Council tables right-of-way abandonment request for 209 Cleveland Ave to clarify boundaries

Council opened a public hearing on a petition to abandon an approximately 16-foot public alley adjacent to 209 Cleveland Ave that would allow a medical office to formalize parking and create a dumpster pad. Planning Commission recommended approval without conditions, but staff recommended limiting any abandonment to the portion immediately adjacent to the petitioner's property to avoid granting land currently leased to another business.

Staff read a written statement from petitioner Cody Williams explaining the need for dedicated parking and a dumpster location to support the new medical office and to avoid overflow parking on neighboring streets. Council members asked for clarity about the exact extent to be abandoned, whether the ordinance should specify a finite linear distance from the petitioner's property, and whether the requested additional 25 feet to reach a fence line would interfere with leased adjacent property.

After opening the public hearing and receiving one public comment about agenda clarity, council discussed options to approve the narrower adjacent portion or to amend the ordinance to specify an approximate width along a measured distance. Because the petitioner was not present and questions remained about leased property and the boundary geometry, council voted to table the item and return it at a subsequent meeting with revised ordinance language and clearer mapping.

The public hearing was opened and closed without further testimony; council did not enact the abandonment on first reading and directed staff to coordinate with the petitioner and the city attorney to clarify the parcel description and any impacts to adjacent lessees before returning the item for further action.