Board approves amended special-use permit for Good SUP 227 but narrows public displays of fireworks

Park County commissioners approved a second amendment to Special Use Permit 227 for Chris and Mariah Good that adds a 1,200-square-foot equipment storage building for an existing fireworks storage and distribution operation but restricted fireworks displays to customers rather than the general public.

Planning staff explained that SUP 227 (originally approved in 2020) authorized a major wholesale fireworks business on a GRP-zoned parcel after a variance and that previous amendments had added a 4,800-square-foot storage building. The proposed 30-by-40 storage building was described as supporting the existing wholesale operation; Park County Fire District 1 said it can provide fire suppression, and state and county agencies sent no objections on fire-safety plan review. Park County code staff recommended carrying forward prior SUP conditions and listed twelve conditions including that fireworks storage structures be set back at least 50 feet from the highway right-of-way and residential structures, and that the property not be used for retail storefront sales.

A central point of debate was condition 7 in the staff draft, which initially prohibited storing, distributing, launching, demonstrating, or displaying fireworks on the property "at any time." Applicant Chris Goode told the board he conducts product demonstrations for wholesale customers and argued the ATF and NFPA standards allow controlled demonstrations when safety distances and fall-out zones are met. "We should be allowed to... display those fireworks in in that regard, for either my own personal viewing or the viewing of our customers just as part of it," Goode said. Several commissioners said they wanted to prevent public events that draw roadside parking and safety issues but did not intend to prohibit demonstrations for bona fide wholesale customers.

The board approved an amended motion that replaced the phrase "at any time" with "for the general public" and also clarified condition 3 to say applicants must comply with applicable state, federal, and local rules (replacing the draft's open-ended "etcetera"). Commissioners noted the amendment had not been advertised as part of the application notice and that agencies such as WYDOT had not been given separate notice about a display-fireworks question; some members suggested a future separate amendment would be cleaner if the applicant wished broader display rights. The amended SUP passed on voice vote.