Planning & Zoning - Regular Meeting

Congratulations.

Thank you so much. Hey Mark, can you hear me? How do I know if I hear if I can hear? Are they going to be able to hear? Yes, you can mute him. But I mean, can they hear as where's the speaker? They should

try again.

Bring up the team.

He's muted. Is he muted? He's muted to unmute speak. Hey Mark, can you unmute and speak, please?

Good. We can hear you. Testing the consultant's audio.

Is that all you need? You can check

The meeting will come to order. There are agendas on the table outside the meeting room. This is a public meeting for which public notice has been provided. The proceedings are being broadcast and recorded and can be viewed online on the city of Casper's YouTube channel. First, I would like to read someformational statements about the meeting. Use of cell phones is not permitted and such phones should be turned off or otherwise silenced during the planning and zoning meeting. When speaking to the planning and zoning commission, please clearly state your name and address. Keep your remarks pertinent to the issue being considered by the planning and zoning commission. Do not repeat the same statements that were made by a previous speaker. Speak to the planning and zoning commission as you would like to be spoken to. Do not address applicants or other audience members directly. make your comments at the podium and directed to the chairperson and planning and zoning commission. I would like to remind everyone present at the city of Casper Planning and Zoning Commission is a volunteer body composed of members of the Casper community appointed by the Casper City Council. The commission acts as a quasi judicial panel making final decisions on some items and recommendations to the city council on others as dictated by law. The commission may only consider evidence about any case as it relates to existing law. The commission cannot make or change planning or zoning laws, regulations, policies, or guidelines. I'd like to note that Commissioner Escu is absent tonight. The next item on the agenda is consideration of the minutes from the planning and zoning commission meeting held March 12th, 2026. Are there any additions or corrections? The chair calls for a motion to approve the minutes of the March 12th, 2026 planning and zoning commission meeting. Moved by Commissioner Hunter.

Uh seconded by Commissioner Rubble. Have a motion on the second. Is there any discussion? There be no further discussion. We now vote. Are there any abstensions or nay votes? Please record the vote. With Commissioner Fleek abstaining and all other members voting I. The motion carries.

Thank you. Next will be the scheduled public hearings. Before we get started, just reminder to all this evening's applicants that it takes four affirmative votes to pass any item regardless of the number of commissioners present. If any applicant would like to postpone their case in anticipation of the possibility of more commissioners being present next month, then I'd ask you to speak up when your case is announced. Case number one, the first public hearing tonight will be for SUB-855-2025 and ZOC-1024-2026 vacation and reflat to create the Shepherd of the Hills edition subdivision located at 4600 South Pop. Companion item request for a change in zoning classification for the proposed shepherd of the hills edition from R1 residential estate to R4 high density residential and PH park historic. The applicant is Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church. Is the applicant present and do you wish to proceed? All

yes. Perfect. I'll call you up in just a minute. Although these are two separate cases, we will be voted and will be voted on separately. The staff report covers both. We please get the stash report at this time.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Application has been made for a vacation replat to create the Shepherd of the Hills edition subdivision located at the southwest corner of South Per Street, Wyoming Boulevard, otherwise known as 4600 South Popppler Street. The purpose of the vacation and replat is to subdivide the property into two parcels. Westernmost parcel lot 2 fronts Chinuk Chinuk trail road and is the current location of a private church-owned columbarium. The church has been working with the city to transfer the columbarium to the city to be owned and managed as part of the city cemetery system which would provide needed area and capacity that's been lost over time at the Highland Park Cemetery. staff has included one recommended condition of approval which requires the approval of the zoning classification change um for the parcel. In a companion item, the church has requested a change in zoning classification for the property, which is necessary because the uh R1 zoning district has a 3acre minimum lot size for churches. After the subdivision, the church parcel will only be 2.37 acres in size, which is too small. Obviously the proposed zoning of the property will be R4 highdensity residential for the church parcel lot one and PH Park historic for the columbarium parcel which is lot two. R4 highdensity residential zoning was suggested by planning division staff because of the proximity of similar zoning in the area and R4 zoning does allow uh churches as a permitted use. Um the rest of the staff report expounds on how the zone change um complies with the comprehensive land use plan. Um I'll skip that and uh go right to exhibits. A is the exhibit or A is the application for a platin subdivision. B application for a zone change. C public notice sent to prop banners

within 300 ft. D legal notice sent to the Star Tribune. E photo of the public notice signed on the property. and F memo to the chairperson, members of the planning and zoning commission. And as you'll note from the exhibits, there were no public comments. That concludes my report. Thank you for the report and the exhibits are noted. Does anyone on the commission have any preliminary questions for staff? My only question is the need for additional cemetery space because when we approved the zone change for the Nrona County Health Department, it was stated that that property was not needed and that we didn't have a lack of space. So, what's changed?

