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Council approves first reading to vacate Stover Addition dead‑end alley, requests market analysis
Summary
Council adopted first reading of an ordinance to vacate a 200‑by‑20‑foot dead‑end alley in the Stover Addition but required a market‑value analysis (consistent with a prior alley vacation) before final readings and acceptance of value.
RIVERTON, Wyo. — Riverton City Council took first reading Aug. 5 on an ordinance to vacate a 200‑foot‑long, 20‑foot‑wide dead‑end alley in the Stover Addition and asked staff to obtain a market value analysis before final adoption.
Community development staff said all eight adjacent property owners petitioned for the vacation, utilities raised no objections, and the Riverton Planning Commission approved the vacation on July 18, 2025. Staff initially listed a placeholder value of $3,000 to be demanded for the land vacated but recommended the council obtain a local market analysis so the city can set a fair price.
Council members discussed consistency with a prior alley vacation (Saint Margaret’s), which had used a per‑square‑foot valuation. Staff and council asked whether the applicant or the city should pay for the market analysis; council members discussed precedent and suggested the applicant should normally pay if a prior applicant had done so, though staff noted the earlier analysis had been provided as a courtesy and not charged. Ultimately, the council’s motion to adopt on first reading included the contingency that a market analysis be completed.
Council clarified practical use: the alley ends halfway through the block and is currently a dead end; the applicant said the intent is to maintain utility easements and not impede emergency or utility access, and to pave and clean the alley so it stops functioning as a weed patch.
Action: Council adopted the ordinance on first reading and required a market analysis prior to final adoption. The transcript records the first reading approval and the council’s intent to require a market valuation; a final price was not fixed at the meeting.
Clarifying details: alley is 200 feet by 20 feet (4,000 square feet). Staff initially proposed a placeholder value of $3,000; a past alley vacation (St. Margaret’s) had used a $3,000 value and an engineer’s per‑square‑foot comp of $0.75 that the council reduced to $3,000. The council asked staff to seek a market analysis and to clarify who will pay for it consistent with precedent.
