Welcome to Middletown Happenings.

Here you will find information about what has been discussed at the semi weekly Board meetings as well as from the Planning & Zoning monthly meetings.  For the most recent updates, go out to the FORUM and check out the meeting summaries submitted by CPMV members.

The Board meetings are held twice a month on the second & fourth Mondays and the P&Z meeting is held the third Monday.  All meetings are at 7:00 p.m. and held at the Municipal Building on Main Street.  Parking is available behind the building.  By clicking on the above link, Middletown Comp Plan, you will be directed to the Middletown Government web site where you can view the Calendar of Events and the Adgenda’s/Minutes from each meeting.  The public is invited to these meetings and time is reserved at the end for public comments.  It is customary to state your name and address prior to addressing the Board with your comments.

The Board is very open to public comments and concerns and are great listeners.  Although you may not receive a lot of feedback right then and there, your comments are noted and will appear in the minutes.  If you have an issue that requires a decision to be made you should contact their office and find out how to officially have it added to the Agenda for discussion.  Sometimes writer’s from The Gazette and The Citizen are there covering interesting stories.

7/14/09:

Land to be Annexed into Town Limits - There will be a public meeting on Monday night, July 27th at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the Annexation of the A.C. Jets property.  The meeting will be held at the Municipal Building on Main Street.

This is your opportunity to participate in the shaping of your community!

The A.C. Jets property consists of 35.9+ acres and is located along Alt Rt. 40.  It is the land adjacent to the Safeway and somewhat across from the Golf Course.  Currently the land is being farmed and is within the County limits. 

The subject site’s current approved county zoning is General Commercial and Low Density Residential.  The new zoning, should the land be annexed into the Middletown town limits will be, General Commercial and Open Space.  The largest sized commercial building allowed is 60,000 sq. ft. Several discussions have taken place over time, with concern expressed that the additional land behind the 35.9 acres will remain low density residential…and in the future Middletown would have commercial zoning along Alt. Rt. 40 with some Open Space and more housing developments behind it.  There will be access roads leading off of Hollow Rd. to those future developments.

There were several points still under discussion/decision as of this writing.

Although most folks don’t like to see farm land developed into Commercial and Residential, the land is in the County’s hands and without Annexation, the residents of Middletown will have no say in how it’s to be developed over time.  Annexation will allow Middletown some control over how the land will be developed.

On the other hand, the current Board Of County Commissioners does not have this large parcel of land in its Comprehensive Plan for development.  At this time there is no intention to “finance” county infrastructure in that area as it’s been deemed a “No Growth” zone in the County.

Could this be why A.C. Jets has petitioned our Town for Annexation?

There are pros and cons to each side….You Decide, Come to the Meeting and be a part of shaping our Future.

Comcast Hub Station update – Initially Comcast approached the Town to build a small Hub Station along Alt. Rt. 40 on the West side of Town, near the Wiles Branch Park.  That request was put on hold and then recently brought up again with the location now being on Hollow Rd.  The Town would lease the land (as it is Town owned property) to Comcast.  The request was approved and the terms of the lease are now being negotiated. 

See the Minutes for more details as to the closest homes to be affected.

Highlights 3/12/09:

Middletown is in the process of re-writing the Comprehensive Plan.   This plan will guide the future growth and economic development within the Town and its surrounding lands.  The following are some interesting topics that could be of concern to some.  Please register and post your comments and concerns on the Middletown Forum.

• Annexation of adjacent farmland in order to obtain water rights.  This could be land in Agriculture Preservation areas.  Those lands would not be developed, but the water would be used for the Town’s growth. 
• Approval was granted to build a small development of homes on Green Street (this is land already within the Town limits), near the Schools.  This is known as the Coblentz Overlay District or Green St. Development., in the Minutes.
• Discussion is occurring regarding the development of the land along Alt. Rt. 40 between Hollow Rd and the Safeway Shopping center.  Lands along the road would be for commercial development and the land behind would be Residential.  The land is currently considered part of the County and not a part of Middletown proper.  This project is referred to as A.C. Jets Annexation Petition, in the Minutes.

Please use the CPMV forum to discuss issues raised throughout this website.

Click here to view a presentation on growth in Frederick County.