Design Review Board Approves CHC Headquarters Concept

Middletown's Design Review and Preservation Board approved the design concept for the new proposed Community Health Center to be built on the corner of Grand and Main Street.

The project's architect, Robert Olson of Robert Olson and Associates, explained details of the new building to the board, noting materials to be used, dimensions and design attributes of the building and relationship to neighboring buildings.

Board member Brian Kronenberger raised concerns about the parking lot behind the proposed building, which will be a public lot, and the between-building passageway which will be used by patrons of Eli Cannon's.

"I wouldn't be comfortable to make the walk down that walkway at night," Kronenberger said. "Leaving Eli's your walk is essentially a gauntlet."

Board member Pat Evans agreed, "I wouldn't walk down it at all."

Members suggested that building planners work with the owners of Eli Cannon's to be sure that the walkway is wide enough to be inviting, and well-lit. In addition, one board member suggested that CHC work with Eli Cannon's to create a new back entrance through the area which is used in the summer as a patio.

More than one board member suggested that the building did not fit well with the current historic street scape found on Main Street.

"It's a very attractive building," Ben Shoemaker noted. "But it strikes me that it's too modern and out of place on Main Street. It doesn't include any of the details found at the roof line on the building across the street where the Community Health Center has offices. We need to ask questions about how much of the integrity of Main Street should remain."

Olson admitted that the plans presented didn't convey the detail of the building materials, and that the finished product would indeed match materials, colors and styles of Main Street buildings.

In approving the concept, a step needed for the Planning and Zoning Commission to schedule a public hearing, the Design Review Board asked CHC and the architect to submit more detailed plans as well as views of the proposed building from a perspective North of the building, detailing its relationship to Eli Cannon's.