| | |
THIS MEETING CAN BE HEARD IN ITS ENTIRETY ON THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN WEBSITE WWW.MIDDLETOWNRI.COM OR THE DVD IS AVAILABLE AT THE MIDDLETOWN LIBRARY.
At a Special Meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Middletown, RI at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, RI in person on Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 6:00 P.M.
Council President Paul M. Rodrigues, Presiding
Vice President Thomas P. Welch, III
Councilor Peter D. Connerton, Sr.
Councilor Charles R. Roberts
Councilor Dennis B. Turano,
Councilor Barbara A. VonVillas, Members Present
Absent:
Councilor Christopher M. Logan
POSTED – MAY 1, 2026
SPECIAL MEETING – MAY 7, 2026
The following items of business, having been filed with the Town Clerk under the Rules of the Council, will come before the Council at a special meeting to be held on Thursday, May 7, 2026, 6:00 P.M. at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, Rhode Island. Said meeting will be conducted in person. Virtual access will also be provided by telephone conference call/ webinar and members of the public may access and listen to the meeting in real-time by calling 1-877-853-5257 (Toll Free) or 1-888-475-4499 (Toll Free) and entering Meeting ID: 867 3755 0623 or on the web at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86737550623 ; however, virtual access is being provided only as a convenience and is not an official "location" where access to the meeting is guaranteed. Being physically present at the meeting is the only way to guarantee complete access to the meeting, as the meeting will not be paused or rescheduled if the virtual access fails.
Wendy J.W. Marshall, MMC
Town Clerk
Town of Middletown
Town Hall – 350 East Main Road
Middletown, Rhode Island 02842
Dear Ms. Marshall:
Pursuant to the provisions of Article II, Section 203 of the Town Charter and in accordance with Sections 42-46-2., 42-46-4., 42-46-5., and 42-46-6., RIGL, I hereby call a Special Meeting of the Town Council to formally consider, discuss and act upon the following items of business. All items on this agenda, may be considered, discussed and voted upon.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
JOINT MEETING WITH THE PLANNING BOARD
1. Communication of Planning Board Chair, re: Discussion of priorities of the Town Council.
Said meeting will be held at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, Rhode Island 02842 on Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 6:00 P.M.
____________________________________
Paul M. Rodrigues, President
Middletown Town Council
cc : Town Council Public Library Finance Director
Town Administrator Town Solicitor School Committee
Posted on May 1, 2026, at Middletown Town Hall, Middletown Public Library and Secretary of State Web Site.
Present representing the Planning Board were Chair Paul Croce, Vice Chair Charles Vaillancourt , members Stephen Huttler, Betty Jane Owen, Joseph J. Pierik, Matthew Skirzenski and Arthur S. Weber, Jr.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
1. Communication of Planning Board Chair, re: Discussion of priorities of the Town Council.
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.
Council President Rodrigues thanked all who were attending the meeting.
Planning Board Chair Paul Croce addressed the Council thanking them for the meeting, noting he would like to verify the priorities of the Council.
The communication above was addressed in order.
Item #1
Discussion centered around the Comprehensive Community Plan, the public hearing on the Comprehensive Community Plan Amendment and one of the amendments to the Comprehensive Community Plan is resiliency.
Item #2
Discussion centered around housing units on East Main Road (Town Property), the possibility of JFK School being affordable housing, the plan for the Hoogendorn Nursery property now owned by the Town, bond monies for the nursery property restrict what can be placed on the property, changes in the state zoning which impacts Town zoning and having enough housing for the incoming military.
Item #3
Discussion centered around the Town Council will have two public hearings on the West Main Road project and there is no revenue being generated from the West Main Road property.
Item #4
Discussion centered around underground utilities are expensive, private funding is needed to help with underground utilities project costs, having the Town Council commit the funds for the TIF in the Atlantic Beach District and underground utilities are good for resiliency.
Item #5
Discussion centered around the Town Council would like to see an ordinance on inclusionary zoning.
Item #6
Discussion centered around making sure that project plans including landscaping are followed/completed as approved.
Item #7
Discussion centered around a Wastewater Management Plan for the Town and the plan may cost some residents on the east side a large amount of money.
Item #8 – No Discussion
Item #9
Discussion centered around if the Town Council is interested in an ordinance that is a tax incentive for preservation of historical resources, it would be a voluntary program, and the Town Council would like a fiscal impact statement prior to deciding on a tax incentive program.
Joanne Thornton, Middletown, addressed the Council reading the following into the record:
Kim Blass, Middletown, addressed the Council reading the following into the record:
Terri Flynn, Middletown, addressed the Council reading the following into the record:
Karen Biastre, Middletown, addressed the Council noting she has the same concerns as Ms. Blass and requests a track-changing of the Comprehensive Community Plan document. Mrs. Biastre also requests the public hearing on the Amended Comprehensive Community Plan be postponed until a track-changing document is provided.
Michael Flynn, Middletown, addressed the Council requesting them to support the TIF program in the upcoming budget.
Lawrence Frank, Middletown, addressed the Council inquiring if when the bond for the Hoogendorn property is paid off, do the restrictions on the property remain?
Town Solicitor Peter B. Regan noted that generally speaking yes, the restrictions do not remain.
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to adjourn said meeting at 8:17 p.m.
Wendy J.W. Marshall, MMC
Council Clerk
Supporting documentation is available at http://clerkshq.com/default.ashx?clientsite=Middletown-ri