Former councilman seeks lot-line adjustment; staff urges formal acknowledgment of alley access

Former councilman Jim Sayers presented a lot-line adjustment request on March 3 seeking to combine a small triangular parcel he owns with roughly a half-acre from adjacent owners to create a more usable residential lot.

"I'm in the process, of, hopefully, purchasing half an acre from the Podmores…It seems to fit within the guidelines for a boundary adjustment," Sayers told the council, explaining the change would correct a nonconforming, triangular parcel he previously purchased.

Town staff reported the petition materials were complete and that signatures from impacted neighbors had been provided. Staff cautioned the council about access: the parcel relies on a nearby alley for ingress, and past alley vacations in the Cottonwood Addition have led to access problems for other parcels. "I think, some kind of formal acknowledgment that that is the legal access for this parcel…would run with the land," the staff member (Aaron) said, recommending the council record an agreement or bill of sale language to document the access point.

Sayers described temporary gates he had placed across the alley to keep horses from wandering onto his parcel and confirmed the gates are movable and that pedestrian access remains. Councilmembers discussed whether this boundary adjustment would set a precedent for other alley/access issues in Cottonwood Addition; staff said the lot-line adjustment process in the subdivision ordinance is specific and that granting this petition would not itself set townwide policy for alleys.

Council did not vote on the request that night. The council directed staff to work with the petitioner and legal counsel to produce documentation (including wording for the bill of sale) that acknowledges the alley as the access route; staff will return the item for formal approval at a future meeting.