Middletown Design Review Board Meeting: Historic Renovation and Wesleyan Zoning Discussion - June 10, 2026
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Middletown Design Review Board Meeting: Historic Renovation and Wesleyan Zoning Discussion - June 10, 2026
The Design Review Board met on June 10, 2026, to consider two main agenda items: a proposed exterior renovation of a historic circa-1730s house at 210 Trips Road, and a presentation from Wesleyan University regarding a major redevelopment of its low-rise and high-rise housing complex along William Street, which would require a zoning map amendment. The board approved the renovation with conditions and expressed general support for the university's vision while requesting a site walk to further evaluate the streetscape context.
Consent Calendar
- The board approved the minutes from the April 2026 meeting by motion, second, and unanimous vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public offered comments during either the initial public comment period or the later opportunity.
Discussion Items
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Item 4.1: Proposed Exterior Renovation at 210 Trips Road
The general contractor for homeowner Brian Kubek presented plans to restore the nearly 300-year-old historic house. The existing windows and siding are beyond repair due to dry rot, woodpecker damage, and general dilapidation. The proposal originally included aluminum-clad wood windows and cementitious (HardiePlank) siding, aiming to match the historical appearance. Board members discussed window specifications, preferring wood frames over aluminum, and requested an eight-over-twelve asymmetrical sash (mullion pattern) with simulated divided lights and mullions on both sides matching the original profile. The siding reveal was to be kept identical. The contractor agreed to use wood windows and follow the board's guidance. The board also acknowledged the owner's commitment to preserving the historic character. -
Item 4.2: Presentation and Discussion of Modifying Zoning Boundaries – Wesleyan University Housing Plan
Rich Carello (attorney) and Jeff Murphy (campus planner) introduced the university's internal study of residential life needs. Joined by Carla Cheruzzi and Vinicius Gorgati of Sasaki Associates, they presented a conceptual plan to redevelop the low-rise and high-rise complex adjacent to Traverse Square, which currently houses about 10% of students. The project proposes building 200–225 new beds for sophomores and juniors in apartment and dormitory style, allowing removal of the low-rise and either renovating or replacing the eight-story high-rise. Key design concepts include a new accessible green space, improved pedestrian connectivity between Main Street and campus, and a complete-streets upgrade for William Street. The plan also includes potential brownfield remediation of the former Four City Cleaners site downhill from the power plant. To realize the project, the university seeks to rezone its properties in that block from Downtown Village District (DVD) to Institutional Development (ID), and rezone 44 Hamlin Street (former preschool) to MX (Mixed Use) for art studios. The board discussed the scope and process, acknowledging the need for a zone map amendment by the Planning & Zoning Commission. Members expressed favorable initial impressions, praising the connectivity and open space, but noted the complexity and requested a site walk to study the actual streetscape. The board also discussed that the DVD zone gives this board purview over exterior changes, and that the reduction of the DVD area could be considered for the right project. Chair indicated a plan to arrange a field trip with board members and possibly Wesleyan representatives.
Key Outcomes
- Renovation at 210 Trips Road: Approved by motion (unanimous) with conditions: windows must be wood, with eight-over-twelve asymmetrical divided lights, mullions on both sides matching original profile, and siding reveal preserved. The contractor will relay the conditions to the owner.
- Wesleyan Zoning Discussion: No formal vote. The board directed the chair to coordinate with the city planner and Wesleyan to schedule a site walk (likely before the July Planning & Zoning meeting) to better evaluate the William Street corridor. The board's informal consensus was that the project concept is attractive and that a zone change is not a hard no, but further detail and public input are needed.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. We'll call the meeting to order. Item number two, public comic uh for items on the agenda. This is we offer you an opportunity for anyone that wants to make a comment uh for anything on the agenda. Once we take up an agenda item, you'll have opportunity if you want to wait till it's specific, but seeing none, we'll move on. There's nothing under old business, which new business 4.1. Proposed exterior renovation at uh 210 trips road. Hey you doing? I'm um I'm here on behalf of the homeowner uh Brian Kubek. He's actually out of the country right now. I'm the general contractor on the project. Um I guess pretty much he has to keep the house historical, uh how it looks on the outside. Um so the plan is to use materials, have the grids in the windows be the same as the original ones. They're gonna be aluminum clad, wood inside. Um the siding's gonna either be a clapboard or a cementuous siding that has wood grain in it. Um the doors are gonna be solid wood on the outside, and basically the entire house is gonna be kept to its historical um you know look. Um I'm not sure if you guys have any questions for me, if there's anything that you need to ask me based on the photos and the information. Let's talk about the windows. Okay. I think that that's probably from a historic structure that's probably something that comes up more often than not. So can you tell us a little bit more about the windows because in general we we'd like to see them kept yeah. So I mean, basically with the windows, the biggest thing's gonna be the grid pattern on them. Um more than anything else. Um nobody's going with full wood windows on the outside anymore just because they get destroyed by the weather. Um so he wanted to keep the exact same style of the windows. Um he's going with a Pacific um Sierra Pacific window, which is a high grade window, and basically it's keeping the exact same style and look as the original windows in the house. But it's c clad in metal. It's aluminum clad over wood. Aluminum clad over wood. Yes, on the outside. Would it be something that you would want him to do a full wood window that would need to be basically treated every couple years, something like that? Would that be more acceptable? I don't know if it's the pro the property's not in a historic district, but it's circa 17. Nearly 300 years old. Yeah, so it's a c this is a significant historical resources inventory. Um it's a historic resource, but not in a district. Right. Walking by what I know it wasn't wood. Um I'm sorry. The windows on the house currently are wood. If you walked by you would not be able to tell. Yeah. It's not something that would be I mean, that's not gonna be like uh the end all of it. If he has to go with wood windows, he will. Um I think it's more of just a uh maintenance thing. And as far as the siding on the house, um if you go with a cementous hardy board, you wouldn't be able to know if it was wood or not unless you hit it with a hammer. So I don't know if that's gonna be a a big deal. It's gonna look like the original. Yeah. Um given that it is an a historic building inven on the inventory of the states.
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