The university says it is planning a development to provide 225 beds of undergraduate housing in the area, replacing existing housing.
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Middletown officials will hold a public hearing Wednesday evening on a request by Wesleyan University to rezone portions of downtown to allow for improved student housing.
Wesleyan has submitted a petition to amend the current downtown village district zoning for 18 university-owned properties on about 11 acres on Church, High and William streets.
The university says it is planning a development to provide 225 beds of undergraduate housing in the area, replacing and updating existing housing and providing a more accessible campus environment.
According to the application, the university has identified the existing housing as needing reinvestment. The preliminary concept includes renovation or replacement of some of the buildings, consolidating parking lots, landscaped common areas and pedestrian connections.
The preliminary concept identifies William Street as a connection between Main Street and Wesleyan University, and university officials have described William Street as a possible campus gateway.
The university is proposing sidewalk, street-tree, landscaping, lighting, and pedestrian-crossing improvements in the area.
So far, the university has not submitted a building design or parking plan, according to the city. Wesleyan says the design process will “incorporate feedback from multiple stakeholders.”
Middletown officials say the downtown village district regulations are intended to “protect historic structures and streetscape patterns, encourage preservation and adaptive reuse, and ensure that new construction is compatible with the scale and character of the surrounding area.”
The current zoning restrictions also limit the height of buildings to three stories or 36 feet. The zoning change that Wesleyan has requested - to an institutional development zone - would permit five stories or 75 feet.
The city’s Design Review and Preservation Board considered the preliminary concept at a meeting on June 10, and conducted a site visit on July 1.
