Commission to consider AR-10 text amendment after review of Equal Point greenhouse operation; public hearing set for Feb. 18

Commissioners reviewed a Conditional Use Permit application and the situation for Equal Point (Scott Jensen), a greenhouse/wholesale nursery operation located off a gravel road behind Burns. Staff and the applicant explained the operation is wholesale only (no public retail), will employ roughly five people at peak planting season and uses small box trucks for deliveries.

Staff and the town engineer raised access and emergency-service concerns: the site's driveway does not connect to a paved town road and may not meet the town—s standard for public-road frontage. Staff recommended either a site-specific CUP or, preferably, a text amendment to the AR-10 zone to allow commercial nurseries where appropriate and to provide consistent standards across AR zones. The text amendment would include conditions for road improvements, a fire-turnaround, septic feasibility and water-share requirements where applicable.

Commissioners discussed the policy and precedent concerns of allowing existing operations to remain while the code is changed. Several members said the town needs better enforcement and clearer regulations to avoid ad-hoc development. The commission voted to place a text amendment to add nurseries/greenhouses as an allowed use in the AR-10 zone on the Feb. 18 public-hearing agenda so the public can comment and staff can identify appropriate conditions for permitting.

Staff said the text amendment would apply townwide to AR-10 parcels if adopted and that the commission could later consider whether the use should also be added to AR-20 or AR-40 zones during a broader code review.

No final CUP decision was made for Equal Point on Feb. 5; the planning commission directed staff to draft the text amendment language and notice it for public hearing.