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Neighbors press council on traffic, drainage as Midland council approves Alishiba Lane rezoning with conditions
Summary
After hours of testimony, Midland City Council advanced a planned‑development rezoning for a 36‑lot subdivision off Alishiba Lane, attaching requirements including Mockingbird as the primary access, a four‑way stop at Alishiba and Sir Barton, and construction traffic limited to Mockingbird. Neighbors cited safety, deed‑restriction and drainage concerns.
Midland City Council voted to advance a planned‑development rezoning for roughly 20 acres off Alishiba Lane after extended public hearings and a council amendment that sought to address neighbors’ safety concerns.
Planning staff described a revised site plan that reduced the proposed lots to 36 and added an entrance on Mockingbird Drive intended to reduce cut‑through traffic into the adjacent Solomon Estates neighborhood. The planning presentation noted six letters of objection within the notice area (about 32 percent), below the 60 percent protest threshold that would trigger a super‑majority requirement under recent state law changes. Elizabeth Triggs, Planning and Development Officer, said staff recommended approval conditioned on substantial conformance to the ordinance’s site plan.
The applicant’s representative, Tim Hare of Dunaway, said the developer modified the plan after conversations with neighbors and staff. Hare described traffic estimates for the development: “the peak AM hour traffic generation for Alishiba Enclave will be about 27 vehicles,” and said most new lots would use city water while only a few large lots would continue to rely on wells. He emphasized that the project is single‑family detached housing and that the developer added open space and architectural controls to respond to neighborhood concerns.
Neighbors at the public hearing urged the council to prevent increased traffic on Solomon Lane and Alishiba, to prioritize safety for children who play in the area, and to preserve the single‑acre lot character they said was promised in deed restrictions. One longtime resident urged the council to “restrict the ingress and egress to Mockingbird and A Street,” noting that “this is a very special neighborhood” and expressing concern about property values and precedent.
Council members debated whether a street connection to A Street was feasible; staff and the developer said drainage, utilities and minimum street spacing made a direct A‑Street connection technically difficult without reworking the site plan. Council also discussed the drainage over the Midland Draw near the site, with staff warning that growth to the north will require coordinated drainage and roadway work so runoff can reach the draw safely.
To respond to the concerns, the council approved an amendment (4–2) that requires: (1) the primary, all‑direction entrance be designed at Mockingbird, (2) a four‑way stop be installed at the Alishiba/Sir Barton intersection, and (3) construction ingress and egress be restricted to Mockingbird. Council also directed staff to continue work on traffic calming and other mitigation on Solomon Lane. The motion to amend carried and the council advanced the PD with those conditions.
Next steps: because this is a planned‑development district tied to a site plan, any substantial change to the plan (for example, re‑routing the primary entrance back to A Street) would require returning to Planning & Zoning and the council for additional public hearings and votes. The council asked staff and the developer to continue discussing design details with neighbors to finalize the site‑plan level requirements.
