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Council debates historic plats and whether to keep or relinquish unused rights-of-way
Summary
Manager Gus Lundberg and council members reviewed Taylor’s original platting and debated retaining historic rights-of-way for future access and utilities; resident Jared Hatch asked to document limited private uses (shed/casita) if the town retains reactivation rights.
Town Manager Gus Lundberg led a discussion on Feb. 2 about the town’s original plat and numerous undeveloped rights-of-way that persist on the historic grid.
Lundberg said early plats (1870s–1930s) were laid out with rods and chains and that modern surveying shows offsets; he asked the council to be cautious about abandoning rights-of-way because they provide future options for utilities, alternate emergency access and drainage. He distinguished a town-owned right-of-way from an easement granted by private property owners and noted instances where county parcel maps do not reflect the town’s recorded right-of-way boundaries.
Council members and staff raised practical examples. Richard Troutman described situations where access or drainage required a right-of-way and cautioned that giving them up can cause problems later. Jeremy Peters said rights-of-way can be important for future sewer or interceptor lines. Mayor Shawn Palmer and other members noted potential future needs near the elementary school and emphasized leverage in future land negotiations.
Resident Jared Hatch, who raised the rights-of-way agenda item, described a proposal to beautify and temporarily use portions of an unused easement (for a shed or casita) and offered to document any agreement in deed language so the town could reactivate the corridor later without cost. Hatch said neighbors would share purchase of small portions of an easement if allowed, and asked for flexibility as long as it is properly recorded.
Why it matters: Rights-of-way preserve options for future transportation, utilities and flood control. Officials warned that relinquishing corridors could limit future municipal actions and noted precedent from nearby towns where relinquishments later caused regret.
Next steps: No formal decision was made; staff will pursue mapping and clarification of parcel records and develop an approach for handling private requests that preserves utility access and future town options.
