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Bicknell council keeps commercial boundary along Highway 24 at 221 feet
Summary
At its March 5 meeting, Bicknell’s planning and zoning committee recommended—and the council approved—retaining the existing commercial zoning boundary 221 feet off Highway 24; council also paused action on state WUI (House Bill 48) adoption until staff can review the state code.
At a March 5 Bicknell Town Council meeting, the council voted to retain the existing commercial zoning line 221 feet off Highway 24 after a recommendation from the town’s planning and zoning representative, Jim (speaker 5). The decision leaves five back parcels classified as commercial on the current map and relies on grandfathering for existing uses.
The council adopted the recommendation after discussion from planning and zoning that focused on property‑line history and practical consequences of opening a public hearing and rezone process. Jim summarized the committee’s view: “Our feeling was to leave the definition with the 221 feet off of Highway 24,” and the council moved to keep the map as presented. The vote was taken by voice and recorded as approved in the meeting transcript; no roll‑call tally appeared in the record.
Why it matters: the 221‑foot line determines whether back parcels can remain in commercial use or later be treated as residential when subdivided. Council members noted that if a parcel is later subdivided, the back piece would be reclassified to residential because it would no longer meet frontage requirements.
The council also discussed related planning matters. Planning & Zoning reported denying a recent application to place a 729‑square‑foot single‑wide trailer on private property because single‑wide units are not permitted under the town’s minimum‑size rules. Jim noted, about state guidance on wildfire zones, that he was not comfortable signing on to the state WUI provisions without reading the underlying code: “I wasn’t comfortable doing that without reading what it really was.” The council agreed to table formal adoption of House Bill 48 language until staff reviews the statute and presents findings at a future meeting.
What’s next: planning and zoning will continue outreach to affected property owners should the town decide to reopen boundaries, and the council asked staff to review the state WUI materials before placing the ordinance on a future agenda.
