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Bicknell reviews conditional-use amendment and home-occupation permit; votes scheduled after edits
Summary
Town officials reviewed a proposed conditional-use section for the building and zoning ordinance to give the town explicit authority to deny uses it has not listed, and examined a draft home-occupation/business-permit that would let low-impact operations be approved administratively. Council asked staff to add low-/high-impact language and scheduled votes after revisions.
Bicknell town officials spent the bulk of their May 29 work meeting reviewing proposed changes to the town's building and zoning ordinance, including a new conditional-use section intended to protect residential neighborhoods and clarify what uses the town will permit.
The draft ordinance includes a provision that the council and staff repeatedly described as essential: the draft reads, "Those uses not listed above are explicitly denied." Council members said attorneys had recommended that language to prevent applicants from claiming an open-ended right to a conditional-use permit.
Members debated whether conditional uses should be the same for both residential and commercial zones or defined separately. Several councilors and staff noted Bicknell's small commercial footprint and said a separate commercial definition or a simple chart showing permitted uses by zone would help applicants and reduce disputes. A council member warned that if the town does not clearly define permitted uses, "anyone could come and request anything" under the current code.
The council also reviewed a draft home-occupation/home-business permit. Under the draft, applicants would apply for an administrative home-occupation permit in addition to the standard town business license; staff would use a checklist to confirm low-impact conditions before issuing the permit. The draft caps nonresident employees and includes conditions addressing hours, parking, noise and neighborhood disruption. Council members asked staff to add explicit "low impact" and "high impact" categories and to rework a parking provision so it targets blocking access rather than broad public-right-of-way restrictions.
Council members asked staff to make the requested edits, circulate the revised drafts for review, and return them for formal action. One councilor indicated the conditional-use amendment and the home-occupation ordinance would be scheduled for a vote at an upcoming meeting after changes are incorporated.
