Midway council debates Vision 2027, land-use vignettes and downtown parking

Midway — At its Feb. 7 strategic planning session, the Midway City Council spent substantial time discussing a long-range vision for the city, focusing on land use, downtown parking and the city’s identity over one-, three-, five-, ten- and 25-year horizons.

Council members and staff said parts of the current General Plan are not realistic and suggested the land-use title should include vignettes showing what the city envisions for specific places. Several council members argued Midway is primarily a tourism community and that agricultural uses would require active incentives to be sustainable. The council discussed whether Midway should present itself as a boutique town rather than a resort community and noted the effect of lot size on house scale and town character.

The council assigned itself to determine a city vision for discussion at a future work meeting and agreed to a site visit to view underground parking under construction at Southill as an example for downtown parking solutions. The meeting also included a presentation of the C.A.R.E.S. organizational framework (commitment, attitude, resources, ethics, service) by former Mayor Celeste Johnson.

Council members agreed on a recurring work-meeting structure (focused topic per meeting, every other month) to allow deeper preparation and more focused policy development going forward.