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Albany County adopts zoning changes that add livestock‑production standards; resident questions notice
Summary
The Board of Commissioners approved amendments to the Albany County Zoning Resolution to define and regulate livestock production, revise land‑use tables and add standards; a resident asked whether potentially affected neighbors were properly notified.
Albany County commissioners voted June 2 to amend the county zoning resolution to add a definition and new standards for livestock production, change how the use is categorized in the land‑use table, and add a new Section 9 with operational standards.
The action, approved unanimously by Chairperson Terri Jones and Commissioners Hoff and Gosar, adds a definition for “livestock production, grazing, and storage of related equipment,” removes “commercial” from that use in the Land Use Table 4.1 for certain zones, requires a conditional use for ranchette parcels in some circumstances and adds standards intended to limit off‑site impacts. Staff asked the board to adopt alternative language from what was published; the board approved the amended text, which the staff described as not a substantive change but clarifying. The board’s motion to approve was made by Commissioner Gosar and carried on a 3–0 roll call.
County resident Chris Cleven raised a procedural concern during the public hearing, asking whether residents who could be directly affected by the amendments had been properly notified. The transcript records Cleven’s question but no formal response in the minutes; the hearing was closed and the amendment later approved. The board’s approval includes a rule that, where incidental small‑scale livestock is not allowed by right, animals must be fenced or otherwise enclosed.
Why it matters: the zoning changes change how small‑scale and noncommercial livestock activities are treated across several zones, including Ranchette and Small Lot Residential designations. That affects landowners’ permitted uses and could alter the process for conditional‑use review in areas near residential lots. The changes also set new compliance expectations for fencing and siting when the use is not permitted by right.
What happens next: the amendments were adopted at the June 2 meeting and will be incorporated into the Albany County Zoning Resolution. The minutes do not record additional outreach steps in response to the notification concern raised by Cleven; the board did not record a direct staff reply in the public record for this meeting.
