Middletown Center | West Main Rd. | Middletown R.I.

[Frankie811]

https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/east-bay/middletown-planning-board-recommends-constructing-new-town-center/?ipid=promo-link-block1

https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/east-bay/middletown-postpones-meeting-to-discuss-proposed-town-center/

https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/east-bay/residents-still-concerned-about-proposed-town-center-in-middletown/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=nextdoor.com&utm_campaign=nextdoor_news

 

[Frankie811]

Town Council schedules Middletown Center hearings, releases updated documents.

Town Council schedules Middletown Center hearings, releases updated documents. What to know

The hearings are being held in September to avoid conflicts with summer vacation schedules and meet all advertising requirements.

www.newportri.com

 

[Lrfox]

Branding it "Middletown Center" before it's even close to finalized is probably hampering their efforts since the name makes it sound intriguing/interesting. Like it would be an actual town center with interesting features, gathering places, and amenities that residents would use. What they have is a strip mall anchored by a generic suburban hotel and some boxy apartments. I don't know what I would have expected (or dared to hope for) considering the location, but that's a pretty trash development.

 

[riptide]

Branding it "Middletown Center" before it's even close to finalized is probably hampering their efforts since the name makes it sound intriguing/interesting. Like it would be an actual town center with interesting features, gathering places, and amenities that residents would use. What they have is a strip mall anchored by a generic suburban hotel and some boxy apartments. I don't know what I would have expected (or dared to hope for) considering the location, but that's a pretty trash development.

Agreed. The site layout plan reminds me of an outlet mall: a collection of buildings surrounded by parking lots, clustered together to create a reasonably pleasant, yet self-contained pedestrian environment. The people who visit such places know the built environment is artificial, but if done well, and if there’s no real downtown anywhere nearby, the concentration of storefronts (plus supplementary events, street furniture, etc) can sometimes make up for it.

This development would have a much smaller retail presence and multiple breaks in the (artificial) street wall on one side. It’s hard to imagine this being a compelling place for locals, or anyone else, to spend any length of time in as a pedestrian.