Depends who you ask. Um, some people think that there was adequate space and um, I think the people that uh, are making the decisions today would say that um, that was maybe not the most forward-looking decision. Commissioner, Mr. Commissioner, uh due to the uh reduction of the lot size, does that remove any parking spaces for the existing church? Um, no. I don't believe any of the parking will be included in the transfer to the city. I think that's unaffected.

Greg, I've got a question. Does the um I know lot 2 certainly has legal access to both Shinook Trail and Outer Drive, but I imagine practical access is still going to be off of South Parker Street. That might be a question better left to the applicant. I have not seen the agreement. There's an agreement in place between the city um and how that that's all going to work. I'm not privy to. Okay. Thank you. Any uh further questions? Next, I would ask the applicant to uh to come forward to the microphone, state your name and address for the record, and explain your application to the commission. Orinator. Did you hear me about the access is I'm

I'm assuming access to lot two is going to be off of South Papa Street or they going to create a separate access off of Chinook No. Heat. Okay, fair enough. years. She's about Anybody have any questions for

Okay, thank you. Now is the time when we ask members of the audience to come forward in either support or in opposition to this case. Please remember to state your name and address clearly into the microphone for the record. Anyone wishing to speak in support of or opposition to this case, please come forward now. Seeing nobody else wishing to speak on these cases, the chair hereby closes the public comment portion of the public hearing and calls for a motion on the plan to approve, approve with conditions, deny, table, or postpone to a date certain. The discussion will occur after there was a motion and a second. I make a motion to approve. making a I've got a motion to approve the replay by Commissioner Ston.

Mr. Chairman, can I clarify? Is that with the condition? You want the condition? Yes. Condition one. Mr. Alson, with uh you with the condition that the reasonzoning of the property must be approved. Yes. Thank you. Okay. support that.

Okay, we got a motion by Commissioner with a second by Commissioner Peterson. Any discussion? I was wondering is the city then going to improve the property in as far as landscaping or anything like I say it's undeveloped and very much native grasses and such. Is it looked like it is going to be improved with actual moan grass as a part per se?

My understanding and and Eric is more familiar with the agreement, but my understanding is that the city is going to be doing a study or a plan for this area um in the coming next year or two and uh we'll be coming up with some of those details later. But um of course the columbarium will be um the way it is now I believe but the future improvements will be um decided with the plan. Is that correct?

Yeah, Mr. Chairman, commissioners, I think that is that is correct. We did have discussions around potential irrigation and and what parks may want to do with it. Um I hesitate to comment only because I wasn't uh part of the the most recent discussions, but I I believe Mr. Collins is correct. I think there'll be some studies um going forward to um ascertain how best to to utilize that property. Mr. Chamman, could I could I respond? Then the city is though going to to maintain the property in for fire hazards and such like that until that time. Mr. Chairman, Commissioner, that is my understanding. Correct.

And I have a quick question. When we were doing notices, did you also notice single family homes that are on Chinook since that might be an egress or ingress for this particular park? Yeah. So, our our standard notification is 300 ft, which is um a football field in every direction. So, and that's regardless of whether they're in the city or county. Um it picks it up either way. Further discussion. There being no further discussion will now vote. Any abstensions or nay votes? Please cast your vote. Please record the vote.

With all members voting I. The motion carries. Your application for plat has been approved. City staff will be in touch with you shortly to complete the paperwork and go to the next steps. The chair calls for a motion from the zoning commission to approve, deny, table, or postpone to date certain for the reszone. Move to approve COC.

Moved by Commissioner Rubble, seconded by Commissioner Clochek. Is there any discussion? There being no further discussion, we now vote. Any extensions or nay votes? Cast your vote. Please record the vote. With all members voting I. The motion carries. Application for zoning request has been approved. No doubt Craig will be in touch with you on those next steps. You're free to leave. Oh, you're free to stay.

