The city council approved the daycare at its meeting May 5 when it granted a conditional use permit for the business, which will be located on Main Street near 580 East, just west of downtown.
Midway Planning Director Michael Henke explained the facility will serve adults.
“This probably isn't the daycare that most people would think about where children are dropped off during the day,” he said. “This is actually an adult daycare for adults with disabilities. So it's got a little bit of a different program.”
The location will be run by Innovative Harbor, which has similar facilities in Heber, St. George and Utah County.
Innovative Harbor is still seeking approval from the state for the Midway location, which would serve up to 20 adults and operate mainly during daytime hours. It could also house up to eight individuals as full-time residents.
Innovative Harbor Director Jonathan Butler said the Midway location would serve a local need. It has already identified two women who would live there full-time.
“And the two we've identified that would want to live there are here in Midway,” Butler said. “I don't know if all the residents would be local, but the two that we've identified would be, and the intent would be to keep them here near their families.”
Innovative Harbor does not plan to make major changes to the site, currently a single-family home with a multi-use space.
During a public hearing at the meeting, Erin Sandy, whose daughter is a client of Innovative Harbor, said the business is more than it sounds:
“We use the word daycare, but it's not really daycare. It's a place where they're learning skills and being involved in the community, to be supervised and watched over and attended to,” she said.
In addition to housing a small number of residents, the facility would host a number of daytime activities, from cooking classes to art projects. Butler said it would also be a home base for field trips and engagement opportunities, from staff-led hikes to local events to partnerships with civic organizations.
No residents spoke in opposition to the application.