Did you know that the Sublette County Planning and Zoning (PNZ) board is currently
rewriting the zoning regulations for Sublette County?

This hasn’t been done comprehensively since 1985, so it’s kind of a big deal. Zoning affects what we can do on our property.

The last PNZ meeting was April 24 th in the Lovatt room. About 10-15 people attended, mostly on zoom. For those of us who don’t have time to attend PNZ meetings (and let’s face it, that’s most of us), here is a brief recap.

First, the PNZ board is Chaired by Holly Roberts, along with members Chase Harber, Blake Greenhalgh, Ken Marincic and Chris Lacinak. They worked on Chapter 2 at the last meeting and will be continuing Chapter 2 and heading into Chapter 3 at the next meeting.

Here are Proposed Changes discussed at the last meeting that you might want to know about. We’ll start with two easy ones and end on a thornier one.

1: Consolidating the Rural Residential (RR) designations :

Right now land can be designated RR, RR 5, RR10 and RR 20. This corresponds to the minimum lot size. Since zoning changes require a plat map (or a plan for what you are going to do with the land) we might not need to have these designations and could combine them into simply “RR”. This is an example of a Zoning change that feels like a nice housekeeping item. It’s tidy and clear and not much has changed.

2: Heavy Industrial :

The proposed change is to require a one-mile buffer between heavy industry and any residential dwelling. The crowd at the PNZ meeting noted that many homes are within 1-mile of the Pinedale light industrial park and they haven’t had any issues.

Another question was raised that perhaps PNZ should consider if they implement this 1-mile rule, what land does that leave for heavy industrial? If we change the definition, do we accidentally knock out all the available locations or only leave ones that no one really wants? This is an example of something that was discussed that might start to impact our lives. It’s a question to consider: do we need a 1-mile buffer or is this a solution in search of a problem? What are the impacts of modifying the existing rules?

3: Agricultural A-1 Uses :

This was the meat of the meeting and where folks might want to consider how this could affect them.

First, the PNZ Board proposed to change the definition of “Agricultural/Agricultural Use.” The new definition requires agriculture activity “support the land’s productive capacity.” Why does what I do on my land have to be productive?

Second, certain non-Agricultural uses are permitted but only upon granting of a Conditional Use Permit or “CUP.” The PNZ Board has proposed inserting language requiring all A-1CUPs be “incidental to an Agricultural Use.” What does that mean? Any conditional use you want to do on your Ag land has to be “incidental” or tied to Ag. If I want to build a pottery studio on my Ag property, that’s not really tied to Ag. What about converting a building to tinker on vintage cars? Also not Ag.

And that’s where this proposed change gets messy.

See, the way the rules are now you have a dream, you make a plan, you go apply for a building permit and do what you want (within the existing zoning rules). This change means that now you have to go ask permission in the form of a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) which are heard by both the PNZ board and the Board of County Commissioners. CUP’s are complicated. You might need a lawyer to help you figure it out. And then they could deny it. You will probably be denied since you can’t show how the pottery studio or mechanic shop is “incidental to an Agricultural Use.”

This is a fundamental change to our property rights and personal freedoms. It adds more rules and puts more power in the hands of local government officials to get in people’s lives.

As part of Ag, they also discussed limiting Short Term Rentals (STR’s) to one STR per A-1 parcel. An STR, for those who don’t know, is where you want to rent out your place for [fewer than 30 days], like you might see with Airbnb or VRBO. This means just what it says, one STR per property. If you have 35 acres or 1,500 acres, you get one. Does that make sense?

Finally, they want to change the definition of Additional Dwelling Units (ADU). These are also just what they sound like: units on your property where people can dwell. The proposed change limits ADU’s to use by “family members and nonpaying guests.” Again, why do they care? If I have an old cabin on my property and I want to rent it out, now I wouldn’t be able to because my renter isn’t family? What if I want that extra income? What if I need that extra income? This is an example of adding a rule that affects property owners and limits what they can do on their land.

The long and short of it is that these rules affect all of us. While you might not wake up every morning and think, “I wonder what Planning and Zoning is doing today?” But they are making decisions that affect us all, and will impact the future of Sublette for years to come. And they value public input. If you have thoughts on these, take a moment and email the PNZ board at:

• [email protected] 
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]

Or better yet, come to a meeting and let them know what you are thinking. The next PNZ meeting is Thursday, June 19 th.