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Park County denies Wyoming Riverwalk Investment floodplain permit; commissioners cite missing LOMA and request engineered designs
Summary
Park County commissioners voted to deny a floodplain permit application from Wyoming Riverwalk Investment LLC because the board did not receive a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) and wanted engineered designs from a Wyoming-licensed professional engineer before taking action.
Park County commissioners on Tuesday denied a floodplain-permit application from Wyoming Riverwalk Investment LLC after staff and several commissioners said the project lacked a necessary Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) and an engineer-stamped design showing how the proposed work would affect the river floodplain.
The application concerns work near a river channel that includes reconfiguring a road and installing or modifying a water/well system tied to adjacent development. County staff told the board the applicant had not delivered a LOMA document that would show whether the project changed floodplain boundaries; commissioners said they needed that mapping and a certified engineer’s plans before they could approve any floodplain permit.
Commissioner-level discussion focused on two technical gaps: the absence of a documented LOMA or FEMA decision and the lack of a Wyoming-licensed professional engineer’s design for any water, road, or bank stabilization work. “I don’t think the LOMA has been approved by FEMA yet,” one commissioner said. Another commissioner said the county must be able to analyze how the road and site changes alter the floodplain and the larger landscape, and the board needs time to review that material.
The denial motion passed after discussion; commissioners directed staff and the applicant to return when the LOMA and engineer-stamped design are available. Staff noted that several of the standard permit conditions (including posting of an erosion- and sediment-control plan, utility coordination, and a requirement that no fill or alteration occur in regulated floodway areas without further approval) would still apply if the applicant re-submitted with the requested documents.
The board’s action does not bar the applicant from reapplying; it will allow the applicant to present the LOMA and engineered plans in a later packet. Commissioners said they expect applicants to provide full technical documentation for projects affecting mapped floodplains so the county can review impacts to floodplain location and downstream infrastructure.
