Council reviews petition to annul an unopened portion of Anderson Avenue; item moved to agenda

Morgantown — The Committee of the Whole reviewed a petition May 27 to annul a short, unopened portion of Anderson Avenue where it dead-ends near Dogwood; the request was made by a nearby property owner seeking to control and manage the land adjacent to their residence.

Background and staff recommendation: Planning staff said the stub of Anderson Avenue is an unopened right-of-way that does not serve pedestrian or vehicular circulation and ends on private property. The petitioners (owners of the adjacent properties) asked for annulment to prevent others from parking or otherwise using the right-of-way. As part of the application, staff said the petitioners contacted utility companies; utilities responded that no lines are located in the right-of-way and there are no planned installations. Staff recommended moving the request to the agenda for formal consideration.

Council discussion: Councilors asked about parcel division, ownership and the typical practice of dividing an annulled street between adjacent owners. Staff clarified that, by ordinance, the city’s right-of-way would revert to adjacent parcels, and that the annulment would remove the municipal right-of-way designation so title searches would show the change. One councilor asked whether the uphill property (outside city limits) might consider annexation; staff said no annexation was pending as part of this application.

Next steps: Council moved the annulment request to the agenda for a subsequent meeting where formal action will be scheduled.