The Southill development will add townhomes, shopping, trails, a swimming pool and more to land near the intersection of River Road and state Route 113.
The developer asked Midway to consider allowing an underground garage as part of the plans – a departure for the city, which so far has had only surface parking lots.
On July 15, the Midway City Council unanimously voted in favor of the proposal with a set of carefully considered caveats.
City planning director Michael Henke said staff have worked to ensure the rule changes protect the core principles of Midway’s general plan. Some of the conditions include only allowing one tier of parking above the natural grade, forbidding any landscaping to artificially camouflage the parking structure and more.
“All of those reinforce each other, trying to make sure that second layer is not visible,” he said.
The conditions also will not allow access ramps for the garage along the town’s main roads. Henke said that’s to protect the town’s aesthetic.
Additionally, the land gained by moving parking underground can’t be used for extra development. Instead, it must be used for sports fields, green space or surface parking.
