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Cody planners split over making renovated manufactured home at City Shop permanent
Summary
The Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board debated whether to allow the City of Cody to permanently use a renovated manufactured home as office space at 119 19th Street. Board members split over process and precedent after staff said the unit meets commercial code; a motion to approve drew a 3–2 voice vote but the chair stated the motion would not carry.
The Cody Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board on May 7 considered the City of Cody’s request to permanently use a renovated manufactured home at the City Shop (119 19th Street) as office space. Staff said the unit was placed temporarily to address mold in the original shop office, has been upgraded to meet commercial building code and sits on a permanent foundation. Jenny (staff) told the board that notices went to neighbors and that the building official confirmed code compliance.
Board members split over whether approving a permanent special exemption would set an undesirable precedent. One committee member warned it felt like a “bait and switch” after a structure was approved as temporary and later upgraded. Tolsted, speaking for city staff, described the city’s investment and the ongoing plans for remediation: “We have every intention ... to build, fix the existing facility back into bays,” and said the city had discussed possible new shop and office facilities while using the temporary unit in the interim. During the discussion a figure for city work was debated: one board member said the city “spent over $300,000” upgrading the unit, and Tolsted clarified the total investment was “between $250 and $300,000.”
Several members flagged an alternate route the city could use — a commercial site-plan review — and said special exemptions should be rare. The board chair summarized the concerns and called for a vote. Members voiced a 3–2 result on the motion to approve, but the chair later said the motion lacked the necessary majority to carry and the proposal did not advance that night. Staff noted the temporary-use permit runs for three years from its start (expiring in 2028), giving the city time to pursue other approvals or complete remediation of the original shop building.
What happens next: the city may pursue a commercial site-plan review or return with revised documentation; staff and board members recommended whatever approach is used should be the same one available to private applicants.
