Planning commission recommends denial of deannexation for 80-acre West Slope tract, forwards to council

The Laramie City Planning Commission voted to recommend denial to City Council of an application to deannex approximately 80 acres of the West Slope subdivision, a parcel staff said was approved as part of a 243-lot preliminary plat in 2023.

Planning staff told commissioners the property is designated in the comprehensive plan and the Laramie area growth plan for higher-density housing and is contiguous to city subdivisions, meaning reversal of annexation would disrupt coordinated planning and service-extension strategies. "Approval of the deannexation would remove this property from the city and revert it to county zoning, which would be inconsistent with our adopted plans and prior approvals," the planner said.

The applicant, Carson Ingleskurger, told the commission he purchased the tract after annexation and argued that current infrastructure costs make the approved subdivision infeasible. Ingleskurger said the site lacks nearby sewer and that serving the whole tract would require a costly lift station and long pipe runs: "There are some services, but there is no sewer there ... the sewer plant is 4 to 4.5 miles away depending on the pipe," he said, adding he has invested about $300,000 in engineering and that, for now, agricultural use would be more practical.

Public commenters gave mixed views. Local attorney Jeff Van Fleet, speaking for developers, described high upfront infrastructure costs for large subdivisions and urged allowing temporary agricultural use rather than forcing a financial loss on a developer. Fred Schmekel, executive director of the Albany County Housing and Land Trust, asked the commission to hold or decline the petition to preserve infill opportunities while the community develops new funding tools and a housing trust to help make development viable.

Commissioners deliberated over competing priorities: preserving planned infill and the city's long-term growth strategy versus private-property considerations and near-term economics. One commissioner said the vote was a close call. A motion to recommend denial — moved by a commissioner and seconded — passed on roll call with three yeses, one no and three members absent. The recommendation will be forwarded to City Council, which has final authority on the deannexation.

Next steps: the item will appear before City Council for a final decision; staff and the applicant discussed the possibility of alternative preliminary plats or phased development to reduce infrastructure costs if the applicant wishes to pursue future city development.