At its Aug. 11 meeting the Pennington County Planning Commission voted to approve a series of ordinance amendments implementing changes from the county’s comprehensive plan (View to 2040). The amendments revise district names and rules, consolidate some commercial zoning, create a new neighborhood commercial district, and reestablish a revised planned unit development (PUD) process.

Key changes the commission approved include:
- Renaming and clarifying residential districts: the ordinance creates Suburban Residential Districts 1 and 2 (SRD‑1 and SRD‑2) and adjusts minimum lot sizes and front‑yard setbacks to align with the comprehensive plan.
- Combining the previous Highway Service and Commercial districts into a single Commercial district, and creating a separate Neighborhood Commercial district for lower‑impact, small‑scale commercial uses.
- Amending the Commercial district to allow some accessory caretaker dwellings tied to permitted uses and to allow certain uses (for example, storage facilities) by right in Commercial where they previously required a conditional use permit.
- Reintroducing PUDs with a new, three‑step workflow: a staff‑reviewed concept plan (administrative), followed by a comprehensive plan/rezone to a PUD, and finally a PUD application that sets the detailed development standards for that site. The PUD overlay will be replaced by a multiuse conditional use permit structure for certain complex uses (for example, recreational and specialty resorts).
- Updating fee schedules and application categories to reflect the new PUD concept plan and PUD application steps.

Staff and commissioners discussed the effects of the changes. Planning staff said the Commercial/Highway Service consolidation primarily eliminated duplicative nomenclature and moved higher‑risk uses (for example, amusement structures) into conditional use review to allow fire and public‑safety review. Staff also said the Neighborhood Commercial district was designed to permit low‑impact businesses in some residential areas while keeping more intensive uses in the broader Commercial district.

Commissioners asked about specific impacts: corner‑lot minimum sizes for suburban residential districts were adjusted (addressing buildable area impacts), the Commercial district retains a larger minimum lot requirement for certain uses, and access/right‑of‑way language was standardized across districts. Commissioners also noted that ATV/UTV rentals or sales would be allowed as a use by right under some Commercial uses in the revised code, and that such uses in sensitive locations may still trigger additional review (such as conditional use permitting when specified).

The commission approved each ordinance amendment on the Aug. 11 agenda by voice vote. Staff said two related items previously presented to the Board of Commissioners (OA25‑002 and OA25‑003 addressing data processing centers and fees) were continued by the Board for additional stakeholder meetings; those items are separate from the package approved by the commission on Aug. 11.

What this means: The amendments align the county zoning code with the comprehensive plan, add a tailored Neighborhood Commercial option for low‑impact businesses, and create a clearer multi‑step process for any large or mixed‑use PUDs. Developers proposing mixed‑use projects will now use a concept plan and then a PUD application that establishes site‑specific standards prior to final platting.