Council allows driveways for Mitchell Subdivision, ties access to plat and conservation outcome

Midway City Council approved driveway access for the Mitchell Subdivision on River Road and authorized staff to finalize driveway configuration on the recorded plat. The council’s action initially allows three additional driveways; staff may accept a shared driveway for Lots 4 and 5 or permit an additional fourth connection depending on final design and location shown on the plat.

Council discussion emphasized safety and sight-distance considerations along River Road, which Midway owns and maintains in this section. Staff recommended turnarounds for all new driveways so vehicles will not back onto River Road and noted that shared driveways reduce the number of curb-cuts. Councilmembers discussed the tradeoffs between a single aligned driveway opposite a Dutch Fields access and shared driveways that would cluster access points; council noted the desirability of minimizing curb cuts while keeping safe offsets from nearby intersections.

City staff said the Mitchell property is a roughly 7-acre parcel in Wasatch County where the applicants are pursuing a five-lot small-scale subdivision under county review. Staff told the council that Midway has earmarked $250,000 from an open-space bond for a conservation easement that would protect lots 2–5 if that conservation outcome is executed. Staff and the applicant said the conservation easement is one possible outcome; if the easement fails to materialize, the owner may proceed with the subdivision process and record the plat. The council tied driveway approval to the plat process so that the condition and driveway locations would be recorded if the subdivision is recorded.

The council moved to approve driveway access for the Mitchell Subdivision with the conditions discussed: turnarounds, showing driveway locations on the final plat, and staff authority to finalize whether Lots 4 and 5 share a driveway or have separate drives based on the final configuration. The motion passed on a recorded roll call with councilmembers JC, Kevin, Craig and Jeff voting aye.

Council also asked staff to ensure the driveway conditions are appended to the plat so that they apply only if the subdivision is recorded; councilmembers emphasized that the $250,000 open-space contribution applies only in the event a conservation easement is executed to permanently restrict development on the subject parcels.