Middletown’s long-held desire to open up a significant section of its waterfront to new development has taken another step forward with the $2.6 million purchase of nine acres of underutilized industrial land along the Connecticut River. Joseph Samolis, the city’s director of planning, conservation and development, said Thursday the city intends to hold the newly acquired parcels for future development. Roughly $2.4 million of those acquisition funds now remain and Samolis said the city is looking to spend more of it soon. One possibility is a smaller parcel located just to the west of the Corrugated Container property at the corner of River Road and Walnut, he said. Samolis is aiming to have a purchase proposal for that in front of the common council in May. He said that once the master plan is in place the city will tackle zoning changes, ultimately hoping to leverage zoning updates and the city-owned properties to entice a master developer for a significant portion of the riverfront area.
https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/middletown-pays-26m-for-riverfront-properties-housing-mixed-use-development-eyed