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Planning commission backs code change to require —places of worship— to meet Midway architectural standards
Summary
The Midway City Planning Commission recommended that places of worship be held to the same Swiss-European exterior design rules as commercial and resort buildings, forwarding a city-initiated code text amendment to the Visual and Architectural Committee review process. The recommendation was unanimous.
Midway City planning staff presented and the planning commission recommended approval of a city-initiated code text amendment to Section 16.13.37 that would require places of worship to conform to the city's Swiss-European commercial and resort architectural theme.
The proposal expands the code language so that "places of worship" (a broader term than "churches") in any zone would be subject to the same exterior-design requirements and reviewed by the Visual and Architectural Committee for compliance, planning staff said. "Places of worship is instead of churches," the staff presentation explained, reflecting a deliberate choice to include temples and other religious facilities.
Staff tied the change to the general plan, saying the plan describes Midway as a town with a Swiss character and calls for ordinances and architectural guidelines that preserve that look. "The general plan gives us that guiding light," planning staff said, noting the amendment is intended to help future buildings "better match the Midway theme and vision."
Commissioners opened a brief public hearing; no in-person commenters appeared and no online hands were raised. Members discussed limits on enforcement for already-vested projects and agreed the amendment could not be imposed on applications filed and vested under the prior code. Planning staff clarified that vesting laws prevent applying the new rules retroactively to completed or pending projects.
A commissioner moved to recommend approval of the amendment, changing the term from "churches" to "places of worship" and adopting staff's possible findings; the motion was seconded and passed on a unanimous voice vote.
The planning commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for final action. The commission also noted the code text could be revisited if needed and that Visual and Architectural Committee review would allow flexibility so not every listed architectural element would be required on every project.
