May 7, 2026 - Joint Meeting with Town Council

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350 East Main Road, Middletown, RI 02842 (401) 849-4027 | MiddletownRI.com |

PLANNING BOARD MINUTES

Special Meeting

May 7, 2026, 6pm

Town Council Chambers – Town Hall

350 East Main Road

Middletown, RI 02842

Board members present:

Paul Croce, Chair

Charlie Vaillancourt, Vice Chair

B.J. Owen

Joe Pierik

Matt Skirzenski

Art Weber, Secretary

Steve Huttler

Also present

Ron Wolanski, Town Planner

The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm.

a.    Council President Rodrigues provided introductory remarks.

b.    Planning Board Chair Croce provided introductory remarks.

c.     Mr. Croce then proceeded to review his memo to the Town Council listing the Planning Board’s identified topics of discussion, as follows:

i.    New Comprehensive Community Plan — What are your priorities?  Mr. Croce noted that the plan has yet to be formally presented to the Town Council but invited any input or questions. In response to a question, he stated that the most significant change from the prior plan is the addition of a chapter focusing on resilience to climate change.

ii.    Long-term housing strategy — Is this your highest priority?  Is it covered by the new Comp Plan?   There was discussion of several items, including the Town’s proposed affordable housing project on East Main Rd.; a recent public forum of housing hosted by the Chamber of Commerce; increasing demand for housing, including NOAA and Coast Guard expansion at Naval Station Newport; the need to balance housing development with impacts on the Town; impacts of state housing legislation; public vs. private development of housing; and housing affordability.

iii.    West Main Coddington — Is this your next highest priority?  There was discussion of the latest development concept for the property agreed to by the Town and developer team, which does not include relocating the West Main Road Rec. Complex or redevelopment of the library and JFK school parcels. Any formal development plans will be presented to the Planning Board as part of the standard development review process.

iv.    Undergrounding of utility poles in the Atlantic Beach District (ABD) — The Planning Board sees this as not only benefiting ABD, but all of Middletown. Can a commitment be made to set aside TIF funds for this purpose? There was discussion of the impact of funding the TIF on the broader tax base; the anticipated cost for undergrounding utilities based on design plans, which are in development; and the importance of the Town showing commitment to the project in order to attract private funding. The Town Council made no funding commitment.

v.    Inclusionary zoning ordinance — The Planning Board will consider a draft ordinance shortly, subject to guidance/advice from the Town Council on how it melds with other housing efforts included in state law, e.g., Comprehensive Permits. The Town Council indicated that it would be interested in receiving a revised draft inclusionary zoning ordinance for consideration.

vi.    Inspection/enforcement to ensure that development projects are constructed in accordance with approved plans. There was discussion of the need to ensure that all aspects of development plans approved by the Planning Board are implemented. Completion of landscaping in accordance with approved plans is an ongoing issue. There was discussion of inspection and enforcement responsibilities. There was agreement that oversight must be improved.

vii.    __General plan for infrastructure — water, sewer  __There was discussion of past efforts to implement a wastewater management district and a stormwater utility. It was noted that the Town Council did not proceed due to concern over the impact on property owners. There was agreement on the importance of improved stormwater management and treatment. The Town Council indicated that it would consider a draft plan if provided by the Planning Board.

viii.    Consideration of all fees impacting new development, particularly housing (e.g. development impact fees, building permit fees, utility connection fees):  This item was not discussed.

ix.    Tax incentives for preservation of historical resources — Once again it will be highlighted in the new Comp Plan. Should we send an already-prepared draft ordinance forward to Town Council consideration? The Town Council indicated that it would be willing to consider a proposed incentive program, but would need to see a fiscal impact analysis.

a.    Joanne Thornton expressed concern over the lack of reference to Potsy Field in the draft of the new comprehensive plan.

b.    Kim Blass requested that a “redline” version of the draft comprehensive plan be provided to identify all changes from the prior plan.

c.     Terri Flynn expressed concern about the reduced length of the draft comprehensive plan in comparison to the prior plan.

d.    Karen Biastre requested a “redline” copy of the proposed comprehensive plan.

e.    Mike Flynn stated that the Atlantic Beach District TIF ordinance, if funded, could have provided significant funding toward the undergrounding of utilities.

f.      Lawrence Frank asked about the potential use of the Hoogendoorn nursery land purchased by the Town for housing and made other comments related to housing. He indicated support for reducing the size of the comprehensive plan.

Meeting adjourned by consensus at approximately 8:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Arthur S. Weber, Jr., Secretary