There’s been a lot of development proposed or started in Wapiti in recent years, much of it accompanied by strong neighbor opposition, from new campgrounds to a cell tower. 

There won’t be an expansion of the Green Creek Inn and RV Park, however, after Park County commissioners backed up what county planning and zoning commissioners had recommended to deny a permit to expand an eight RV site, 10 campsite park into a 29 site RV park. 

Commissioners denied the special use permit request on the residentially zoned property by a 3-1 vote, with only commissioner Lloyd Thiel in favor of the permit. 

The owner of Green Creek Inn planned to remove all 10 campsites on the property and five of eight current RV sites, while adding 26 full service RV sites in a less than 3-acre part of the 8 acre property along the south side of U.S. Highway 14/16/20W. 

It’s not the first North Fork development plan commissioners have denied over the years — they denied the cell tower plan but were overruled by the courts — but some commissioners did suggest a smaller expansion of the area, say 15 RV spaces instead of nearly 30, could be more acceptable.

In denying the SUP, commissioners expressed concerns over the safety of drivers in the area and of it not being compatible with the surrounding area, due in large part to the density of the sites within a roughly 2.5 acre area. 

“I think first and foremost is going to be, for me, that it’s not compatible with the area and the setting,” said commissioner Scott Steward, who noted that while he also lives on the North Fork, this wouldn’t affect his property. “Followed by, I feel strongly, it’s a huge safety issue with that stretch of highway and that many people trying to turn in and out of there.”

Planning and zoning commissioners recommended denial after a flood of comments from North Fork residents opposed to the expansion. Voices opposed grew after a family submitted a long letter to commissioners ahead of the Tuesday vote. 

“Approval of SUP-264 would create a substantial adverse effect on all of these residential owners and families,” area residents Kevin  and Stacy Kuenn wrote, noting that over 20 people had already spoken out against the proposal previously in wriiting or at a planning and zoning meeting. “SUP-264 is simply not in harmony or compatible with [surrounding] land uses and long-standing residential neighborhoods.” 

Thiel said he understood the concerns on safety as the two-lane highway has a 65 mph speed limit where the one entrance and exit to the business lies, but wondered if instead of denying the permit the commissioners couldn’t see if the property owners could work with WYDOT on getting a turn lane or a lower speed limit to address the issue. He said issues with compatibility he didn’t agree with, noting that the North Fork has been an area catering to tourists on the way to Yellowstone “for 150 years.”

“Safety, I will buy into it, but I believe we could address that with even a condition,” he said. “You know, if they could convince WYDOT to put in a turning lane, would that appease some of the safety issues?”

Commissioner Scott Mangold said WYDOT would be unlikely to move quickly on anything to address that area, as traffic engineers rely on crash data to make decisions like that. Planner Kim Dillivan said WYDOT staff worked with the property owner on addressing the entrance and exit issues, recommending one access be closed off, one be only available for emergency access and a third used for all entrances and exits to address some of the safety concerns. Those alterations didn’t quell the worries of most commissioners. 

Mangold said there are already traffic safety issues on the North Fork in the summer with hordes of RVs, campers, motorcycles and others driving over 70 mph on the straightaway section in the western portion of Wapiti, as drivers speed up going east after getting through the Shoshone National Forest. 

“I would be interested in WYDOT maybe thinking about doing a turn lane, but they’re not going to do that,” Mangold said, adding, “Even like over at Albertsons in Powell, people have to hit the brakes and they’re moving around, but they’re not going to do anything yet, unless they get crash data. And so that’s an issue. For me, the safety issue is a big turning point.”