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Bicknell council adopts tighter commercial‑zone wording, agrees to notify affected property owners
Summary
The Bicknell Town Council voted Feb. 5 to amend the commercial/residential zone definition to specify the "first 221 feet (half‑block) bordering Highway 24" as the commercial zone and directed staff to notify property owners whose parcels may no longer qualify under the new definition.
The Bicknell Town Council on Feb. 5 voted to amend the town’s commercial/residential zoning language to specify that the commercial zone covers the first 221 feet — a half‑block — of property bordering Highway 24. Council members said the change is intended to remove ambiguity created by new parcel data and to align the official map with local expectations.
Ellen of the planning commission told the council the commission’s public hearing had produced three recommendations: an updated zoning map, the new wording for the commercial/residential description, and a clarification to the town’s temporary housing (trailer) rule. Ellen said parcel data now allows staff to see which lots actually border Highway 24 and that a handful of parcels previously shaded commercial on older maps do not meet the new definition.
Council members debated whether to simply treat those parcels as grandfathered in the commercial zone or to notify property owners and hold a follow‑up hearing to give them a formal chance to comment. Ellen and other members recommended sending letters and scheduling a public hearing so affected owners can weigh in; several council members agreed to that approach.
The motion to accept the amendment to the general plan language was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. The council did not specify deadlines for the mailings during the Feb. 5 meeting; Ellen said staff would prepare notice language and the formal hearing schedule.
What this means: Under the amended language, parcels that do not physically border Highway 24 but were previously shaded commercial on older maps may be removed from the commercial/residential zone pending the notice and any subsequent public hearing. Council members noted that if a parcel currently uses commercial activity and is nonconforming, that use would remain as a nonconforming use unless the owner sought a change.
Next steps: Staff will draft and mail notices to the parcels identified by the planning commission and present the item for a follow‑up public hearing. The council’s action on Feb. 5 was procedural: it updated wording and set the path for public notification rather than immediately rezoning individual parcels.
The meeting chair closed the discussion by confirming the amendment passed by voice vote.
