The owner is proposing to rezone 0.16 acres of land located north of East 3^rd Street and west of South Brooks Avenue. 

The owner is proposing to rezone 0.16 acres of land from R-2, Single and Two-Family Residential District to C-1, General Commercial District.  The property is located north of East 3^rd Street and west of South Brooks Avenue.

The surrounding zoning is:

North – C-1, General Commercial

East – C-1, General Commercial

South – R-2, Single and Two-Family Residential

West – R-2, Single and Two-Family Residential

The owner is proposing to the rezone 0.16 acres of land located at 511 East 3^rd Street. The property has a single-family home on it. With the application, a narrative was submitted stating,

“Bambi Smith is looking to purchase the property as a location to operate a daycare center. She has been a licensed provider in the state of Wyoming for ten (10) years now and is looking to expand her facility. She is currently operating from her home and limited to ten children and would love to open additional windows of opportunities for the children and families in the community. There is an obvious and identified shortage of licensed childcare facilities in Gillette with lengthy waiting lists for enrollment. She intends to meet all of the required changes for a commercial child care center per city guidelines. The purchase of the property is all contingent upon these zoning changes to fit her business needs.”

This zoning request is in line with the Comprehensive Plan, as the Future Land Use Plan calls for Commercial. This zoning meets the minimum size requires for the C-1, General Commercial District as it will merge with the surrounding C-1 district to the north and east; the C-1 district calls for a minimum district size of 4 acres and the current size of the district is 88.69.

Pursuant to Section 12 of the City of Gillette’s Zoning Ordinance, a Zoning Map Amendment shall not be approved except to:

(1)    Correct an obvious error, or

(2)    Recognize changing conditions in the City

The proposal to rezone 0.16 acres of land from R-2, Single and Two-Family Residential District, to C-1, General Commercial District recognizes changing conditions.

If rezone is approved and a commercial daycare is located at this location, the operators of the daycare will need to comply with current Building Codes, Planning Codes, Engineering Codes, and the Department of Family Services regulations.

Staff recommends approval, subject to all Planning Requirements.