right before the work is done.

7:30

Um so uh 145,000 would go to the public works department for the completion.

7:36

Um $60,000 would be returned to the to the developer plus accrued interest, and then $45,000 will be held by the commission um to ensure the completion of the unpaved driveways.

7:50

Um you may remember that uh the developer came in for a waiver of to modify the subdivision approval to get a waiver of the uh sidewalk requirement.

8:02

Um in lieu of a sidewalk, the developer agreed to pave um everybody's driveway.

8:10

Um so the commission uh voted and and and agreed that was that was fine.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████████████53%

Procedural██████████████████████26%

Public Works█████████████15%

Zoning Regulations█████6%

Summary of Proceedings

Middletown Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting - March 11, 2026

The Middletown Planning and Zoning Commission held its regular meeting on March 11, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers and via WebEx. The meeting covered several agenda items, including approvals of a commercial lease, a subdivision bond release, and staff reports. Two items were postponed by the applicants to the March 25, 2026 meeting.

Items Removed from Agenda

8.1 (Freeman Road Subdivision) and 8.2 (AMI Sports Addition) were postponed by the applicants to the March 25, 2026 meeting to address staff comments and obtain health department approval.

Public Comments on Non-Hearing Items

No members of the public were present in chambers; one attendee was online but did not speak. The commission noted Judith Lambson Rockwell would speak on items 8.3 and 8.4.

New Business

8.3 – GS 8-24 Report for Wild Rose Studio, LLC Lease: The commission approved an affirmative GS 8-24 report for a new commercial lease at the R.M. Keating Historical Enterprise Park (180 Johnson Street). The lease rate was noted as starting at $4 per square foot. The motion passed without opposition.
8.4 – Partial Release and Allocation of Mercy View Subdivision Bond (S2016-1): Staff presented a detailed request to release portions of the $250,000 bond for the Mercy View subdivision (final approval 2019). The developer failed to complete the roadway (Jack English Drive). The city negotiated a purchase and sale agreement to take title and complete the road. The proposed allocation was: $145,000 to the Department of Public Works for road completion (grading, curbing, catch basin adjustments, top coat); $60,000 plus accrued interest returned to the developer; $45,000 retained ($10,000 from PZC bond, $35,000 from Water & Sewer bond) until driveways are paved (in lieu of sidewalks). Commissioners discussed enforcement mechanisms and the city's lack of legal access to the private road, referencing past issues. Staff noted lessons learned and plans to codify temporary construction easements in subdivision regulations. The motion passed unanimously.

Public Comment on Topics Not Subject to Hearing

No public comment was offered; one person was online but did not speak.

Minutes, Staff Reports, and Commission Affairs

Minutes: The minutes of the February 11, 2026 regular meeting were approved unanimously.
RiverCOG Report: The February 2026 RiverCOG meeting was cancelled.
Staff Report: Staff announced a public hearing on proposed zoning text amendments related to tobacco and cannabis retail businesses (smoke shops) at the March 25, 2026 meeting. The moratorium on such businesses expires at the end of March. Commissioners were encouraged to review the draft amendments.

Key Outcomes

Approved: GS 8-24 report for Wild Rose Studio, LLC lease.
Approved: Partial release and allocation of Mercy View Subdivision bond with specific allocations and retainage.
Approved: Minutes of February 11, 2026 regular meeting.
Scheduled: Public hearing on zoning text amendments for March 25, 2026.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 7:31 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Seven eleven, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance if you're able. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Mr. Secretary of the role. Tom Badavino. Present. Tyler Ekstrom. Present. Okay. Nathaniel Spencer, present. Um Commissioner Elizabeth Emory is here. Um Commissioner Andrew Regan. Present. Uh Commissioner. Morgan Monarca. Commissioner Vinny Sinkowitz. Here. Uh alternates alternate commissioner Alan Cunningham. Commissioner Emily MacElvoy. Present. Commissioner Conrad Leonard. Okay, there that is the role. Okay, Commissioner McAvoy will be seated for Commissioner Mark Monarco. Okay, item three. Items removed from the agenda. Let's see. Item eight point one has been uh postponed by the applicant to March twenty fifth so that they can address uh staff comments and more specifically obtain uh health department approval. And item eight point two was postponed and extended by the applicant um to both to the March twenty-fifth meeting uh so um they can address staff comments. Public comment on items on the agenda which are not currently scheduled for a public hearing. Hey, there's no one here in the chambers. Is there anyone online? There is nobody online, but we do have uh Judas Judith Lambson Rockwell to speak on items eight point three and eight point four. Okay. Uh item eight point three request for an affirmative GS eight dash twenty-four report for a new commercial lease for Wild Rose Studio LLC at the RM Keating Historical Enterprise Park, one eighty Johnson Street, applicant agent Christine Marks, economic and community development. Starting at four dollars a square foot. Any opposed signify by saying nay. Thank you. Motion passes. Item 8.4 request for a partial release and allocation of the Mercy View subdivision bond, um, subdivision S 2020 2016-1 in accordance with the purchase and sale agreement between the City of Middletown and Cacomo 2, LLC applicant agent, City of Middletown S 2026-1. Okay, apologies, Mr. Chair, I'll speak on this one. Okay. Um so this is a request to um release portions of the bond before before I get into exactly what the request is from the commission for for a motion. Um little background, there was a subdivision, um, Mercy View subdivision uh that got final subdivision approval back in 2019. Um developed under that, um, including um the creation of a roadway and an open space parcel. Um in 2022, um the developer bought an adjacent lot and built two more new houses on that road. So um bringing us to this date in 2026, about seven years since um final approval, the roadway has not been completed. Um we've been working with the developer for we've been really talking about this for over a year now, and we tried to come up with a plan to get the roadway completed last year, and we did not do that.

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