Pennington County Planning Commission approves consent agenda; grants temporary residence permit for Heath Freeman

The Pennington County Planning Commission on April 28, 2025, approved its consent agenda — which included four conditional‑use reviews recommended by staff — and granted conditional use permit COCU25‑0007 allowing an applicant to live in an existing single‑family residence while building a new house, subject to nine conditions.

The actions on April 28 are recommendations to the Pennington County Board of Commissioners, which will consider the Planning Commission's recommendations at the board's regular meeting on May 6, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., Planning Director Britney Molitor said.

On the consent agenda, staff recommended approval of the following items and the commission voted to approve the consent package by voice vote: conditional use permit review CUR19‑07 for Black Hills Kart Racing (dirt track in a commercial district); conditional use permit review CUR23‑32 for St. Patrick LLC (manager/caretaker residence in a commercial district, agent Doyle Estes); conditional use permit review COCU20‑041 for Kevin and Renee Eggbroughton (bed and breakfast in a suburban residential district) — staff recommended ending that permit because the use is no longer needed; conditional use permit review COCU20‑047 for Carla Schneider (accessory dwelling unit in a suburban residential district); and minor planned unit development amendment PUR21‑015 for Philip and Mary Sweeney (temporary RV living while building a single‑family residence). Staff presented each item and recommended approval with conditions where noted.

On agenda item 9, Planner Kelsey Rausch presented conditional use permit application COCU25‑0007 for applicant Heath Freeman. The property is described in staff materials as 480 acres, zoned agriculture, and located at the parcel cited in the staff report (transcript: “23050170 Fifth Avenue, west of Wasta”). Rausch said the applicant previously received a conditional use permit for temporary occupancy while constructing a new house but was unable to obtain a building permit and complete the work within the original permit term; county conditional use permits expire if not fulfilled. Rausch added that a septic system for the new house has already been installed and inspected by county staff and that the applicant must submit a building permit to start construction. The application requests permission for the applicant to continue occupying the existing residence until the new single‑family residence is complete; the plan calls for removal of the existing residence after the new house is finished.

Commissioners moved and seconded approval of COCU25‑0007. The commission approved the permit, with nine conditions, by voice vote. The motion approved the temporary occupancy for the stated purpose only; the permit will return to the county record as a recommendation for the Board of Commissioners' consideration on May 6, 2025, per standard procedure.

In a staff report, Molitor said the Board of Commissioners will hear the Planning Commission's recommendations from the April 14 and April 28 meetings at the board's May meeting. Molitor also said the commission issued a press release seeking candidates to fill a vacant planning‑commission seat for a term starting at the July 14, 2025, meeting. Molitor told the commission that Chairwoman Karen opted not to seek reappointment, that Mr. Santana agreed to remain on the commission for now, and that the commission planned to conduct individual interviews on May 28 with candidate names to be presented to the Board for consideration on June 3 and June 17. Molitor gave the start date for the new commissioner as July 14, 2025.

The meeting concluded after routine adjournment; planners noted there was no need for an executive session that day.