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Commissioners approve TA 26‑01 to allow outbuildings on larger lots; vote adds two zones amid wider data‑center concerns
Summary
After a public hearing, commissioners approved a text amendment (TA 26‑01) to define and permit outbuildings in several rural zones on a 5‑acre minimum and voted to add UR and UMR with conditional-use review; the meeting also featured extended public comment on proposed data centers and water and power impacts.
The Natrona County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt zoning text amendment TA 26‑01 on Tuesday, creating a new outbuildings provision that would allow enclosed storage structures on larger lots in unincorporated county zones with limits and conditional-use review.
Planning Director Sabrina Kempf outlined the amendment, saying it would define outbuildings as enclosed storage for personal property (recreational vehicles, boats, equipment, livestock and similar uses), set a 5‑acre minimum for most affected zones, cap outbuilding coverage at no more than 10% of the lot, and require a minimum 50‑foot setback. "The planning department believes that we have found a solution for this issue, which has been detrimental to property owners in unincorporated Natrona County," Kempf said.
During the public hearing, multiple landowners urged passage. "I’d like to build some dry structures that meet these requirements that are not primary residences but are for personal use," said Lucas Gooder, who described a back lot near East End Road that he and his family have used for generations. His son Aiden and family member Blake Gooder also spoke in favor, citing privacy and family tradition.
Planning staff noted UR and UMR were considered and removed earlier because those districts targeted higher‑density development, but further research showed roughly 40 parcels in UR/UMR exceed 5 acres, about 25 without residences. Commissioner North moved to add UR and UMR to TA 26‑01 with the same 5‑acre minimum and conditional‑use-permit requirement; after debate, the board approved the motion by voice vote.
A few residents raised concerns about smaller adjacent lots being limited and the potential for outbuildings to create neighborhood impacts; planning said conditional permits ensure local scrutiny. The board approved the amendment as modified and closed the hearing.
Commissioners then heard several public comments about proposed hyperscale data centers (Prometheus and others). Amity Holland urged the county to study water usage per megawatt, consider metering or caps on groundwater or municipal water used for cooling and carbon capture, and suggested creating a county-specific classification or opportunity-zone limits outside city limits. "If somebody comes in that's building half a gigawatt... that sounds like a lot to me when we're in a drought," Holland said, urging feasibility research on water and power impacts.
Commissioners acknowledged the concerns and said planning staff would follow up; no formal action on data‑center policy was taken at the meeting.
