Commissioners will start deliberating, and possibly voting, on the first round of development standards and regulations amendments at their next meeting in late August. 

If approved, it will bring to an end yet another chapter in a years-long process to first create a new land use plan for Park County, and then to adjust regulations to align with its priorities. 

Seven months after their first hearing, which resulted in pushback and criticisms of the changes from a packed crowd at the Cody Library’s Grizzly Room, Park County commissioners held a second public hearing on the first round of amendments in front of around 30 people in the Cody Auditorium. The language has been revised over the months with help from a technical working group filled with people who are regularly before planning and zoning and the commissioners on land use issues, such as developers, engineers and attorneys. 

As Chair Dossie Overfield said, the first round of amendments to development standards and regulations includes mainly administrative changes, language changes and updates to align with state and federal law. 

Big alterations such as zoning changes will be part of the second phase of regulations. Consultants are currently compiling survey results from early rounds of public input on zoning and land use changes that will then be publicized again before more public input sessions begin on phase 2.

Overfield said the first phase of amendments will be discussed at the Aug. 19 meeting at 1:15 p.m. at which point there may, or may not,
be a decision.

The county also received more than 550 views on the revised phase 1 regulations and 133 comments. Overfield said those comments and the comments received at the hearing will be included for the commissioners to view ahead of their deliberations at their next meeting. 

Commissioners were prepared for another large crowd after the first hearing attracted roughly 100 people who spilled outside the doors of the library room, but at Tuesday’s meeting most of the Cody Auditorium was empty, no extra seats were needed and people could space out on the chairs that were already put down. 

A deputy sheriff was on hand in the room, but was not needed as the crowd remained civil. In all nine people spoke, some looking for clarity on sections such as the grandfather clause, which allows businesses whose use was allowed previously, be able to continue to operate if a use change makes it no longer allowed. 

Others expressed concerns about specific sections or the larger process. 

Margaret Lohman, of Cody, said some wording on the powers allowed by the planning and zoning director and staff were “opening the doors to a police state,” and the Game and Fish Department, was being given powers to regulate that it shouldn’t have. 

Powell landowner Kay Anderson questioned commissioners as to when they would send out a mailing to all county landowners with information on what is being discussed in the more impactful second round of regulations. 

“When are you going to directly contact and inform all of the rural property owners in Park County?” she asked. 

Overfield said what they have already done through advertisements in the paper, by email and other means have met state statute for informing the public, and that a direct mailing would be a larger cost. 

Carrie Peters, of Powell, wanted to ensure all comments made are recorded, as she said she had noticed some comments from the previous hearing hadn’t been included by the consultants, possibly due to them being deemed similar to others. Overfield said she would look into what had happened.

“I feel like all comments should have been represented,” Peters said. 

Janet Fransen, who said she and her husband left Park County years before and recently came back, said she was concerned about what she was seeing and questioned why changed needed to be made at all. 

“What I’m seeing disturbs me greatly,” she said, adding “It’s absolutely absurd to spend $700,000 on this.”

The county spent $333,000 to consultants Clarion to put together the new land use plan, approved last year, and has spent roughly $313,000 with consultant Logan Simpson to create the new regulations, Overfield said.

Zach Thiel, a former educator and son of commissioner Lloyd Thiel, used his background in education for a comparison as to why commissioners shouldn’t put too much stock on recommendations from mostly out-of-state consultants. 

“I just ask that you make sure you’re going through everything, all the comments, you’re taking all your students’ questions, comments and concerns, and you’re not trusting it to be done by someone else,” he said, alluding to a school board asking him to change his lesson plans to match with an outside program. “You’re not trusting an outside source to do things for you and give you the information. Take the pride within yourself and as a board.”

Cody developer Harold Musser said while he had no issues with changes made to align with state and federal law, “I just want to remind you that affordable housing is really important in Cody, and more regulations equals more money, more costs, and just be careful with more regulations driving up the cost of housing in Park County, because we don’t need that.”