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Middleton residents press council to reconsider parade route, raise bypass and urban‑renewal concerns
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Middleton City Council to restore the traditional Main Street parade route, citing safety, lack of restroom access and lost business exposure; others raised questions about a recent Urban Renewal land sale and an upcoming bypass/comp‑plan hearing.
Several Middleton residents urged the City Council on Feb. 4 to reconsider a proposed change to the Fourth of July parade route, saying the alternative would endanger attendees and cut businesses out of the event.
Jim Taylor of 1052 Triumph Drive told the council the proposed route “there's no bathroom facilities except behind the neighbor's tree” and argued the traditional Main Street route better serves local businesses and the crowd the town draws on parade day. Taylor asked the council to place the parade route on the next meeting’s agenda for formal consideration.
Cindy Powell spoke twice to the council, first raising a zoning/building concern about whether planning staff discouraged prospective buyers of a duplex by requiring a full subdivision and road/sidewalk replacement. Later she questioned why 20 acres in Crane Creek were sold to the Urban Renewal District for roughly $450,000 when she believed the land’s value was substantially higher, and she asked whether interests tied to a proposed river project were influencing bypass planning. “With a $50,000,000 project going on down that way along the river, could that be…well, I know who it is,” Powell said, pressing for clarity at the council’s upcoming public hearing on the bypass and comp‑plan map changes.
Tyson Sparrow praised city staff’s responsiveness and also suggested an administrative change for food‑truck licensing, proposing that licenses run for a year from the date of registration rather than reset at calendar year end to avoid duplicate fees for vendors who sign up midyear.
Mayor Hutchison, participating by phone, said the mayor has final authority over the parade route and that he was “taking all considerations very, very seriously,” promising an announcement at the next council meeting. Council members repeatedly told speakers the bypass and related comp‑plan map changes will be the subject of staff reports and a public hearing scheduled in coming weeks.
What happens next: Councilmembers asked staff to bring the parade route forward as an action item and confirmed the bypass/comp‑plan hearing and staff reports will be available before final decisions.
