Specific Policies

  1. Promote office, service, and distinctive residential units on the upper floors of Main Street buildings
  2. Insure that all land uses relate to, and where feasible, connect to the waterfront
  3. Revise zoning to recognize and reinforce the unique districts in the downtown and along Main Street
  4. Promote more lodging, bed and breakfast, and conference type establishments within and on the fringe of the downtown, to attract conferences, tourists and weekend visitors
  5. Maximum Building height for buildings fronting on Main Street should be changed from 12 to 6 stories. Minimum Building heights, for buildings fronting on Main Street should be changed from 1 to 3 stories
  6. A maximum setback from Main Street of five feet should be established. The front line of the building should be located within the maximum setback area for a minimum of 80% of the lot frontage on Main Street
  7. In order to achieve continuous retail frontage, first floor land uses on Main Street should be restricted to retail, including; retail banks, theaters, restaurants, and other eating and drinking establishments with direct pedestrians access on to Main Street for each individual establishment
  8. Permitted and Special Exception uses in the Central Business (B-1) Zone should be reviewed to establish the desired mix. Undesirable or inappropriate uses such as adult book stores, adult entertainment, liquor stores, massage parlors, check cashing and pawn shops should be deleted
  9. Cafeterias should be eliminated as a permitted accessory use in the Central Business (B-1) Zone
  10. The Ferry/Green and Northwest Residential Area should be rezoned from Central Business to Residential Pre-Zoning
  11. Zoning should prevent the conversion from residential to office between Broad Street and High Street
  12. The Preservation Board and the Greater Middletown Preservation Trust should formulate Design guidelines for each sub-district within the downtown and act in an advisory role to the Planning and Zoning Commission
  13. Architectural assistance for exterior renovation is a necessary service. The Preservation Board should provide property owners and merchants with preliminary design assistance to help visualize the type of improvements that could be made to their properties
  14. Zoning should incorporate the Design Guidelines for substantial renovations of new buildings and new signs
  15. Required parking for new development should be reviewed with the goal of maximizing pedestrian activity. Payments in lieu of parking and shared parking should be considered. Creating large buildings with interconnected parking garages does little to increase pedestrian circulation and should be discouraged
  16. Zoning should be amended to insure that no driveway access or parking lots are permitted along Main Street
  17. Zoning should be modified to specifically permit Outdoor restaurant seating
  18. Zoning should be amended so that all new uses shall be integrated into the overall pedestrian circulation system
  19. Zoning should be amended to prohibit free standing signs in the Central Business (B-1) Zone
  20. Zoning should be amended to specifically allow small projecting signs and awnings over the public ROW
  21. Neighborhood Stores should be eliminated from the MX Zone
  22. Tax assessment deferrals for substantial renovation should be utilized, as has been implemented in the North End of Main Street, adopt provisions of Section 12-65c-f of the General Statutes which permit gradual phasing in over ten years of the value of the rehabilitation
  23. Create a façade improvement and rehabilitation loan program, modeled similar to Manchester and Norwalk. Community Development Block Grant funds should form a major component of this program
  24. Consider waiving municipal permit fees for conforming property improvements