Land use plan hearing

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING:
2024 LAND USE PLAN FOR PARK COUNTY, WYOMING
The Park County Board of County Commissioners (“Board”) will conduct a public hearing at their regular meeting on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at 2:00pm, to consider endorsing and approving the 2024 Park County Land Use Plan (“2024 LUP”). The meeting will be held in the Cody Auditorium, 1240 Beck Avenue, Cody, WY.
According to Wyoming State Statute, Title 9, Chapter 8, Article 3 (W.S. § 9-8-301, et. seq.), all local governments shall develop a local land use plan within their jurisdiction. The 1998 Park County Land Use Plan, adopted by the Park County Board of Commissioners on September 15th, 1998, (“1998 LUP”) is the official land use policy document of the Park County Planning and Zoning Commission (“Commission”), Board, and Planning and Zoning Department. Adoption of the 1998 LUP met the minimum substantive statutory requirements. Park County’s authority to regulate land use pertains to the unincorporated areas only. Local land use plans may guide local governments in adopting or amending local zoning regulations, however, such plans shall not be construed as a substitute for, or equivalent to, duly enacted local zoning regulations which have the force and effect of law.
Pursuant to W.S. § 18-5-202, et. seq., “The planning and zoning commission may prepare and amend a comprehensive [land use] plan…for promoting the public health, safety, morals and general welfare of the unincorporated areas of the county and certify the plan to the board of county commissioners.” Changes have occurred in land use patterns and types around Park County since the adoption of the 1998 LUP. The Commission and Board feel that it is time to evaluate and, where necessary, re-establish the County’s values and aspirations concerning the future of land use in unincorporated Park County. Many of the messages that were communicated in the 1998 LUP are mirrored in the proposed 2024 Plan. In addition to updated vision statements and policy guidance, the 2024 LUP includes shared values, an updated land suitability analysis, and a Future Land Use Map for Park County. Careful attention was paid to the 12 planning areas in the County, to ensure that special land use considerations were captured for each. The Board appointed 16 members of the public to serve on a Land Use Plan Advisory Committee (LUPAC) to represent different communities, geographies and interests in Park County. The LUPAC gathered and shared citizen perspectives and input on interim work products, assisted with community and stakeholder engagement by helping to get the word out, and generally served as community ambassadors for the LUP process.
The draft of an updated Land Use Plan (“2023 LUP”) was developed between February of 2022 and April of 2023, and certified by the Planning and Zoning Commission in July of 2023. The 2023 LUP was not adopted by the Board on October 17, 2023, following a public hearing on October 3, 2023, due to concerns presented by the public about lot size minimums and the proposed Agricultural and Big Game Use Overlays. The Board and Commission discussed changes to the 2023 LUP on October 25 and November 7, 2023. The revised Plan, the 2024 LUP, was released for public review on December 21, 2023. The Planning and Zoning Commission held a special meeting and public hearing on January 23, 2024 to consider certification of the 2024 LUP and certified the Plan on the same date by Resolution 2024-04.
Should the Board vote to endorse and approve the 2024 LUP, it will supersede and replace the 1998 LUP and the Comprehensive Policy Statements for the Clark Area, Upper Clark’s Fork Area, Cody Local Area, Cody-Powell Rural Area, Powell (Local) Area, Northfork Area, Sage Creek Area, Lower Southfork Area, Middle Southfork Area, Upper Southfork Area, and Sunlight Area, in addition to the Meeteetse Local Planning Area Land Use Plan and Policy Statement. Adoption of the 2024 LUP will continue the County’s fulfillment of the minimum substantive statutory requirements.
The 2024 LUP establishes an overarching vision and goals for the use of land in unincorporated Park County over the next 15 to 20 years, as informed by an extensive public outreach process. It is intended to guide day-to-day decisions regarding zoning, subdivision, and other standards and regulations that influence the physical growth and development of Park County; the allocation of staff time and other County resources; plans for public facilities, infrastructure and utilities; and the County’s ongoing work with various agencies and partners that have a vested interest in the future of Park County’s natural environment, economy and communities.
A copy of the draft 2024 LUP is available for public inspection at the following locations: Board of County Commissioners Office and Planning & Zoning Department; County libraries in Powell (217 E. 3rd St.), Cody (1500 Heart Mtn. St.) and Meeteetse (2107 Idaho St.); and on Park County’s website (www.parkcounty-wy.gov). Interested persons may submit data, views or arguments on this intended action orally at the public hearing and/or in writing to the Park County Planning & Zoning Department (mail: 1002 Sheridan Ave., Suite 109, Cody, WY 82414; in person: Park County Complex, 1501 Stampede Ave., Suite 2201, Cody, WY; or email: planning@parkcounty-wy.gov) by no later than noon on Monday, March 18th, 2024. Park County has complied with the requirements of W.S. § 9-5-304 and interested persons may obtain a copy of the assessment used to evaluate the proposed rule pursuant to W.S. 9-5-304 at each location where a copy of the proposed rule is available for public inspection.

First Publ., Tues., Jan. 30, 2024
Second Publ., Tues., March 12, 2024