Fremont County planning board forwards Penrose RV and boat storage plan to commissioners with contingencies

Fremont County planning staff recommended denial of CDP24‑001, a proposal to develop a 1.36‑acre RV and boat self‑storage facility at 17225 State Highway 115 in Penrose, but the planning board voted to forward the project to the Board of County Commissioners with contingencies.

Dan, planning staff for the Fremont County Planning Department, told the board the site currently contains a 900‑square‑foot permitted garage and would be redeveloped with pre‑engineered metal storage units offering 24‑hour, year‑round, gated access via assigned codes. "The department actually recommends denial due to the following reasons," Dan said, citing an administrative history in which the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BOZA) had granted several variances, including a reduction of the required front yard setback from 40 feet to 10 feet.

Staff said the department found that only two of the four variance criteria in the Fremont County Zoning Resolution (section 7.4.0.3) were met and that the applicant had "created an unnecessary hardship" by designing to maximize unit count rather than conforming to the standard setbacks. Dan also flagged a requested sanitation waiver and the absence…