- Workshop, Plan of Development (AVAILABLE HERE)
Council has a very full agenda (AVAILABLE HERE). Here are the highlights:
- Vote on Bond Ordinance
The Council will vote on whether to grant a request by Water and Sewer for an Ordinance appropriating $4.5 million for the following improvements: 1) Westfield service area water pressure enhancement, 2)Route 66 Water and Sewer installation, 3)Well field planning, and 4)Equipment and material purchase. - 11-1 Resolution. Approving the $4,500,000 Water and Sewer Bond Ordinance referendum question, approved at this meeting and to be submitted to the electors at the November 4, 2008 General Election.
- 11-2 Resolution. Approving closing the Council’s investigation regarding the Middletown Police Department.
- 11-6 Resolution. Approving the Parking and Traffic Study prepared by VHB, Inc (AVAILABLE HERE), and taking a number of steps to implement its recommendations.
- 11-7 Resolution. Approving the Middletown Base Realignment and Closure Local Redevelopment Authority Reuse Plan for 499 Mile Lane. This plan (AVAILABLE HERE) is to create a public safety facility that will include a new fire station, a regional fire training school, a regional animal shelter, and operations dispatch center. If the plan is approved on Tuesday, the city would then submit an application to the Army Corps of Engineers for the Army to give the Mile Lane land to the city at no cost. The Army approval would be after their decision on what land to use for the new military training facility.
There will be a public hearing on two applications
- Application for grading and drainage improvements in the southern portion of 1153 Newfield Street.
- Application to fill 1,927 sq. ft. of wetlands and to work within the 100’ upland review area to construct a 10,036 sq. ft. church and required infrastructure to be located at 693 Saybrook Road.
Thursday, September 4th, 5:30 PM Zoning Board Of Appeals Meeting
There will be a public hearing on one application:
- Proposed variance to Section 40.03.05 with regard to the driveway width located in the TD zone at 13 West Silver Street.
Monday, September 8th, 6:30 PM Economic Development Commission Meeting
2 comments:
I remain confused about the size of the Mile Lane site. These new plans seem to imply that the available acreage for the development of the proposed plans includes both the 23.7 "fee" acres plus the additional "easement" acres which more or less double the site to approximately 47 acres.
The Army really needs a good site for their new training facility. Now, for sure, this old Army site on Mile Lane appears to have enough acres. This might really work!
I checked on the property ownership and size issue for Mile Lane with a lawyer. "In Fee" means the Army owns 23.7 acres. The additional acreage is simply under a 'no-use' easement, which means that it is owned by another (mostly the city on behalf of the Board of Ed, but some is the backyards of Fir Lane and Birchwood Drive residents). The army has taken the rights away from the landowner to do anything, but has not taken the rights for themselves to do anything either. If the military base were to need that land to accommodate the size of the base, they would have to buy it from the owner. Neither the city nor a private homeowner is likely to sell it to facilitate a military base there.
The bigger question, important not just for Mile Lane but for anywhere, is whether the army's "we need approximately 25 acres" actually means "we could get by with 18 acres". The Westfield Residents Association has asked Attorney General Blumenthal and all of our Federal elected officials to request from the Army the engineering studies that the army is using to justify its "approximately 25 acres" statement. I am doubtful the army would ever give those up, but you never know!
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