<div>The Middletown Planning Board heard positive changes on Sept. 11 in a plan to construct a commercial building at 985 Aquidneck Ave. But there is still opposition from abutters and possible legal ques­tions to be answered. Gregory Coe, of Seascape Holdings, unveiled new designs through his attorney that significantly reduced the “quantity and scope of the many waivers” he had requested, while slightly reducing the size of the building and improving its exterior look. “This is just concept review, sort of a pre-application stage of what they would like to do,” said assis­tant town solicitor Michael Monti. “To get opinions, not to vote on the project in any way.”“We’re not voting on anything tonight,” said Chair William Nash. “They know they need to come back to us with the appropriate plans and [address] the appro­priate issues.” Coe and his attorney told the board that they made “substantial renovations,” to the plan, including reducing the size of the building by 200 square feet to 2,236 square feet. Coe said he has met the require­ment on all the sides and facades of the building to have 20 percent glass by adding windows, and that there are now 18 parking spaces (12 outside and six inside), as op­posed to the prior 12. He also said he met the requirement of having 35 percent landscaping by adding three trees. “By my math, we have gone from needing eight waivers to two or three,” Coe said. But attorney Matt Leys, repre­senting abutters Mike and Karen Miller, said, “My clients still object to this plan. They are still experi­encing problems on Trimble Road. It is still an excessively large ga­rage. It has not shrunk at all.” Leys asked the board to delay its decision until “both sides of the story may be heard.” “There are still issues of legal in­terpretation that we intend to take up with the administration, and we will,” he said. In other matters:– The application of 15 Aquid­neck Ave. for development plan review for a second-floor exterior deck addition, including a request for waivers from certain provisions of the commercial development design standards, was continued to Oct. 15. The application includes a request for a special use permit to allow the expansion of a restau­rant, with alcohol sales, and a re­quest for a variance to allow small front yard setbacks, where 10 feet is required; – The application of 72 Johnny Cake Hill for development plan review for modification to a previ­ously approved plan for construc­tion of a 15,000-square-foot whole­sale commercial use building, with parking, office space, landscaping, stormwater management, utilities and associated site work, was also continued to Oct. 15. </div>

Mountain View, CA

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Middletown Planning Continues Commercial Building Petition

The Middletown Planning Board heard positive changes on Sept. 11 in a plan to construct a commercial building at 985 Aquidneck Ave. But there is still opposition from abutters and possible legal questions to be answered. Gregory Coe, of Seascape Holdings, unveiled new designs through his attorney that significantly reduced the “quantity and scope of the many waivers” he had requested, while slightly reducing the size of the building and improving its exterior look.