Middletown to designate Oakland neighborhood a historic district
MIDDLETOWN — The next step in the revitalization of the Oakland neighborhood will come Tuesday evening as Middletown City Council is expected to designate it as a historic district.
The council meeting starts at 5:30 p.m., and the public hearing on the district will be among the first items on the agenda.
Acting City Manager Susan Cohen said creating a historic district will help to open up historic tax credits and other funding in the redevelopment of the neighborhood. A final decision will come at the Feb. 4 council meeting.
The Middletown Historic Commission recommended that council create the landmark designation of the Oakland Historic District, which is approximately bounded on the north by First Avenue; on the west by Verity Parkway, which is the former Miami Erie Canal site; on the east by the Pioneer Cemetery property, Cohen Brothers Inc. property and the west side of Lamneck Street; and on the south by Calumet Avenue.
Planning Director Ashley Combs in her report to Cohen said an application for historic district status for the Oakland neighborhood was submitted to the city Historic Commission by Dan Barton of Brainwave Historic Preservation Consulting, and Dan Mayzum of Architecture Renewal. Barton and Mayzum are the consultants who have been working on the Oakland neighborhood revitalization project with city officials since 2018.