Yes, you're free to do that, too. The next item is a special issue. We will now review the draft flight study evaluating the seven areas within the city of Caspian municipal limits for potential designation as blighted return to W statute 15-9-101. Can we get a report from staff and for the consultant?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm going to go ahead and read our staff report um for the vast audience at home to uh understand the entire project. So, I will uh if you'll indulge me um take me a couple minutes to get through this, but I did want to mention that we we do have Mark Christensen with AVI, who's our consultant. He's um available to answer questions online. Um we also have Liz Becker, the community development director here to answer questions. me of course and the city attorney um Eric Nelson. So um this will be somewhat a roundroin to uh answer any questions that may come up. Um staff's recommendation is that the city and uh city of Casper planning and zoning commission uh review the draft blight study dated spring of 2026 and via public recorded vote for a recommendation to the city council regarding the study's consistency with the adopted 2017 comprehensive land use plan. Um, establishing one or more urban renewal areas within the city of Ta Casper is intended to provide additional tools for revitalization and redevelopment of neighborhoods that are experiencing long-term disinvestment or physical conditions that hinder private reinvestment. The first statutory step in establishing a URRA is the preparation of a blight study, which documents conditions that may qualify an area for official designation that may qual um in order to uh qualify an area for redevelopment tools such as federal grants, bond financing, and tax increment financing. Redevelopment of existing neighborhoods may result in broad public benefits, including improved infrastructure, enhanced economic activity, increased property values, and reinvestment in established areas of the community. An example of a past urban renewal effort in Casper is the West Central and South Popular Street Corridor Plan from 2002 that was later renamed as the old Yellowstone district in 2007.

Urban Renewal Authority in Wyoming is established under Wyoming statute 159101 through 159121. As part of the statutory framework, a municipality must make specific legislative findings related to the existence of blighted areas and determine whether a proposed blight study is consistent with a municipality's general plan. Pursuant to Wyoming Statute 159104, the city council must consider this consistency determination prior to taking any further action. On March 24th, 2026, AVI PC of Cheyenne, Wyoming, presented an overview of the draft blight study during a council work session that was attended by members of the planning and zoning commission. The presentation outlined the consultant's methodology for identifying blighted areas and supporting document documentation used in the analysis. The recording of the work session has been made available on the city's website. The draft blight study identified seven general areas within the city of Casper that exhibited one or more statutory indicators of blight. At a policy level, the draft blight study is consistent with the general plan uh generation Casper comprehensive land use plan. The study supports adopted plan objectives related to re revitalization of existing neighborhoods and commercial corridors, encouragement of infield development, efficient use of existing infrastructure, and reinvestment in areas exhibiting long-term physical or economic decline. The attached memo from Mark Christensen uh to the planning commission provides a detailed analysis of the draft blight study in context with the guidance of the Casper Casper area comprehensive land use plan. Following the review of the draft blight study by the planning and zoning commission and the forwarding of a recommendation to city council, the council may consider adoption of a initiative resolution in accordance with the Wyoming statutes. Adoption of an initiative resolution would authorize the preparation of urban renewal plans for specific areas, but

would not by itself approve redevelopment projects, establish financing mechanisms, or authorize expenditures. Any subsequent urban renewal plans would be subject subject to additional public process. Planning and zoning commission review and city council consideration and and would be implemented through a separately established urban renewal agency or board. And that concludes my report and uh guess we can open up discussion.

Thank you Craig. Any uh questions, Greg and or the consultant who I believe is available online. Question, the 2017 Casper Comprehensive Land Use Plan. How often are those land use plans supposed to be updated? Um, ideally every 10 years.

So, we're coming up. we are when it should be due. Again, my other question is the term blight um is very vague and you could almost consider the entire city of Casper blight under these guidelines. Is there a reason not to do so? So that all these tools were not available. So that's why there's general boundaries and no specific boundaries on all seven of these properties or seven of these areas. So it's open to interpretation. What is Casper? Open to interpretation. What is downtown Casper?

and go ahead.

So, with all these questions, are we kind of jumping the gun? This is just one step in the process. And then once we have city council's approval, then there'll be an urban renewal agency or commission and then they would determine what areas are blight. Eight. Mr. Chairman, and just to put a little finer point, I think Mr. Collins mentioned this. So, your approval um in recommendation that it aligns with the master plan as a prerequisite to city council um taking action on an initiative resolution. And so I I don't want to re rehash everything that was just laid out but but but it is very much kind of the gatekeeping function to even set up the program um to identify the broad areas and then as projects individual projects come forward then there'll be a whole process and either staff or an agency um set up to to administer it.

