The Middletown Planning Board has given the green light to zoning amendments for the proposed Middletown Center development. This unanimous approval paves the way for the project to be reviewed by the Town Council.
The board’s positive recommendation comes with a few strings attached. The development team has already made about two dozen changes, and the Planning Board has suggested an additional dozen or so conditions.
The planned development at 600-740 West Main Road is set to include a 144-room extended stay hotel, 150 apartments, commercial and retail spaces, and a community park.
Key changes approved by the Planning Board include:
- Capping the hotel at four stories and 55 feet in height
- Bumping up “affordable housing” units to 18, which is 12% of the total apartments
- Limiting store sizes to no more than 15,000 square feet
- Requiring six- and 12-month leases for apartments, with a ban on short-term rentals
The Town Council is now set to review the zoning amendments. Special meetings are scheduled for June 23 and 30 at 6 p.m. in the Gaudet Middle School cafetorium.
The development agreement, which got the thumbs up in October 2024, includes a ground lease starting at $375,000 per year. This amount will increase by 12.5% every five years over the 99-year agreement.
Residents looking for more information about the Middletown Center project can check out the town’s website at MiddletownRI.gov.
