Midway council approves plat amendment to create third lot at 145 North Center Street

The Midway City Council on a majority vote approved a plat amendment to subdivide Lot 1 of the Julian Subdivision at 145 North Center Street, creating a third lot and leaving the existing southern lot unchanged.

City planner Michael told the council that “the city's received an application to amend the Julian Subdivision. This is a 2 loss subdivision on 8 tenths of an acre. It's in the R Dash 1 Dash 7 zone,” and walked the council through the site, zoning standards and proposed lot dimensions. Under the approved amendment Lot 1 would be 14,375 square feet with 108 feet of frontage and the new Lot 3 would be 9,240 square feet with 70 feet of frontage and retain the address 151 North Center Street.

The matter drew public comment from the applicant’s representative, Jeff Friend, and from neighbors and prospective buyers. Jeff Friend confirmed the applicants had discussed deed restrictions: “they've been agreeable to that,” meaning a voluntary restriction that would limit the newly created lots to single-family dwellings if the council desired. Buyer Lauren said splitting the lot would make the historic house more affordable for a young family and that she and her husband planned to remodel and live in the existing home.

Council debate focused less on code compliance—staff said both lots meet R-1-7 area and frontage requirements and that the zone permits attached or detached two-family dwellings where minimum lot sizes are met—and more on the city’s broader policy toward allowing resubdivision of already-platted parcels. Councilmembers discussed prior cases and the risk that a strict rule against resubdividing would push developers to build to maximum density at initial platting. One councilmember said the location, “if there is gonna be density in town, you'd want it to be within a walkable range of services,” citing the lot’s proximity to downtown.

Staff listed proposed conditions the council could require if it approved the amendment: retaining the subdivision name as Julian Subdivision with Lots 1, 2 and 3; restricting each lot to a single driveway with a turnaround to avoid backing onto Center Street; establishing a 10-foot public utility easement along new lot lines; dedicating 0.75 acre-feet of culinary water rights for Lot 3 before recording; and requiring reimbursement to the city for water and sewer lateral work already installed should the plat not be approved and the city be owed those costs.

Michael also noted technical requirements: R-1-7 front setback 30 feet, side setbacks of 10 feet, rear 30 feet; the minimum lot size in the zone is 7,000 square feet and a detached two-family dwelling in the zone requires a minimum lot area of 22,000 square feet. Staff said Lot 3, as proposed, would not be large enough to support a duplex; the middle lot could meet duplex standards unless the council placed a restriction.

After public comment and deliberation the council moved to approve the amendment with the findings and conditions presented by staff. The motion passed with recorded votes in the public record: Councilmember Kevin voted nay; Councilmember Craig voted aye; Councilmember Lisa voted aye. The motion as moved did not include a mandatory deed restriction preventing conversion of the existing house to a duplex; staff noted water rights and additional culinary connections would be required if that conversion occurred later.

The approved conditions require dedication of water shares for Lot 3 and reimbursement to the city for laterals already installed prior to recording the amended plat. Recording must occur within one year or the approval may lapse, subject to council discretion on up to three additional one-year extensions.

The council closed the public hearing and directed staff to finalize recording documents and ensure the required utility dedications and reimbursable costs were settled before recording.