Commission grants conditional rezoning for Highway 25 PUD after traffic-study debate

The county commission gave conditional approval to rezone 13 acres on Highway 25 in Sulphur College to a planned unit development (PUD), with a requirement that a traffic study be completed and returned to the planning commission before planning's final sign-off.

“Once the traffic impact study results are reviewed by planning, that is when that body will issue going forward,” a county official explained during debate, and David (Codes and Zoning) told the commission that planning would ultimately review site-engineered plans and could deny a final site plan if traffic impacts could not be mitigated. Earlier, a motion to require the landowner to complete the traffic study before county approval failed: the first tally was 6 yes, 12 no, 1 abstain and 1 absent.

Commissioner Chris Gregory offered the successful motion tying rezoning approval to completion and return of the study to planning; the commission voted 15 yes, 3 no, 1 abstain and 1 absent. Proponents argued the condition preserves the commission'level rezoning process while ensuring planning receives engineering input before final site approval. Opponents had pushed for the county to order an immediate independent study prior to any rezoning vote; that motion did not pass.

Speakers stressed procedural constraints: multiple commissioners noted a new state law that can automatically approve applications if local bodies do not act within the statutory 60-day window, and David said the engineer indicated the traffic study would likely not be available before November. The commission asked codes and zoning to draft an ordinance amendment by the August meeting to require traffic studies for developments over 30 units.

Next steps: the rezoning carries as a conditional PUD; planning will review the traffic study and engineered site plans before any final site approval.