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Planning commissioners discuss rezoning approach for Rancho parcels, conservation easements
Summary
Commissioners reviewed updated maps showing conservation easements on large Rancho parcels and discussed legal and procedural options for converting misplaced rural-residential zonings to agricultural zoning, including potential legislative (countywide) vs. parcel-by-parcel approaches.
Albany County Planning Commission members on March 12 reviewed updated maps showing conservation easements on several large Rancho parcels and discussed how the county might address rural-residential zoning that appears inconsistent with conservation easements and the comprehensive plan.
Staff presented a map overlay identifying four of the 35-acre-or-larger Rancho parcels that carry conservation easements. Commissioners and legal counsel explored whether those parcels — and other parcels where zoning appears to conflict with easements or the comprehensive plan — could be rezoned to agricultural without individual parcel hearings.
County legal counsel, Mr. Ayers, advised that under current regulations a change to a parcel’s zoning typically requires an individualized zoning-district amendment with attendant notice and hearing requirements. He said there is precedent for correcting clear mapping mistakes more quickly if no party has relied on the mistaken zoning, but when property owners have relied on a zoning designation, the county must respect substantive and procedural due-process protections.
Commissioners asked whether a comprehensive-plan-driven, countywide rezoning could be done by a legislative process rather than a parcel-by-parcel adjudicative process. Ayers and staff noted proposed amendments to the zoning-district amendment rules that would create a legislative pathway; they referenced that other counties have approached similar updates, but cautioned the law is not settled in Wyoming and county procedure and notice requirements must be followed.
Several commissioners said they worry that small, scattered rural-residential parcels inside mostly agricultural lands could become “time bombs” if a future owner seeks subdivision or development under existing zoning. Commissioners asked staff to research options, coordinate with legal counsel, and return with recommended procedures and potential legislative amendment language for addressing multiple parcels or correcting mapping errors.
The discussion also included clarifications about the map colors (pink parcels indicate 35-acre parcels with conservation easements; dark brown are 35-acre parcels without easements; green indicates other conservation easements overlaid on the map). Staff said the GIS update was prepared at the commission’s request and that further work is needed.
No formal action or vote was taken; commissioners directed staff to continue research on procedural options for rezoning and to report back at a future meeting.
