Planning commission recommends alley-vacate ordinance to City Council after removing "potential future access" wording

The Milford Planning & Zoning Commission voted Dec. 10 to recommend Ordinance 012026 — a measure that lays out the petition process to vacate an alleyway — to the Milford City Council, after commissioners agreed to remove a phrase from a utilities provision.

Staff member Lisa described the ordinance as mainly procedural: "The ordinance just kinda goes over the process to petition to vacate an alleyway," she said. Commissioners focused on section 13.490.25, which in its draft included language about providing "current or potential future access for the maintenance, repair, or installation of utility lines."

Committee members said the phrase "potential future" was ambiguous. Committee member Chancey and another commissioner suggested limiting the provision to existing access. "You could keep it and say the LOA provides current access for maintenance repair installation of utility lines and take out the potential," one commissioner said; another added that removing "potential" would make the requirement "black and white."

After discussion, Chancey moved "to send the ordinance, 012026 Alley vacate to the Milford City Council with the changes in section 13 4 9 0 2 5 to the second line item of taking out potential future access." A second was offered by Luke. The chair announced the motion carried.

The commission did not record a roll-call vote tally in the transcript; the recorded procedure shows a motion, a second and the chair's statement that the motion carried. The ordinance will go to the City Council for consideration with the editorial change to the utilities-access language.

The next procedural step, according to staff, is that the City Council will receive the recommended ordinance; no council action is recorded in this meeting.