Politics & Government
Agenda: White Castle Up for Approval
A public hearing and vote on the proposal is on the agenda for tonight's Planning Board meeting.
Whether or not a will slide its way onto Route 36, in the section of Middletown, could be a decision made at tonight’s .
The board will conduct its continuation of the public hearing on the White Castle Management Co. application, with a decision due by March 7 (tonight), according to the meeting agenda. White Castle is seeking a “conditional use permit and preliminary and final major site plan approval.”
A contingent of residents has opposed the plan, which calls for a 1,952-square-foot drive-through fast food restaurant with a 36-stall parking lot on the 1.5-acre site at the intersection of Main Street and Route 36.
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They are concerned about what they say is a quality of life infringement, with an insufficient buffer to the , and noise, traffic and light pollution that they say will come with the business.
A primary concern of the neighbors is that the applicant has, so far, not conceded to providing at least a 50-foot buffer to abutting residential properties.
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White Castle has asked for an exception to the design standard rule with as much as a 24-foot buffer with landscaping in some spots and as little as 10.8 feet, saying the standard 50-foot buffer would disrupt traffic flow and push the structure too close to the highway. The opposing neighbors’ contention is that what is proposed is just too close and traffic-generating for comfort.
They are hoping the board will not allow the concessions White Castle has asked for in buffers or a denial.
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