Commission continues hearing on two Washington Street drive‑through proposals after heavy resident concern over traffic and historic houses

Developers and their design team presented plans for two Washington Street sites — a national quick‑service restaurant proposed for 797 Washington Street and a 2,500‑square‑foot Dutch Point Credit Union with two‑lane drive‑through at 809 Washington Street. The developer’s team described site grading, retaining walls up to 10 feet, underground stormwater detention, and queues that meet the drive‑through criteria; a design‑review board recommended proceeding with deconstruction and documented relocation of two older houses that will be removed from the Washington Street parcels.

Multiple residents testified against both proposals. Concerns focused on traffic congestion at the Plaza Drive/Washington Street intersection, safety for pedestrians and neighborhood streets and loss of historic fabric. One resident asked why the developer would remove historic houses rather than integrate them; another urged the commission to require the developer to demonstrate that closing Liberty Bank’s existing exit and reconfiguring the signal would not worsen local circulation. An online commenter urged use of an existing vacant drive‑through site rather than building new drive‑through lanes into an inland wetlands area.

Applicant traffic engineers said a recent traffic study found no significant level‑of‑service impact and proposed a redesigned signal, left‑turn lanes and a replacement signal that would improve pedestrian accommodations. Staff reminded the commission that any DOT review and signal design would follow local approvals; the design‑review board’s recommendation requires documentation of planned deconstruction and relocation of historic fabric. After extended public testimony and staff requests for additional material (updated site plans for off‑site driveway closures, construction phasing logistics and detailed DPW comments), the commission voted to continue the public hearing to a later date.

Next steps: staff asked the applicant to provide revised site plans, a construction phasing plan, a plan for documenting deconstruction and relocation of historic elements (if not relocated within Middletown), and any DOT‑coordination deliverables before the hearing resumes.