MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — The Middletown Town Council has scheduled two public hearings next month to gather community feedback on the proposed Middletown Center development, a mixed-use project planned for a prominent location along West Main Road.
The hearings will take place on September 16 and September 30, both starting at 6 p.m. in the Middletown High School cafetorium at 130 Valley Road. Town officials chose the school venue over the usual Town Hall location in anticipation of significant public attendance.
The Middletown Center project would be located at 600-740 West Main Road in the heart of town. The development proposal requires several municipal approvals, including amendments to the town’s comprehensive plan map, zoning map changes, and the creation of a new overlay district.
“This is an important process and we know there’s a lot of interest in it,” Town Council President Paul M. Rodrigues said during Monday night’s council meeting. “We’re looking forward to hearing what people have to say about the project.”
The timing of the September hearings was deliberate, according to local leaders, who wanted to avoid scheduling conflicts with summer vacation plans while ensuring all legal advertising requirements are met.
During Monday’s meeting, the Town Council reviewed several documents related to the project as part of the consent calendar, including the Planning Board’s recommendation memo and proposed ordinances for the comprehensive plan revision, zoning designation changes, and overlay district amendments.
The following documents related to Middletown Center were presented Monday night during the consent calendar portion of the meeting:
- For a memo about the Planning Board recommendation on a request for amendment to the town’s comprehensive plan map amendment, zoning map amendment and the proposed overlay district, click https://mdl.town/MC-PB-Recommendation-Memo online.
- For a proposed ordinance with revision to the comprehensive plan, visit https://mdl.town/MC-Comp-Plan online.
- For a proposed amendment to the zoning designation, go to https://mdl.town/MC-Proposed-Zoning-Designation online.
- For a proposed amendment to the overlay district ordinance, check https://mdl.town/MC-Proposed-Town-Code-Amendment online.
- For other documents related to the Middletown Center project, visit https://mdl.town/MC-Planning and https://mdl.town/MC-CAC online.
The hearings represent a critical juncture for the development proposal, giving residents their first formal opportunity to voice support, concerns, or questions about the project’s potential impact on the community.
The two-hearing format will allow for extended public input on what appears to be one of the most significant development proposals to come before Middletown in recent years. Town officials have emphasized that all community members will have opportunities to participate in the process.
The hearings are scheduled for September 16 and 30 at 6 p.m. in the Middletown High School cafetorium, 130 Valley Road.
