Middletown Center Citizens Advisory Committee offers recommendations. What they suggested.

Zane Wolfang, Newport Daily News
·4 min read

MIDDLETOWN – After Melissa Welch’s presentation concluded, it was clear President Paul Rodrigues and the rest of the Town Council were enthusiastic about the Citizens Advisory Committee’s proposed revisions to the Middletown Center development proposal on West Main Road which would see the fields adjacent to the public library transformed into housing, retail space, a hotel, green space, and a brand new public library. The councilors said they would accept the recommendations and include them in their ongoing negotiations with developers.

Rodrigues said the recommendations came at the “perfect time” to be folded into negotiations as the developers are currently calculating the infrastructure impact of the project and build their capital stack.

The seven-member Citizen’s Advisory Committee, which was proposed at a July 2022 Town Council meeting, held its first meeting in October 2022. They continued to meet on a biweekly basis for the following six months, and presented to the council on May 1 a report containing an extensive and detailed set of recommendations centered around the library and adjacent green space, active recreation spaces for the public, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure and safety. They also mentioned several continuing concerns they have with the project, including the sized of the proposed hotel and the potential impact of increased traffic in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The Center Citizens Advisory Committee suggesteds ways to make the "Middletown Center" project safer and more a part of the communit at a meeting Monday night.
The Center Citizens Advisory Committee suggesteds ways to make the "Middletown Center" project safer and more a part of the communit at a meeting Monday night.

Library and green space

The advisory committee recommended adjusting the location of the new library to maximize adjacent green space, which they posited could include a playground, walking paths and a flagpole memorial and could host a farmer’s market. They also suggested the developers ensure the site design allows for the library to have a loading dock.

Recreation space

Considering Middletown Center would eliminate existing fields and basketball courts near a densely populated residential area, the committee recommended including basketball and pickleball courts as well as active-play areas for young children and multi-use pathways for cyclists, walkers and joggers. Their report noted Middletown’s comprehensive plan highlights the need to provide recreational opportunities to underserved neighborhoods, and also stated the Middletown library’s community survey results found the children’s area to be one of the most frequently used sections of the library.

Previous coverage: Developer previews what's next after West Main Road development partnership with Middletown

Bike and Pedestrian access and safety

One key element the developers did propose from the beginning is a multi-use bike and walking path – but the current design shows the path running alongside West Main Road and crossing the entrances into the development. The advisory committee proposal shifts the pedestrian path to the west side of the property, parallel to Lake Erie Street with an outlet onto Constitution Avenue on its way around the library. They called a bike path that connects directly to downtown Newport via the Coddington Highway Bike Path and the planned path associated with the Newport Bridge ramp project “a strong selling point for hotel guests and residents.”

This rendering shows the proposed Middletown Center at the intersection of West Main Road and Coddington Highway.
This rendering shows the proposed Middletown Center at the intersection of West Main Road and Coddington Highway.

Committee has some continuing concerns about elements of Middletown Center development proposal

The CAC report indicated that the committee kept hearing recurring complaints from members of the committee and members of the public, and determined that while the complaints fell outside the scope of the committee’s ability to address in detail, they should be preserved for the record.

Chief among these concerns is the size and height of the hotel and residential buildings, and the extent of the associated parking. They recommended integrating parking into the basement or ground floor of the hotel, similar to Hammetts Hotel and Brenton Hotel in Newport.

Another concern mentioned was potential stormwater run-off and flooding issues, which they recommended mitigating permeable pavers similar to those used along Broadway in Newport and exploring the use of materials such as Flexi-Pave, a porous pavement, for the bike and pedestrian pathways.

More coverage: Should voters decide on Middletown Center development proposal? Town Council says no.

Who is on the Citizens Advisory Committee?

Multiple councilors made a point to thank the CAC for the extensive time, effort and energy they put into producing a thorough and thoughtful set of recommendations, and expressed their enthusiasm across the board for the recommendations offered. The seven-member committee was comprised as follows:

Karen Barbera – co-chair; Tree Commission member

Melissa Welch – co-chair; Conservation Commission member

Emily Buck – transportation engineer; Bike & Pedestrian Committee member

Deborah Murphy – adjacent neighborhood resident

Karen Roarke – former Town Council and Open Space & Fields Commission member

Michael Fenton – Planning Board liaison

Sara Poirer – Open Space & Fields Commission liaison

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Middletown Center proposal reviewed by Citizens Advisory Committee