Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Childcare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Green River council approves special-use permit allowing Little Rascals to expand to licensed childcare center
Summary
The Green River City Council approved a resolution permitting Little Rascals Childcare at 595 Bramwell Street to change classification from a family childcare center to a licensed childcare center, allowing state licensing for up to 31 individuals and carrying stipulations to limit neighborhood impacts.
The Green River City Council approved a resolution Tuesday granting a special-use permit for Little Rascals Childcare at 595 Bramwell Street, allowing the facilityto change classification from a family childcare center to a childcare center and operate under a state license for up to 31 individuals.
Planning and zoning administrator Rob Fisher told the council the facility currently operates as a family childcare center that serves children from infancy through 12 and runs roughly 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Under city zoning rules, a childcare center (16 or more children) requires a special use permit; the planning and zoning commission recommended approval at its March 12 meeting.
The council's motion to approve the resolution was moved by Councilman Berg and seconded by Councilwoman Bushman; the motion carried unanimously.
Why it matters: The change allows Little Rascals to operate under its Wyoming Department of Family Services license for up to 31 people, a capacity larger than the previous family-childcare classification. The permit includes stipulations intended to limit traffic, noise and neighborhood disturbance.
Details: Fisher summarized four required findings for a special-use permit under city rules: the use must not endanger public health or safety; not reduce adjacent property values; be in harmony with the surrounding area; and conform with the comprehensive master plan. The planning commission recommended the same stipulations imposed when the facility was granted a conditional permit in July 2024.
Those stipulations include staggered drop-off and pick-up times to prevent congestion, staggered outdoor play times to reduce noise, keeping play equipment away from adjacent property fences, and directing staff and guardian parking to avoid blocking neighboring driveways. Fisher also said the petitioners had coordinated with the Department of Family Services, which licensed the facility.
Public comments and applicant response: Resident Philip Stanton raised general questions about the wastewater item on the agenda earlier in the meeting but did not object to the childcare permit. A citizen who reported concerns by email said the facility might not be large enough and raised a rumor of a 14- or 15-year-old assisting at the site; Fisher said he had followed up with the state licensor, who applies a square-footage formula (square feet divided by 35) to determine capacity. The petitioner provided documentation the city said showed the facility had addressed a previously nonfunctioning furnace and had fire-detection and extinguisher equipment.
Applicant: The petitioner introduced herself at the hearing using a surname that was reported variably in the transcript ("Paul"/"Pohl"). The city file initially listed the owners as Jennifer and Cody Cole; the planning staff identified the petitioners and asked if they would appear before the council. The council approved the resolution with the stipulations recommended by the planning commission.
What happens next: The special-use permit will allow the facility to operate under state licensure as a childcare center at its existing location, subject to the conditions approved by the council and continued compliance with Wyoming Department of Family Services licensing requirements.
