Pinedale P&Z to replace town’s ‘master plan’

Joy Ufford
Posted 11/10/17

The Pinedale Planning & Zoning Board began the task of reviewing and replacing the town’s master plan at its meeting last Monday.

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Pinedale P&Z to replace town’s ‘master plan’

Posted

By Joy Ufford

jufford@pinedaleroundup.com

By Joy Ufford

jufford@pinedaleroundup.com

PINEDALE – The Pinedale Planning & Zoning Board began the task of reviewing and replacing the town’s master plan at its meeting last Monday.

With the Nov. 6 agenda was a draft plan compiled by town engineer Hayley Ryckman Ruland at the request of Mayor Bob Jones, who described the current master land-use plan as a “fluff piece” not meeting state requirements.

The next morning, Jones emailed Pinedale Town Council and P&Z Board members – Darrell Walker, Nylla Kunard, Sandy Anderson, Landon Call and Brian Gray – with his thoughts on it.

“P&Z has been asked to take a shot at coming up with a replacement master plan for the Town,” Jones wrote. “I had Hayley dig into the state requirements for master plans and write a plan that contains only the basic requirements. … If any of you have read our current master plan you know it is not well done and is of no use and needs to be replaced.”

Jones added that public input is necessary so town officials know how residents envision Pinedale’s future to guide them on budgets and essential services – and to inform developers and businesspeople “because people make large financial decisions based on what they can reasonably expect to do with their property or business.”

He continued, “I would like to point out that the purpose of a master plan is to guide our leadership through future development issues that may not be dealt with in existing ordinances. An example would be the direction of growth within the town or adjacent property. …”

The town’s current master land-use plan, adopted in October 2007, contains pages about Pinedale’s economy, population and other “characteristics.” It also lists specific goals and numerous policies. At the end, it states, “Wyoming State Statute Section 15- 1-503 requires the Town to have a Master Plan in place; therefore, it is adopted and is intended to be used as a guide, not a mandate. Annual review is required.”

Ryckman Ruland’s new four-page “outline” breaks down the draft into “general information” categories of demographics and geography, economy, public facilities, transportation and utilities. It includes three maps.

Jones asked P&Z board members to work from the outline and “use public meetings/hearings to fill in the details with what people want and that town officials need to make future decisions.”

Ryckman Ruland can then rework the draft and present it for the P&Z Board’s Monday, Dec. 4, meeting. It will be posted with the Pinedale P&Z Board’s agenda.

Jones wants to use the current master plan ordinance as a resolution and the new master plan replacing it as an ordinance.

“I understand that there is a desire to promote the town through this product,” Jones writes. “… I would like to see another product in the form of a resolution that is more of a (sic) advertisement piece. This would be where we would talk about how great the town is and what it has to offer.”

The draft and current Pinedale master plans are at https://townofpinedale.us/.