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Planning commission recommends city council approve change to nonconforming-use rules
Summary
The Laramie Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend a text amendment that would allow portions of buildings with nonconforming uses to be converted to conforming uses and prevent reversion to the prior use, with staff and the applicant saying the change would help businesses adapt interior spaces without expanding nonconforming uses.
The Laramie Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council approve a text amendment to the municipal code that would allow incremental conversion of nonconforming uses inside structures while barring a return to the prior nonconforming use.
The recommendation was prompted by an application asking that the code be clarified so that a conforming use placed within a building that currently contains a nonconforming use may remain and not revert to the preexisting use. Joe, a planning staff member, told the commission the amendment was intended to "help out businesses within the community, without expanding any nonconforming uses." He also said the legal notice was posted in the Boomerang on 07/26/2025 and that the city received no public comments on the amendment.
The proposed change would allow a conforming use to occupy a distinct, functionally separate portion of a structure and would prevent that portion from reverting to the prior nonconforming use unless the code itself is amended later. Staff described clarifying edits to the applicant's original language to require that the area converted be "distinct and functionally separate" rather than a superficial delineation.
Commissioners asked whether the amendment would apply to site elements such as parking lot surfacing and whether exterior modifications would be allowed without separate approvals. Joe said the amendment applies to site and structure for interior conversions, but that paved-area resurfacing is governed by a separate section of code and that any exterior changes would still require the applicable site plan, building permit, or other review processes.
Applicant John Ruffoni (who said he is sometimes known as "Dino") spoke briefly about his proposal to create an on-site manager residence within a large building and said there was sufficient square footage to create a separate, distinct living area. "We do have over 14,000 square feet of so there's plenty of room to do that and be able to separate and make that clear," Ruffoni said.
After discussion, a commissioner moved "to recommend City Council approve staff amendments 15 22 0 2 0 .a of Laramie Municipal Code as recommended by staff." The motion was seconded and carried unanimously.
The commission's vote formally transmits the recommended text amendment to City Council for final action; the planning commission's recommendation does not itself change the municipal code.
Planning staff said the amendment is intended to remove barriers that can prevent interior re-use while preserving the code's overall goal of phasing out nonconforming uses in the long term.
