Middleton Landmarks Commission votes to request public hearing on proposed downtown historic district

Middleton — The Middleton Landmarks Commission voted at its meeting to request that the city schedule a public hearing on a proposed downtown historic district, known in the discussion as a "railroad" historic district, and settled on a hearing time of Tuesday, April 30, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

Commission chair John introduced the measure as a procedural step, saying the commission was not deciding to create a district at the meeting but merely asking the city to open a public hearing process. "No decision is a decision," John said, explaining that recent contacts from neighbors and project inquiries motivated the discussion.

The vote came after roughly two hours of discussion about draft boundaries, technicalities of parcel lines and what the commission should include in a first proposed map. Commissioner Elizabeth argued the western edge of the draft map created a visual gap, saying the parcels “don’t form part of that cohesive group” and…