Planning board recommends rezoning 6.62-acre Sheridan Avenue parcel to allow higher-density housing

The City of Cody Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board on March 5 voted to recommend that City Council rezone Lot 1 of Home View Addition No. 6 (a 6.62-acre parcel on Sheridan Avenue) from medium-high-density residential (R-3) to high-density residential (R-4).

Jenny, a city planning staff member, told the board the parcel’s steep hillside reduces the developable area to about 2.2 net acres but nevertheless said the requested R-4 zoning “is consistent with the density standards of the Cody master plan” and that the code’s developable-lot-area method could yield an allowance of “approximately 53 dwelling units.” She noted R-4 standards permit higher density and smaller net-lot-area requirements (staff stated “R-4 zoning standards permits higher density, 1,800 square feet per unit versus 4,000 square feet in R-3”).

Board members probed the math, open-space accounting and traffic impacts. One committee member questioned whether the hillside that staff described as ‘open space’ was practically developable and cautioned that treating steep, unusable hillside as open space could overstate net buildable area. Planning staff replied that the supplemental standards allow unusable land to count as open space in some circumstances and said usable-area calculations would be revisited with any future development plan.

City staff engineer Chris said utilities are present near the site and that the city’s storm-drain system and detention ponds east of the Shadow Mountain developments have capacity; he also noted the 29th Street right-of-way is relatively wide and contains an 8–10-foot bike path within city right-of-way that could be modified to accommodate future curb, gutter or turn-lane work if needed.

Several board members said Cody needs more housing, while others warned zoning alone cannot guarantee affordability. A committee member summarized that zoning changes can permit higher-density construction but “there’s no way to require or guarantee” that the units would be affordable without additional policy tools.

After discussion a motion to recommend approval to City Council was made (mover identified by the chair as Ian, seconded by Aaron). The chair announced the motion carried and the board recommended the rezoning to City Council. The recommendation initiates the council-level review; any specific subdivision or development plan would return to staff for technical review and permitting.