Thank you. Any further questions? There's an acronym TIFF that's not explained. What is that? I would put your tax incremental financing, but I'll leave that to the city attorney. That's correct.

Oh, okay. Okay. I thought that might be there was an explanation of that uh on the video. Understand it. Could you go over what that is? I can take a a pass at it and then uh maybe people can correct me. Um so my understanding with tech incremental financing is you establish a baseline of of tax revenue that's generated in a certain area and then as um additional development occurs in there, you have a delta and that increased tax revenue from that development then um through some mechanism and here's where I'm a little little hazy on it is then able to be reinvested back into that area. So, if it's the downtown area that you would identify as a tax incremental financing area or if it's one of these blighted areas um that that creates some tax incentives to there's a nice um yeah up there uh could could be established in any of these areas. I don't know if that was a great explanation.

So, that specific tax for that area would be reinvested in that area. That that's my understanding. Yes. And that that would be one tool to um enact some of the urban renewal and that those would come forward in specific projects much further down the line. Okay.

I wanted an outstanding job. What council um had really begun to hear from various businesses um property owners throughout Casper about interest in we've seen it around the state. Um we were pretty clear in our memo that Casper really was cutting edge with this act desire was to clean up the old red light district and at the time it was referred to just as the central court So in 2001 got gutsy and created the Casper urban renal individuals that are not with us still. Um Doug Hornberger and um three others there was a five member board that really began to study economics of the old stand and she came forward and just they met monthly. I was involved in that because I was at the time. So there were these monthly we see that in seven areas. So again, with that agency being formed, a lot of what was done, what we're asking to do tonight was done back in 20201 to get the planning commission involved with councils. We're kind of backtracking and starting new with and then again the board came forward, they reference and all the And the boundaries to Commissioner Rub's

question earlier were defined. We were able to through those plans look at the fact that we studied actually First Street to Collins David. Most of us who've been around for a while recognize Sandbar is kind of where we're sitting right now too. It was not that area was not. So it went from first street south to Collins and again that point all of the indepth analysis and I think Mark got us to the point this plan then was commissioned by the NP organization who paid a consultant come in the data capture back in 2001 2000 market values um building it was very very lengthy and to really ascertain what needs to be um what areas could be consolidated and land acquisition so if you look at what we've done over the last several years old railroad property they began to look at the arts district to move really from the downtown Davis Street in West become now part of the district. We we've got work in progress from our residential that that was all identified in this plan which was costly but it again laid out truly like a 10year window for us to begin the economic council. This the city attorney said that plan then came back to the planning

commission to say yes this also is going to be um under your perview to say that it meets the conditions of the something that many of you then sit on the advisory committee to see that we are executing that plan um to what was desired by council back in 2002. So we are kind of back to opportunities. Now I wanted a little bit of that background as to how we got the old Yellowstone district carried out. And again, we're looking now with the downtown urban renewal area. The hope is because to Commissioner Hunter's point, the urban renewal area designation Yellowstone district expires this year. plan been to look at Davis Army the downtown forest starting I believe over at over by the nick and west is popular to the old district and at first street that was kind of downtown general area was specified With all of what you've described going back to 2001, has tiff been in place for developers or not?

Okay. Excellent question. Um, Mr. Chair, madam commission, tiff is always and it would be based off of property tax at the time. Had the and council opted to pursue federal grants to get the old built out primarily a lot with DOT um and to get the federal dollars to do the infrastructure budget to do a lot of the cleanup and truly looking at more of the um servant humanitarian kind of work with the HUD dollars that we got again not only the cleanups but looking at facade improvements job creation loans that we were able to do But tip was sitting out there. The councils of years past did not want to look at the property tax because fear in the area was we were going to come in tax the businesses that came out in this very um back in 2007. And had we established a tip, we would have said, "Hey, it's 2007. This is what property taxes look like in the old they would have been minimal a lot of base there are a lot of empty vacant building back then there were businesses but we still had a lot of empty so if we had established 10 that point it would that was and we shared with you all property values were per square foot then that baseline would have been established and we would able to capture the property tax increment as over the last 20 years the

