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Record of Proceedings

Middletown Zoning Board of Appeals Special Meeting – July 8, 2026

Common Council & Commissions — Wednesday, July 8, 2026
BodyMiddletown, Connecticut
SessionCommon Council & Commissions
DateWednesday, July 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 10:27

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0:01

Okay.

0:03

Yep.

0:03

I'd like to call to order.

0:05

The meeting uh Wednesday, July 8th, 2026.

0:09

The time is now 5 30.

0:13

Would you please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:17

I pledge allegiance.

0:22

And to the Republic.

0:25

One nation.

0:26

Under God.

0:29

Liberty.

0:31

For all.

0:34

Okay, we'd like to do a roll call.

0:36

Callie Grippo.

0:38

Andrew Santanello.

0:40

Present.

0:40

Linda Guarino.

0:42

Nicholas Ferraro Ficaro.

0:44

Here.

0:45

Richard Pelletier.

0:47

Here.

0:48

And Thomas Hazel.

0:50

Here.

0:50

Okay.

0:53

Gonna open to public comment.

0:55

Anyone that would like to speak to anything not on the agenda.

0:59

Okay, since there's nobody here.

1:01

I'd like to uh call for an approval of the minutes for May 7th, 2026 regular meeting.

1:08

Can I get a motion?

1:10

I motion to approve the minutes of the May 7, 2026 regular meeting.

1:14

I second.

1:15

Okay.

1:16

All in favor?

1:17

Aye.

1:18

Okay.

1:19

Move on to old business and there is none.

1:22

New business and there is none.

1:25

The we will be going straight into the public hearing.

1:29

Would you like to read it?

1:31

Yeah.

1:32

8.1, a request for a variance of section 2.2.3 of the Middletown Zoning Code regarding rear yard and side yard setbacks to allow for the construction of a 2,016 square foot garage located at 169 Cross Street in the R 15 zone.

1:51

Applicant agent Paul Pito, landmark architects, V2026-2.

2:02

Anyone here to present the application?

2:05

Yes, good afternoon.

2:06

My name is Paul Pizzo, Landmark Architect here at Middle Town.

2:09

Does he have that thing on?

2:10

No.

2:11

No.

2:11

That's not just be a slide switch.

2:18

There you go.

2:19

Better?

2:21

Okay.

2:21

Good afternoon.

2:22

My name is Paul Pizzo from Landmark Architects here in Middletown, Connecticut, representing the fire department, city of Middletown.

2:30

About six months ago, eight months ago, we were retained to do a um uh an analysis of the building and make interior improvements to the building.

2:38

The building is pretty well, it's it's past its useful life at this point.

2:42

Interiors all need to be done.

2:44

When that happened, the chief asked if we could put some together some kind of a of a building in the back.

2:48

They needed a garage to store their boats and their equipment that's in the back of you.

2:52

So you drive by across the you'll see it now today in that same location.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Regulations█████████████████████████████████████████████54%
Procedural██████████████████████████████████████46%
Summary of Proceedings

Middletown Zoning Board of Appeals Special Meeting – July 8, 2026

The Middletown Zoning Board of Appeals convened a special meeting on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 5:30 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The board approved prior meeting minutes, conducted a public hearing for a variance request at 169 Cross Street, and tabled a second variance request for lack of a quorum.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (May 7, 2026): The minutes of the May 7, 2026 regular meeting were approved by unanimous voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public offered comments during the public comment period or during the public hearing.

Public Hearing – V2026-2: 169 Cross Street Garage Variance

  • Applicant/Agent: Paul Pizzo, Landmark Architects, representing the City of Middletown Fire Department.
  • Request: A variance of Section 2.2.3 of the Middletown Zoning Code to reduce rear and side yard setbacks to 5 feet, permitting construction of a 2,016 square foot, three-bay garage in the R-15 zone.
  • Stated Need: The existing fire station has outlived its useful life; interior renovations are underway. The fire chief requested a garage to store boats and equipment currently kept outside, and to house an additional apparatus now stored at the Water and Sewer Department. The station was built for a four-person shift but now has eight personnel and more vehicles.
  • Setback Details: The side yard setback would be reduced to 5 feet; the rear yard would also be reduced to 5 feet because the actual property line is approximately 10 feet from the fence line, which sits on Wesleyan University property (Wesleyan is aware and does not object).
  • Board Questions and Deliberation: Members asked about alternative placement (none feasible), the nature of the hardship (increased station capacity and personnel), and parking impacts (a few spaces lost, but still sufficient; dispatch is relocating in about a year). Board members expressed support, finding the hardship legitimate and the site the only workable option.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Close Public Hearing: Passed unanimously.
  • Motion to Approve V2026-2: Passed unanimously, granting the variance for the 2,016 SF garage at 169 Cross Street.
  • V2026-3 (414 High Street) Tabled: The second variance request (a 35 SF addition seeking relief from side yard setbacks in the MXR zone, applicants Rachel & Christopher Drake) was tabled because member Nicholas Ficaro recused himself and Linda Guarino was absent, leaving the board without a quorum to act.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. Yep. I'd like to call to order. The meeting uh Wednesday, July 8th, 2026. The time is now 5 30. Would you please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance. And to the Republic. One nation. Under God. Liberty. For all. Okay, we'd like to do a roll call. Callie Grippo. Andrew Santanello. Present. Linda Guarino. Nicholas Ferraro Ficaro. Here. Richard Pelletier. Here. And Thomas Hazel. Here. Okay. Gonna open to public comment. Anyone that would like to speak to anything not on the agenda. Okay, since there's nobody here. I'd like to uh call for an approval of the minutes for May 7th, 2026 regular meeting. Can I get a motion? I motion to approve the minutes of the May 7, 2026 regular meeting. I second. Okay. All in favor? Aye. Okay. Move on to old business and there is none. New business and there is none. The we will be going straight into the public hearing. Would you like to read it? Yeah. 8.1, a request for a variance of section 2.2.3 of the Middletown Zoning Code regarding rear yard and side yard setbacks to allow for the construction of a 2,016 square foot garage located at 169 Cross Street in the R 15 zone. Applicant agent Paul Pito, landmark architects, V2026-2. Anyone here to present the application? Yes, good afternoon. My name is Paul Pizzo, Landmark Architect here at Middle Town. Does he have that thing on? No. No. That's not just be a slide switch. There you go.

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