In 2021, 37 subdivisions were applied for in rural Park County, 15 more than the year before and a sign of the times — people were flocking to rural states such as Wyoming to get away from the unrest and pandemic restrictions prevalent in many more urban areas around the country. 

That included three major subdivisions, including the 23-lot Buck Creek Estates halfway between Cody and Powell, which captured the ire of many people worried about the loss of farmland before its eventual approval by county commissioners the next year. 

Those worries, as well as the backlash to regulations on private property, have continued, but the pace of new subdivisions has not. 

Last year 19 subdivisions were applied for, the lowest amount since 2019, which saw 16 applications.

“We are basically landing on our pre-Covid curve,” said Park County Planning and Zoning Director Joy Hill. 

She said subdivision applications for the current year are on track to be similar to 2024. 

This more reasonable pace of subdivision applications is happening while the new land use plan and regulations process, jumpstarted in part due to concerns over the rapid pace of change due to a flood of new residents in the first years after the pandemic, is coming under intense scrutiny by the public. Many of whom have expressed worry over the last couple of years about the pace of new subdivisions and the landscape’s ability to handle them. 

Concerns have revolved around whether adding well taps will lead others to go dry, the loss of farmland and loss of big game territory, among others. 

While 2021 was the big year for subdivisions with 37 applied for and only three withdrawn, a further 26 (one withdrawn) were applied for in 2022 and 25 (one withdrawn) in 2023. And while most subdivisions were small, such as a simple subdivision which is generally just one new lot being created, there were three major subdivisions (more than five new lots) in 2021, two in 2022, one in 2023 and three in 2024. 

Of course, this is just new subdivisions outside of city limits — on the south side of town a developer has just begun the process of getting approval for what will initially be a 25-lot subdivision. 

Two rural Powell area subdivisions move forward

The Park County commissioners approved two sketch plans for five lot minor subdivisions west of Powell on Tuesday. 

While one is for larger lot sizes and the other is five lots under 2 acres. Both are in an area zoned GR-P, which allows lots as low as 1 acre on average in a large swath of land around Powell and Ralston. 

Neither subdivisions drew any public opposition at or before the meeting.  

Cow Creek Estates, a five-lot subdivision of 1-2 acre lots, is off Road 15 and Lane 9, while Horizon Estates is off Lane 10 and Road 20 and will consist of lots ranging from 7-28 acres.

On the latter, Commissioner Lloyd Thiel said in his motion to approve that it was sad to see 80 acres of ag land be subdivided, but that they had met all the conditions.