The first phase of the Park County Development Standards and Regulations amendments is back out for review with its publication in Friday's (today’s) paper. 

This milestone follows weeks of work between the commissioners and planning and zoning members to revise language that had caused concerns in the initial draft of the amended regulations, which were out for review at the beginning of the year. At a January public hearing, a crowd of people largely objected to the language, or at least certain parts of it, and commissioners determined to table the vote and address the issues raised at the meeting. 

With the notice being published it begins a mandated 45-day review period, after which the commissioners will hold a hearing Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. at the Cody Auditorium. 

Comments on that document should be received by 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4 to be added to public comment from the public hearing.

This is the first phase of the regulation amendments and thus doesn't address controversial issues like zoning changes that have led to so much public concern over the second phase of regulation amendments. 

“Remember DSR 1 is not the uses in zoning,” Commission Chair Dossie Overfield said at Tuesday’s meeting. “It is mostly statutory changes, definitions to comply with state and federal changes, and some reworking of the processes.”

At the January hearing, concerns ranged from the definition of adult entertainment to specific concerns on clarity from officials such as engineers and lawyers who work with property owners wanting to change their property. A number of people said their concern was generally being opposed to more regulations, period. 

“It's clarifying the wording, and the whole document has been reformatted,” Overfield said. “If you do choose to comment via email to the commissioners, which is great, we would like you to include not only what you perceive as the problem, but give us your ideas as far as a solution, and please include the page numbers that you're referring to.”

Hard copies of the document will be available for review at the Powell and Cody libraries, as well as the commissioners and planning department offices in the Park County Courthouse.