Farmington City Planning Commission on Nov. 12 recommended that the City Council approve the final plat for Parkview Ponds Second Edition, converting Outlot H into a single buildable residential lot, contingent on vacating a blanket drainage and utility easement.

Tony, a city planning staff member, told the commission the parcel would be legally described as Lot 1, Block 1, Parkview Ponds Second Edition, with a lot area of 11,783 square feet and a lot width of 85 feet. The subdivision is zoned R‑1, which requires a minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet and a minimum lot width of 75 feet; by those standards the lot ‘‘exceeds all the minimum requirements,’’ Tony said. He added that new drainage easements would be dedicated with the second‑edition plat — 10 feet along front and rear property lines and 5 feet along side lot lines — and that a public hearing to vacate the blanket drainage/utility easement is scheduled for the Nov. 17 City Council meeting.

"The city's intent upon this replatting as it is a city owned property is to have it appraised and then to potentially sell the property," Tony said. He also noted an existing 10‑foot bituminous trail that runs through the parcel and that a separate trail easement will be required and recorded at the time of a sale.

Commissioners asked whether disposing of the lot could foreclose a future road connection to Aiken Road and reduce traffic relief for developments south of the subdivision. One commissioner said he did not want to "necessarily give up this lot if that truly can help make the development happen" near Mystic Metals. Tony replied that city engineers have reviewed the possibility and do not believe the connection to Aiken Road is warranted based on current traffic patterns and because constructing a link would require grading through the Park Preserve.

"We just don't see that that connection happening," Tony said, adding that any future connection through the park would likely be a city‑funded project and would be difficult because of elevation changes.

Mitch Nunberg, a commissioner, raised whether southern parcels owned by private parties (he noted multiple developer inquiries) might change the calculus. Tony said developers have contacted owners of adjacent southern parcels and that a plat could appear in a year or two, but staff still does not see immediate viability for an Aiken Road connection. On the trail easement, Tony said the parcel would ‘‘leave still 60 plus feet from the edge of the trail to the easement,’’ which could make a narrower but buildable lot.

After discussion and questions about encroachments and timing — Tony said there is no imminent sale but ongoing encroachment issues informed staff interest in disposing of the unused parcel — an unnamed commissioner moved to recommend approval to City Council, and Mitch Nunberg seconded. The commission called the roll and Wind Shadow, Roddy, Novak and Berg voted yes.

The commission’s recommendation is contingent on the vacation of the blanket drainage and utility easement covering Outlot H. The Nov. 17 City Council public hearing on that easement is the next procedural step; the Planning Commission’s next regular meeting is Dec. 9.

Questions or contested assertions recorded in the meeting related to whether future development could require the parcel to remain in public ownership and whether the cost and grade of building through the park would make such a connection feasible. The transcript records staff saying the connection is not warranted based on current traffic analyses and site constraints.

The Planning Commission did not identify a buyer and did not set a sale price; Tony said the city intends to appraise the lot and seek to recoup maintenance costs if it sells.