Plans to revitalize the Homestead Resort have been under discussion for months, and on Tuesday night, Aug. 20, Midway leaders gave their stamp of approval for construction to go forward.
The Homestead will build 68 condo units, seven single-family residential units and several new resort amenity buildings, including indoor pickleball courts, a restaurant and a wedding barn.
About 56 of the resort’s 72 acres are designated as open space.
And the Homestead has a contract with Marriott that will brand the hotel as part of the Marriott Autograph Collection when resort improvements are complete.
City planning director Michael Henke said the changes will benefit Midway by bringing more tourism to town.
“Amenities will be created that will be accessible year-round, which will invite more tourists to visit the resort in all seasons,” he said. “It's been a problem in the past that the Homestead used to shut down in the wintertime. With these improvements, it'll be a year-round resort.”
But the project has raised some neighbors’ eyebrows. Nearby residents told city leaders they’re worried about lighting, noise and environmental impact at the resort.
The plans approved Tuesday stipulate all lights on the resort must be brought into dark sky compliance, and a fence will help block parking lot lighting from the adjacent neighborhood.
After about 50 aging trees were cut down on the property earlier this summer, the city says the Homestead must replace them with two new trees for each one that was chopped.
The resort has also pledged to abide by the city’s noise ordinance after recent complaints from neighbors about noisy late-night wedding parties.
Residents have also pressed the city for a trail construction timeline. A stretch of public trail along Homestead Drive was originally meant to be built in fall 2021, then the deadline was pushed back to August 1. Now, plans set Nov. 30 as the deadline, but councilmembers say they’d like to see it finished by mid-September.
The planning commission recommended approving the plans with several conditions related to parking, environmental conservation and light mitigation. The city council voted to accept its recommendation.
Details about the plans are available on Midway's website.
