The Middletown Town Council has forwarded a request for abandonment of the St. George’s Avenue “paper road” to the Planning Board and Utilities Advisory Committee for review and recommendation.
Residents and abutters of the road have varying opinions of what should be done.
Patricia Connors said that she stood before the council in 1998 arguing not to abandon the road and the petition to abandon was withdrawn.
“It’s a lovely grass road and I actually maintain it. I have a garage there,” she said.
She said abandoning the road would restrict her access to that garage, although it was not clearly stated why, as the council noted map access from Center Avenue on the west side.
Tucker Holmes, who wrote a letter to the council, told the Planning Board, “People are using it and not paying taxes on it. There are sheds, benches; it looks like a backyard.”
He said this was not preferable to “splitting it down the middle and giving everyone access to it.”
“I am proposing that I will take over the taxes for the full portion of the land,” he said. “I want to put bushes on it. [It leads to] my greatgreat grandfather’s property.”
Town solicitor Peter Regan said that there will be posted public hearings on the issue at a future Planning Board meeting. “One of the threshold questions here is if the town has the ability to abandon or to use it,” he said.
It will then come back to the council within what Regan called a two-month window.
In other matters:
n The council unanimously
granted a liquor license to Island
Cinemas 10. The hearing on this
matter was twice delayed because
all abutters had to be notified. The
matter had already been approved
by the planning and zoning
boards.
n Public hearings will be held
on April 3 for First Beach, LLC to
transfer its liquor license to TPG
Middletown Beverage, LLC for
use at the Newport Beach Hotel/
Restaurant, and for Back of the Bus,
LLC to transfer its liquor license to
86 Meatballs, LLC for use at Ida’s
Restaurant.
n The council approved mobile
food establishment license renewals for La Costa Lobster and
Tacos; A Mano Pizza & Gelato;
Cluck Truck; Newport Chowder
Co.; Castaway Gourmet; Pete’s Ice
Cream; and three licenses for Del’s
Lemonade.
It also approved two non-selfpropelled cart licenses for Del’s Lemonade.
Finally, Wiener Wagon was approved for a new mobile food dispensing vehicle license, and Wally’s Hot Dog Cart was approved for a new mobile food non-selfpropelled cart license.
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