Planning commission backs tighter Main Street zoning, recommends size caps and limits on new grocery and auto uses

At a regular meeting, the Midway Planning Commission voted to recommend a set of amendments to Midway Municipal Code §16.05 that would narrow allowable uses and set new size and placement rules for buildings in the city’s C2 and C3 commercial zones.

City planner Michael (the planner leading the code rewrite) told the commission the changes aim to implement the Main Street chapter of the city’s general plan by protecting pedestrian activity and historic buildings and discouraging large, auto‑oriented uses. “As the city grows, this main corridor has great potential to provide a public gathering place,” Michael said, urging rules that foster outdoor dining, plazas and smaller storefronts rather than big-box or drive‑through development.

Under the package the commission endorsed, additional grocery stores would not be permitted in the commercial zones (existing stores would remain legal nonconforming). The planner told the panel the redevelopment subsidy that supported the existing market ended about two years ago and no further subsidy is in place. Commissioners also agreed to remove auto‑oriented uses from Main Street: auto‑detailing, new car washes and new gas stations would not be allowed going forward, with existing operations grandfathered.

Size and massing limits were the focus of much discussion. Staff presented footprint thresholds and commissioners compared local examples — the Bookstore building (~4,200 sq ft) and Harvest restaurant (~4,500–5,200 sq ft) — and concluded the packet’s 15,000‑sq‑ft retail cap was too large for the town core. Through discussion and straw polls, the commission coalesced around lower caps; members favored sending a 6,000‑square‑foot maximum footprint for restaurants and similar caps for many retail uses to the city council so the council can consider the change.

Other notable recommendations: short‑term lodging would be limited to small ‘short‑term lodging facilities’ (generally capped at eight units) and the commission favored limiting bedrooms per short‑term unit (a straw poll supported two bedrooms per unit and no lockouts); professional offices and clinics would be discouraged on the ground floor within 50 feet of the front property line in the C3 zone to preserve active retail frontage; funeral homes and wedding chapel uses were proposed to be removed from the C3 walkable zone (the commission supported removing mortuaries as a permitted use with existing mortuaries remaining grandfathered); and recreational vehicle/OHV/ATV rentals were recommended to be reserved for the resort zone rather than Main Street.

Commissioners also discussed parking and design controls: staff proposed locating vehicle parking not associated with another use at least 50 feet behind the front property line, requiring landscaping and conditional‑use review for stand‑alone parking lots, and enforcing nuisance light standards. For change-of-use or large exterior remodels the commission indicated it wants review by its architecture/visual‑appeals process so facades and colors retain the town’s Swiss‑European character.

After the staff presentation and a brief public hearing with no speakers, the commission moved and voted to forward the recommended changes and the staff’s proposed findings to the city council.

The city council will receive the commission’s recommendation and decide whether to hold additional hearings, modify the language or adopt the code changes. The planning commission and staff said they expect continued discussion about the precise map boundaries of C2 and C3 and potential future limits on massing and setbacks.