Moffat County planning staff on Tuesday presented a set of proposed changes to the county zoning regulations and opened a public hearing for testimony; commissioners took no final action and scheduled a follow-up hearing for Feb. 11, 2025.

The Planning and Zoning Coordinator, Candice Miller, told the Board of County Commissioners the recommended amendments mostly update definitions (including public utility, travel trailer/RV and hazardous commercial vehicle), align county language with the International Property Maintenance Code and change how temporary-use permits are issued and renewed. Miller said the planning commission recommended removing the prior numeric renewal cap for temporary uses and instead allow a permit duration based on the scope of a proposed project, with renewals assessed in the permit's final year. She said failure to terminate a temporary use as specified would remain a misdemeanor under section 520.2 of the zoning resolution.

Commissioners and members of the public said the changes matter because several large projects anticipated in the county could require temporary worker lodging. "When that's not available, if we're bringing numbers 300 to 500, 600 workers over the course of 6 years, it may not always be feasible that lodging is available," a commissioner said during discussion; the comment reflected repeated concerns in the hearing about whether temporary workers will be housed in hotels, RV parks or temporary camps.

Residents who testified focused on the proposed temporary-permit language. Colette Erickson, who said she has used property at 3005 East Victory Way for 25 years, urged the board not to make permanent changes that would ease approval of temporary-worker camps without public review and asked for written answers to a set of questions she had submitted. "This temporary-use business... seems carefully crafted to allow man camps to be permitted with very little public review in this county," Erickson said. Kathy Keel said local motels could be asked to host incoming workers and described outreach she said other counties used to avoid camps. Planning commission member Megan Cook said the changes were intended to simplify routine permitting problems and to provide a process to handle both short-term workforce lodging and other temporary uses.

Miller summarized several other specific changes presented to commissioners: clarifying that a travel trailer/RV is not intended as a permanent dwelling; permitting a construction office or temporary living quarters tied to an active building permit; adding definitions for recreational vehicle and hazardous commercial vehicle; and standardizing accessory-use language (for example, storage of licensed vehicles and restrictions on inoperative or unlicensed vehicles visible from a roadway, referencing the International Property Maintenance Code). She also reported minimum lot-size clarifications: an agricultural (A) zone minimum of 5 acres, a rural community minimum of 8,000 square feet and 6,000-square-foot minimums for R-1, R-2 and certain mobile-home districts.

Public testimony continued for roughly an hour and a half. Several speakers asked for more documentation and data about projected worker numbers and lodging needs tied to projects such as a pumped-hydro proposal. Miller and county staff said the hearing was a "review only" step and that the board could request additional changes before a resolution to adopt the amendments is presented. The board set the next public hearing and adoption consideration for Feb. 11, 2025.

The hearing record will remain open only for comments on the proposed zoning changes; commissioners said broader concerns could be discussed outside the hearing or at later public meetings.