County planner says overlay can curb storage-unit growth near Star Valley Ranch

Ken Pelesky, director of the Lincoln County planning department, told the Star Valley Ranch council that county overlays are the first review tool his office uses when an application arrives and that an overlay can carry local restrictions beyond the base land-use regulations. Council members asked whether conditional commercial storage should be moved to a 'not allowed' category in the Star Valley Ranch overlay; Pelesky said removing storage from the allowed list would prevent new units from being approved inside the overlay.

"That is the goal," Pelesky said when asked about removing commercial storage from the allowed conditional-use list so new storage facilities would not be permitted in the overlay area. He offered to compile municipal input and bring a county-level draft amendment into the county process, which includes public hearings, planning-and-zoning review and final Board of County Commissioners action.

Pelesky emphasized the overlay is intended to give municipalities influence over what is allowed just outside their borders and described a timeline tied to county land-use procedures; the county's board of commissioners retains final authority to accept or alter recommended changes. Council members asked the planning office to include the town's planning-commission recommendations and to consider restricting expansion of existing external-storage uses in the overlay.

The council did not adopt any immediate action at the work session; it will transmit specific overlay-change language and maps to the county planner for incorporation into the county drafting and public-notice process.