Middletown’s 220-acre plan for recapturing waterfront: ‘A game-changer for downtown’

Joining Rocky Hill, East Hartford and other communities that are trying to make better use of waterfront land, Middletown is working to revitalize 220 acres along the Connecticut River as stores, apartments, mini-parks, an entertainment district and restaurants.

The town’s new 48-page Return to the Riverbend proposal outlines an enormously ambitious vision for recapturing land that has been blighted for decades.

Currently the acreage south of Harbor Park is a sprawling patchwork of abandoned industrial buildings, cracked parking lots, scruffy fields of weeds and the out-of-service sewage treatment plant.

Replacing all of that with bike paths, walking trails, parks, modern apartments, waterfront restaurants, public docks and more would be the type of transformation usually associated with large cities such as Boston and Seattle.

Middletown leaders acknowledge the Riverbend concept would require intensive private investment as well as public spending, but emphasize that it gives the community a long-term direction.

“One of the things we’re trying to make sure people understand is that this isn’t something we’ll see tomorrow — this is a 10- to 20-year period,” said Bobbye Knoll Peterson, acting director of economic and community development.

Consultants created graphics for the Riverbend report showing parks, sculptures and waterfront promenades, and the document suggests the possibility of splash pads, pickleball courts and even future passenger rail service such as the Essex steam train.

Town officials called the ideas achievable, and Mayor Ben Florsheim — a major proponent of waterfront revitalization — has noted that Middletown has been acquiring old industrial properties in the area.

The town also has been applying for state brownfields remediation grants, and Peterson said that will be a key part of establishing the foundation for new development.

“The environmental cleanup is one of the first things we’ll be doing,” she said.

“The Return to Riverbend project is a game-changer for downtown Middletown,” Pamela Steele, downtown district chair with the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, said in the report. “We want people to live and work downtown, but also play downtown. This project will not only enhance the quality of life for our residents, but the surrounding towns as well.”

Middletown is not alone in trying to get more value from its waterfront.

East Hartford this spring announced a partnership with Goodwin College to restore some of its Connecticut River frontage for a marina, housing, restaurants and possibly a hotel. Similarly, Rocky Hill is working on a public-private partnership to reclaim prime riverfront land that’s now used for industrial parking and storage.

“Historically towns all along the river let that resource be divided. Now people are realizing what an asset it is,” Peterson said.

“Middletown is uniquely situated to be a destination for something this like this. We’re right in the heart of the state, we already have people who come up to our restaurants and other amenities,” she said.

Work is already under way to remodel the former Canoe Club on the riverfront into a restaurant, coffee house and brewery, with Aubrey and Rocco Lamonica, owners of Eli Cannon’s Tap Room and Brew Pub, as the central operators.

Another early part of the plan would be to build a pedestrian bridge from the town center across Route 9 to reach the waterfront. The highway has separated the heart of the community from the river for more than 50 years.

Florsheim’s administration and a study team have been gathering suggestions from residents about what they’d like, and the proposal is heavy on large public spaces.

“The plan proposes an extensive park network with major public destinations and access points every 1/4 mile (approximately five minutes walking distance) along the waterfront between Harbor Park and the new boat launch at the intersection of River Road and Silver Street,” according to the report.

“The centerpiece of the new park system is Riverbend Park, a 16-acre park anchored by the former municipal wastewater treatment plant site, proposed as a new cultural and entertainment destination, with flanking event lawn and public dock space,” it said.

The architecture and urban design firm Cooper Robertson along with Langan and Karp Strategies developed the plan, which incorporated comments from more than 1,200 residents.