PLANNING BOARD MINUTES

Commercial Design Standard Subcommittee

October 19, 2023, 3:00pm

Planning Office – Town Hall

350 East Main Road

Middletown, RI 02842

 

Members present:                                                            

Mike Fenton, Chair

Bill Nash           

Paul Croce

                                                           

Others present:

Ron Wolanski, Town Planner           

Anita Guo, Principal Planner

 

 

1.    Review, discuss, and make recommendations to the Planning Board regarding possible amendments to the Middletown Rules and Regulations Regarding the Subdivision and Development of Land, Article 5, Section 521 regarding commercial development design standards.

A.    The subcommittee reviewed the Town’s Ordinance Section 521 on Commercial Development. Proposed changes include:

1.    521.2.C.2 – changing the use of synthetic building materials or substitutes to subject to administrative approval

2.    521.2.A.2 – changing to require an architectural design feature in lieu of the 48” break in plane on the street side façade(s) of buildings

3.    521.A – changing site design to encourage pedestrian activity where appropriate.

4.    521.1.D.1 – changing exterior lighting design to comply with Article 27B on Outdoor Lighting

5.    521.1.E.2 – changing so that all roof-mounted equipment shall be screened from the public way, either by being set back from the roof edge or by being screened and incorporated into the design of the building.

B.    There was discussion about amending building setbacks in the future.

C.   There was also discussion on commercial garage doors and loading docks and landscape buffers in parking lots to be continued in the next meeting.

 

Meeting adjourned by consensus at 4:00pm.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Anita Guo, Principal Planner