Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Rezone topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sketch plan filed to rezone 255 acres of Chester Estates to allow smaller lots
Summary
A developer representative told the Fremont County Planning & Zoning Commission on March 16 that Bair-Larson Properties seeks to rezone about 255 acres in Chester Estates from Rural Conservation to Rural Living to increase lot yield from roughly 77 to 102. Commissioners raised questions about wells, septic, roads and whether rezoning the unsold portion maintains required averages.
Jeffrey Rowe, representing Brandon Bair of Bair-Larson Properties, presented a sketch-plan request to the Fremont County Planning and Zoning Commission on March 16 proposing a zone change for about 255 acres of Chester Estates from Rural Conservation to Rural Living.
Rowe, identified on the record as Jeffrey Rowe of Teton View Surveying, said the change would reduce the subdivision's average lot size from roughly 3.33 acres to a 2.5-acre average and increase the number of lots in the requested area from about 77 to 102. "We're requesting a zone change for part of Chester Estates that Brandon Bair still owns," Rowe told commissioners, adding the applicant would add local roads and connect to a planned ITD connector road.
Commissioners and staff walked through the multi-step process. Sara Bowersox, staff planner, said a sketch plan is advisory and not a public hearing; a zone-change hearing before the Board of County Commissioners and a later preliminary-plat public hearing would follow if the applicant pursues the change. "A sketch plan gives the applicant a go/no-go idea before they spend the money on engineering," Bowersox said.
Planning Commission members focused on infrastructure and code requirements. Chair Jim Jorgensen described the request as "clustering" development into an already-approved subdivision footprint rather than opening new agricultural ground. Commissioner Thayne Goulding asked whether the planned ITD connector and road designs are finalized; Rowe said right-of-way plans were largely complete and the applicant would coordinate with ITD as the layout is refined.
Water and wastewater capacity drove much of the exchange. Planner Tom Cluff explained that state rules control domestic-exemption well use and that the county "doesn't have jurisdiction over water." Cluff said District Seven (public health) must sign off on septic capacity for new lots; if the health district declines sign-off, a subdivision cannot move forward. "We don't have a basis for saying you can't do this," he said, describing the limits of local authority over well rules.
Commissioner Dennis Forbush raised concerns about the appearance and maintenance of existing Chester Estates lots and whether smaller lots would improve upkeep. Several commissioners asked staff to compute whether rezoning only the unsold portion would preserve required zone-average lot sizes for the remaining Rural Conservation portion.
Staff said there were no "big red flags" at the sketch-plan stage but that the applicant must secure standard agency reviews and public-notice steps for a preliminary-plat hearing. No formal vote was taken on the sketch plan at the March 16 meeting; commissioners provided advisory feedback and asked staff to perform calculations and ensure notifications for affected lot owners.
The commission will consider a formal zone-change application later if the applicant files it and completes the required technical reviews and agency sign-offs.
