City council-backed plan would buy development rights to preserve 17.5-acre 'Heart of Midway'

Planning staff described a cooperative proposal from four property owners to preserve 17.5 acres near Centre Street and Main Street through purchase of development rights funded from the city’s open‑space bond.

Michael said the parcel — locally referred to as the 'Heart of Midway' and featuring agricultural buildings, a notable barn and geothermal artesian springs on a feature called The Mound — is unique because four owners are proposing a joint conservation easement. The city council had previously earmarked $250,000 from an earlier bond and staff said the current request would add $750,000, bringing the total city contribution to $1,000,000 toward long-term preservation while owners retain ownership.

Staff clarified that conservation easements would be drafted and recorded to preserve the land in perpetuity, and that one new home would be allowed on one of the parcels — a condition that helps lower the city’s purchase price for development rights. Commissioners asked whether specific historic homes (Scheeler, Kohler, Shelton) are included in the easement boundaries and whether access easements cross the conservation area; staff committed to verifying exact boundaries and ownership details.

The planning commission received the report and had questions about mapped exclusions and easements; no formal council appropriation was made at this meeting — the item was described as moving forward with conservation‑easement drafting and subsequent transactions to be finalized by staff and council.