With Park County Planning and Zoning’s public hearing last week on phase two of the county’s Development Standards and Regulations, the end is — potentially — in sight for a process that has been going on for years. 

Still, there is time for community feedback on the plan prior to the county commissioners’ public adoption hearing. That will be at least 45 days once the commissioners decide, after talking with planning and zoning members, whether the draft is ready to be moved forward or needs more work. 

Then the commissioners will post the zoning maps and use tables publicly for at least 45 days before they schedule a public hearing of their own, which needs to be held prior to any vote. 

And that’s all important to note, because regardless of where you stand on the regulations or the land use plan, there should be no doubt the county has provided many opportunities for feedback. 

And, I've personally seen examples of commissioners addressing and changing rules due to that feedback and have heard of many more instances. I’ve also seen requests for changes be denied; plainly, this is not going to be a set of regulations everybody agrees with. 

Was that ever really a possibility? 

This county is quite divided on a number of issues, from where the balance ought to be between property rights and environmental conservation, between more and less regulations. I’ve also seen the nuance people bring to the arguments based on the scenario. Most people don’t seem to mind a neighbor in the county putting in a new shed, but what about a horse corral or a gravel pit? 

Many of these issues will still have to be determined in planning and zoning and county commissioners’ meetings down the road, after these new rules are in place, because this won’t result in a be all-end all. 

Like the previous regulations, these will allow room for circumstances to be taken into account, neighbor opinion and what harm, if any, could come to neighbors from a property owner making a change. 

For instance, if in this new set of regulations a zoning area allows, let’s say, a small data center with a special use permit, the developer still has to go through planning and zoning and county commissioner public hearings before the commissioners would make a decision. And in my years of covering the commissioners, I’ve seen them on numerous occasions deny a project based on overwhelming neighborhood opposition. 

Still, this is a group that talks often about wanting to maintain property rights if at all possible. 

So, whether you really like or really hate these new regulations or fall somewhere in the middle, there will still be plenty of nuance brought to the fore if you do actually decide to subdivide land at some point, or add a new building.