and again I've used the building that Laura Hunter's in and that was at the time just it was a warehouse owned by the Houston supply team or family pardon me that had cold water um plumbing um hot water heaters. It was just cold storage. And now we look at the rockets as well. Again, that was pure inside storage and property values, property tax um was minimal. Now again, the city has been aggressive. in selling property that owned in the old Ellis district because we don't pay property tax. So, it behooved us to get a lot of the property that we had picked up over the years into private hands. You see that in a lot of our sales agreements businesses able to sales tax and again property tax. So it's been very deliberate and again we try to get the old advisory committee up on the various opportunities target the types of businesses bring into the old school district as well. So long story short, yes, it's always been a possibility. It is a possible vote to initiate that. And so again, that has come up and I believe this current council is interested in looking at um the Odellis district property tax ta. I think you have kept up with the

downtown development authority has the statuto wherewithal to do sales tax. that again that would be that would compete with our use of our sales tax for the as well specific purpose. So the property tax had been the council was taxed and it has come up as fall reinvested right back into the defined area that would show which businesses are contributing to that baseline in that right now we're pretty broadify the Thank you, Liz. Any further questions?

Do I understand correctly that our role tonight is deter determine if this study aligns with with our comprehensive use plan and then we would suggest that that goes forward to the city council and they decide what to move forward with. Is that correct,

Mr. Chairman, commissioners? Uh, I think that is correct. The um city council cannot move forward with this initiative until either um this commission provides comments um as to whether or not it is consistent with the master plan or 30 days elapse from the date that you receive it at which point then they can go forward. So really the determination that you have to make um statutoily tonight is is relatively narrow. Um there's been a lot of uh broader context given which I think is is absolutely helpful but but it's a pretty pretty narrow issue that you have to make a decision on specific questions. What we utilize?

Thank you, Liz. Any further questions? So, to be clear, we're looking to forward A motion finding that the draft blight study dated spring of 2026 is consistent with adopted 207 comprehensive land use plan. So I have a motion to that effect. So moved. Moved by Commissioner Rubble. Do I have a second? Seconded by Commissioner Hunter. Have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? There being no further discussion, we'll now vote. Please cast your vote. Please record the vote.

With all members voting, I the motion carries. Thank you, Mark assistant for that. Liz, good to see you here. want to go through any of Nope. We have just forwarded approval. Liz, you have sir, but it's just if you would like to sit on this chair, Liz, I just

I just have a question of whether or not the TIFF is actually going to be on the table. Like I understand we've approved this blight study and everything but you know I moved here 15 years ago from Baton Rouge Louisiana which had tiff in place for almost 30 years. I mean the only reason why their downtown has been redeveloped is because of the tiff because it was incentive for developers to develop. So is there any resistance to that being part of this? Because I don't see some of these blighted areas working unless we incentivize developers to develop.

Excellent. are recognizing council does that tax word and you know we've got the fifth penny the optional optional ones that have the specific purpose tax which is the idea of introducing vaccination and council is aware that there would

need to a lot of public outreach but also public um and there's opportunities but not only I also believe but That's where the educ further discussion questions. I now call for communication from the commission. Anybody on the commission have anything? The chair calls for communication from the community development director or the city planner. I've got wild pass spring workshop May 21st to 22nd Riverton highlighted in blue.

Yeah, I put it in blue because you know that was his color, but it should have been pink, I guess.

So, um the Wyoming Planning Association is planning their 2026 spring workshop. It'll be be May 21st in Riverton, Wyoming. Um, basically you all are members of Wild Pass, so it it is pretty much paid for the whole way. And um there's a an agenda on our on your piece of paper that's in your packet. And some of them are very very nice. They're going to be good sessions. So, if you're interested, let me know and I will get you signed up and then I'll take care of your hotel rooms and everything. So, but yes, let me know.

I would say definitely by um the last week in April. Okay. So if anybody's interested, please uh to let her know that uh by the end of this month,

Mr. Chair, the topics this go around. discussion. Bounty I think the topic. Would you and Craig be there?

Oh, you're you're waiting to see which ones of bus. Interesting. Anything else from Craig or Liz for the commission? That's it. The council liaison. Thank you all for

Thank you. Communication from the uh old Yellowstone district liaison. Anything from either of you two?

Communication from anyone else. Final item on the agenda this evening is adjournment. The next meeting of the planning and zoning commission is scheduled for Thursday, May 14th, 2026 at 6 p.m. There being no further business to conduct, the chair calls for a motion to adjourn. Moved by Commissioner Rubble, second by Commissioner Pochek. Please cast your vote. Please record the vote. With all members voting I, the motion carries. Meeting adjourned at 6:48 p.m. Thank you.