Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Drive-through pharmacy and sober house at P&Z on Wednesday

The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold public hearings at its meeting this week on four different projects (Wednesday, 7PM, Council Chambers). The first two of them are likely to draw considerable comments:
  1. Sober House, 133 S. Main. This project, featured in an earlier Eye piece, is led by Wendi Clark. The house is at the corner of Loveland and South Main. According to the Planning department, the lot is non-conforming as a two family home, in regard to lot area, setbacks, and parking, for the mixed use (MX) zone. The application for this special exception is to allow up to 5 unrelated individuals to live on the first floor, and up to 4 more unrelated individuals to live on the second floor. Concerns have been raised by the Planning department and the Engineering department regarding parking. The plans, aerial photos, and City of Middletown departmental comments are all available for review.
  2. Drive-through pharmacy, corner of Main St. Extension and E. Main St. This will be a Walgreens Pharmacy on the lot formerly occupied by the Shiloh Christian Church, whose destruction was approved by the Design Review and Preservation Board. The Shiloh Christian Church was approved by P&Z in October to build a new church building on Coe Ave and Saybrook Rd. No substantial objections have been raised by the Planning or other City departments to this project. The plans and departmental comments are all available for review.
  3. Proposed amendment to open space plan, to include the Merriam Property (not originally listed on "proposed open space" list). Eye piece.
  4. Home Depot plaza lot subdivision. Plans and comments.

5 comments:

Web Dunce said...

Thank you for posting this story. Honestly, if it weren't for this blog I'd have no idea what was happening in Middletown! The information about the new Walgreens disturbs me. I live on E. Main Street. I'm entirely sick of pharmacies dotting every inch of retail space coming available in the city. There is a CVS right across the street, a pharmacy inside Stop and Shop, a brand new monstrosity of a Rite Aid on Main Street (apparently the one half a block down isn't big enough???), not to mention the giant pharmacies popping up on Route 66. When people start having conversations about why health care is so outrageously out of whack with what it is actually worth in this country they all should collectively point at the pharmaceutical industry and demand action. This industry seems to be almost the singular cause of what is breaking the backs of American tax payers and insurance rate payers. When will it end?

Anonymous said...

Mad Dog

I agree with the Web Dunce. Is there no way to prevent the proliferation of these competing drugstore chains? As I understand their strategy, wherever one builds, another zooms in to build next door. Is this really what makes prices go down, more and more unnecessary, cookie-cutter outlets selling the same things? This cannot possibly be beneficial for our town. These establishments should be subject to the same sort P&Z denials as Porno Shops, Massage Parlors, and Strip Clubs. Planning Department! Rise up and help the people you are supposed to serve! Stop issuing these permits!

The state regulates the number and location of liquor permits, maybe they could regulate this type of sinful proliferation as well.

When you add on the polluting aspect of the drive-through "convenience"/competitive edge that accompanies each new location, it enables these businesses to ruin our health and create long term damage at the same moment that they purport to be improving our lives and helping keep costs down.

The Old Growler
Jasper Cane

Anonymous said...

how many sober/ re hab/ half way houses can Middletown take?? there are already registered sex offenders on Loveland. If we can't move it to another town, can't we at least share the burden of these individuals in different areas of town at least and adjust bus routes accordingly? "Bring your tired and your weak" to Middletown, but geez how many??

Anonymous said...

"The house is at the corner of Loveland and South Main. According to the Planning department, the lot is non-conforming as a two family home, in regard to lot area, setbacks, and parking, for the mixed use (MX) zone"


MAYBE just MAYBE we have Zoning Laws like these for a REASON! once something is changed it cannot go back- what a happens when the halfway house closes and a slum lord buys it? Why have rules about parking and set backs if they are not enforced or exception are given out like candy? What happened to urban planning? Yes, a rehab safe house is a noble cause, but lets look at the long term impact of these exceptions

Anonymous said...

Middletown has a number of great zoning laws.

The issue has always been trying to get the commssioners out of their office to enforce them.