Council debates design, trails and access for South Hill Phase 3; recording tied to traffic signal installation

The Midway City Council held a public hearing and extended discussion on the preliminary and conditional use request for South Hill Mixed Use Development Phase 3, a 6.67‑acre portion of a larger 27.47‑acre development at 541 East Main Street. The application covers multi‑family units, open space and private roads with public easements; no final council vote on the application was recorded during this session.

City planner Michael (planning staff) outlined the proposal: Phase 3 would include roughly 42 residential units within the larger South Hill master plan. The project design preserves a central open‑space corridor to maintain views to Memorial Hill, provides private roads and trails with public easements, and includes a network of pedestrian connections intended to join Main Street, River Road and Memorial Hill. Michael noted that some on‑site slopes exceed 30 percent, which restricts building and site disturbance in those areas.

A key constraint cited by staff and reflected in the master plan agreement is that phase‑3 plats cannot be recorded until a traffic signal is installed at the River Road–Main Street intersection. Michael said the city has worked with UDOT, which plans to begin construction on the signal in the upcoming spring construction season and expects completion by the end of that season; the developer could also build the signal under agreement. "Phase 3... would not be able to be recorded until that infrastructure is in place, per the master plan agreement," Michael said.

Staff also described drainage and irrigation issues. The plan shows an existing open irrigation ditch running through the site; the developer proposes to reroute the ditch as part of construction. Michael said written approval from the Midway Irrigation Company is required before final approval. The project team also plans a groundwater‑pump system for the below‑grade garages and alleys; staff reported excavations have not yet encountered standing groundwater.

Neighbors and several council members focused on design details that affect views and livability. A primary concern was a design change from an open, at‑grade alley to a covered, below‑grade alley with limited common patios above it. Those patios will be limited common area tied to individual units; the developer described five‑foot masonry partition walls between adjacent unit patios and said the patios could be used for outdoor furniture and small planters but not structures anchored into the concrete. "You're not going to look from one end of the homes to the other and be interrupted by this because it's concave," the developer said, arguing the layout reduces visual monotony.

Council members raised concerns that continuous five‑foot walls extending the length of the open space corridor could block views from Main Street and produce a hard, fence‑lined appearance. Several suggested a compromise — higher, privacy walls adjacent to buildings stepping down to shorter walls nearer the open space — to reduce visual impact while preserving privacy. Staff noted that the project is a mixed‑use development (not a PUD) and that different limited‑common‑area rules apply; they also said CC&Rs and HOA rules will restrict post‑construction additions to the patios.

Other issues discussed included: - Trail access to Memorial Hill: the master plan anticipates a trail up Memorial Hill but the hill is county‑owned; Michael said the city must obtain a drawing and county approval before final project approval. - River Road access: the development controls a narrow easement to River Road and has been required to provide a third connection to distribute traffic; two alignment options were presented, each with tradeoffs related to sight lines, driveway spacing and trail crossings. - Transient rental overlay: the developer said units in defined areas of the project would be eligible for short‑term rental licensing per the Transient Rental Overlay District; units north of a plotted line would not be eligible.

No final action on Phase 3 was recorded during the meeting. Staff identified several conditions that still must be satisfied before final approval, including written irrigation‑company approval for the ditch reroute, a trail agreement or permission from Wasatch County to access Memorial Hill, finalized engineering for the alleys and pump systems, and the traffic‑signal requirement that must be met before plats can be recorded.

Next steps: staff and the developer will continue to refine engineering and landscaping plans, seek Midway Irrigation Company approval in writing, pursue county concurrence on the Memorial Hill trail, coordinate timing for the traffic signal with UDOT, and return to the council for final consideration once the outstanding conditions are resolved.