Planning administrator outlines timeline for land‑use ordinance rewrite as residents press for rural protections

San Juan County planning staff told the commission they will pursue a multi‑month process to update the general plan and the countywide land‑use ordinance, and county leaders authorized hiring a consultant to assist. The presentation came during a packed meeting in which residents repeatedly asked the commission to preserve rural and agricultural land uses, protect homesteading rights and avoid imposing residential zoning outside incorporated towns.

Planning administrator Kristen (no last name given) presented a roadmap that breaks the work into chapter‑by‑chapter sessions over the coming months and asked the commission to coordinate review with the county commission and with a plat‑review team (roads, surveyor, health, recorder). Staff said the current general plan dates to 2018, the county has been operating from it, and the proposed schedule aims to have a new ordinance in place by January 1 of the next year, though commissioners acknowledged that bringing a consultant on board may move that date…