Cody planning board approves 3-year temporary manufactured office for Public Works at 119 19th Street

The City of Cody Planning, Zoning, and Adjustment Board on March 11 approved a site-plan and architectural package permitting a temporary manufactured office at 119 Nineteenth Street to serve Public Works staff while the existing workshop office undergoes mold remediation and a new administration building is designed and built.

Why it matters: The trailer will allow water, wastewater, streets and vehicle maintenance staff to continue operating at the workshop location while remediation and a new facility proceed. Staff estimated the temporary structure will be on site for about three years pending loan funding and construction schedules; the board approved the temporary use with conditions to ensure code compliance and to limit light impacts.

Staff presentation: Planning staff summarized the site plan and code considerations. The temporary unit described in the staff report is a manufactured building approximately 28 by 76 feet (2,128 square feet in the detailed description, noted elsewhere in the packet as about 2,100 square feet) to be placed on existing city property at the north end of Nineteenth Street adjacent to the public workshop. The site is estimated at 2,700 square feet and is exempt from a stormwater drainage plan because it is under the 4,000-square-foot threshold; staff recommended a percolation trench with a total volume of 660 cubic feet and added a 33-foot-by-10-foot-by-2-foot drainage well on the northwest side of the building.

Public Works description and cost rationale: Philip Bowman, Public Works Director, told the board the trailer is intended for an estimated three-year use while the city seeks loan funding for a new administration building. "Our vision, for the use of this trailer as outlined in the staff report is for a period of 3 years," Bowman said. He said staff estimated leased office space would cost roughly $30,000 to $50,000 per year and that purchasing and later reselling the trailer would be more economical. He also said keeping staff co-located at the workshop avoids logistical challenges of splitting operations across town.

Board review and conditions: The board approved the site-plan review and architecture/landscape recommendation subject to conditions in the staff report and an additional condition added by the board. Conditions include: 1) address building-code requirements for manufactured units in coordination with the building department; 2) remove wheels, axles and tongues and permanently secure the unit per accepted engineering methods; 3) obtain all required permits for moving, electrical and plumbing and the accessibility lift; and 4) replace or adjust exterior light fixtures as needed so that each fixture complies with the city standard adopted in the motion (board added a 1,000-lumen per-fixture limit and reaffirmed 3,000 K maximum color temperature guidance). The board also required that the temporary authorization expire if building permits are not obtained and that the structure be removed after the approved term.

Timeline: Bowman outlined the planned funding and construction timeline: the city intends to apply for Wyoming State Revolving Fund loan funding in June 2025, with potential funding decisions in October 2025, design in 2026 and construction in 2027. If the schedule holds, the new facility could be completed by late 2027 or early 2028, before the three-year authorization expires. Bowman said if the project timeline slips the city would return to the board to request an extension.

Site details and utilities: Staff reported that utilities will be extended from existing services on city property (1-inch treated water service, 4-inch sanitary sewer service and electric). Exterior lighting will use full-cutoff fixtures and the applicant agreed to retrofit fixtures if the on-delivery fixtures do not meet city code. Parking will use existing asphalt/concrete stalls and meet ADA requirements; trash will use existing dumpsters on site.

Board action: The board approved the staff recommendation for the site plan with the added lumen cap (1,000 lumens per fixture) and the listed building-permit and unit-securing conditions. The board also separately approved the architecture and landscape plan as presented in staff materials; landscaping requirements for a permanent administration building will be addressed when that future application is submitted.

Ending: Public Works expects to have the temporary unit installed within months; the board authorized the three-year temporary use with clear permit, removal and lighting conditions and asked staff to return if the funding or construction schedule changes.