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Soccer league proposes building on town‑owned Bontrager fields; council flags parking and deed conditions
Summary
The Middlebury Soccer League asked to build a facility on town‑owned Bontrager Soccer Fields; staff said the project needs a two‑lot subdivision, an $8,012/acre connection fee for water/sewer, and deed stipulations to allow town reversion. Council members raised parking and site‑plan concerns and asked staff to return with more details.
Middlebury — The Middlebury Soccer League has proposed constructing a building on the town‑owned Bontrager Soccer Fields, and council members on March 2 requested additional details about parking, deed restrictions and site‑plan review before any transfer or approval.
Staff member (S4) told the council the league provided a rough sketch and that prior councils had stated a preference to deed land to the club with stipulations requiring the property to revert to the town under certain conditions. S4 said the league would need to pay subdivision and connection fees; S4 cited an $8,012 per‑acre connection fee for water and sewer and said utilities are available on site.
Council members raised multiple concerns, including where weekend parking would shift if the site is developed, how the proposed building footprint accounts for existing parking and whether the town should reserve repurchase rights in the deed. Committee member (S3) noted the area is "highly used for parking" and asked whether the league planned to move or reconfigure parking. Committee member (S7) said the site plan showed parking and that the league should work through county plan‑commission review and county engineering.
S4 said the town expects the league to pay for subdivision costs and related surveys; S9 (county/administrative speaker) said any reversion or reserved rights would likely be written into the deed or transfer documents. No vote or transfer was made; staff will follow up with the league and bring more detailed plans and potential deed language to the council and plan commission for review.
Provenance: discussion began when the council introduced the soccer‑league request (topic intro SEG 370) and continued through questions about parking, deed reversion and subdivision costs (topic finish SEG 616).
