Public hearing

Public hearing

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING
AND PUBLIC HEARING:
UPDATED DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS, PARK COUNTY, WYOMING
The Park County Board of Commissioners (“Board”) will hold a special meeting to conduct a public hearing Monday, January 27th, 2025, at 1:15pm, to consider adoption of the proposed first-round updates/amendments to the 2015 Park County, Wyoming, Development Standards and Regulations (“DSR”). The document, if adopted, will be titled, “2025 Park County, Wyoming, Development Standards and Regulations.” The meeting will be held in the Grizzly Room of the Cody Library, 1500 Heart Mountain Street, Cody, WY.
Park County adopted the 2024 Land Use Plan in March of 2024 with the intent of following that effort with updates to the DSR which was last updated in 2015. Park County is authorized by Wyoming State Statutes (W.S.), as amended, to adopt and amend these regulations pursuant to: W.S. § 9-8-301, et seq. (Local Level); W.S. § 16-3-101 et seq. (Administrative Procedure); W.S. § 18-5-201 et seq.(Planning and Zoning Commission); W.S. § 18-5-301 et seq. (Real Estate Subdivisions); W.S. § 18-5-401 et seq. (Conservation Design Process); W.S. § 18-5-501 et seq (Wind and Solar Energy Facilities); W.S. § 24-1-104 et seq; (Management and Control of County Roads); W.S. § 34-12-101 et seq. (Platting and Dedication); W.S § 35-11-301(a) (Prohibited Acts) and W.S. § 35-11-304(a) (Delegation of Authority and (iii) Establishment of Rules). Further, Park County is authorized to regulate development in special flood hazard areas (SFHAs) as part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) according to the U.S. Code (U.S.C.) Title 42 § 4001 et seq., and Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 44, Chapter I, Subchapter B, Part 60, Subpart A.
The Board hired a consultant, Logan Simpson, to lead the project team and public through the update process which involves two separate rounds of adoptions. Logan Simpson has completed an assessment of the 2015 DSR and current zoning map/zoning districts and has proposed preliminary changes to the DSR, which have been evaluated by Planning and Zoning Department staff (P&Z staff), the County Engineer, the Planning and Zoning Commission (“P&Z Commission”) and the Board. The first round of proposed updates to the DSR is the subject of this notice and involves, generally, formatting and administrative changes including, but not limited to: modernizing the format of the document (e.g., automatic page numbering, linked Table of Contents, etc.); updates to Chapter I (Administration); a preliminary update of Chapter II (Definitions); updates to portions of the regulations that are directly impacted by recent statutory language changes (e.g., family exemptions, subdivision fencing, etc.); and a first-round appendices clean-up. Bringing the regulations into alignment with state and federal law is a primary goal of this effort. This first round of amendments is intended to address “low hanging fruit” issues during a short window of time. During the past several years, P&Z staff, the P&Z Commission and Board identified several key areas of the DSR requiring quick attention during this round of amendments. Recommended language and changes are reflected in all but Chapter V of this first-round draft. No changes to the official zoning map of the County are proposed during this round.
The P&Z Commission held a public hearing on November 20, 2024, to consider the proposed amendments and recommended approval with conditions for the correction of minor typographical errors throughout the document and adjustment of the language relating to variances to reflect slightly less restrictions than were originally proposed. Modified language will be tracked and explained within the newest draft which is the subject of this notice. This notice is intended to achieve compliance with the required minimum forty-five (45)-day public review period before the Board considers adoption of the updated regulations. Should the Board choose to adopt the 2025 DSR, it will replace and supersede the 2015 DSR and dissolve the Meeteetse Local Planning Area Advisory Committee.
A copy of the proposed first-round updates to the DSR will be available for public inspection at the following locations: Board of County Commissioners Office and Planning & Zoning Department (1002 Sheridan Ave, Cody); County libraries in Powell (655 E. 5th St, Homesteader Hall) and Cody (1500 Heart Mtn. St.); Park County’s website (www.parkcounty-wy.gov) and the project website (www.engageparkcounty.com). Interested persons may present data, views or arguments on this intended action orally at the public hearing or in writing to the Park County Planning & Zoning Department (mail: 1002 Sheridan Ave., Suite 109, Cody, WY 82414; email: planning@parkcounty-wy.gov) by no later than 11:00am on Friday, January 17, 2025. 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., Dec. 3, 2024
Second Publ., Tues., Jan. 14, 2025