Reading held on alley vacation near West Whitlock; adjacent owner objects

City staff presented a reading of OW‑25‑206, an ordinance to vacate and convey an 89‑foot section of a 14‑foot alley behind properties on West Whitlock Street. David Stewart (city staff) explained the request is a revisit of a prior council approval that expired after one year because the applicant did not complete required consolidation steps. The current proposal would convey about 1,200 square feet of the alley to the homeowner at 22 West Whitlock; the adjacent owner at 36 West Whitlock (a doctor's office in a former school building) objected prior to the planning commission meeting.

Stewart said the planning commission recommended denial of the current proposal. Councilors asked whether any unimproved alley would remain under city ownership (staff: yes, some remnant would remain) and discussed the prospect of a modified application targeted only to resolve the shed‑in‑the‑alley zoning violation. Stewart said even a smaller conveyance would require confirmation from the other adjacent owner at 1314 South Braddock Street that they had no interest in the half of the alley that would remain.

Councilor Herbst said it would be “highly unlikely” to approve the request over the objection of the adjacent property owner, and other councilors expressed similar reservations. No vote was taken at the reading.