TUESDAY, August 18, 2026|
Photo – Lawrence Property – Courtesy City of Rawlins
Rawlins officials will hold a public hearing tonight to consider rezoning the former Lawrence Salvage Yard.
A zone‑change hearing for the Lawrence Property is on the agenda for tonight’s Rawlins City Council meeting. City officials will decide if the former salvage yard should change from its current Industrial zoning to a mix of Residential and Commercial.
The property is planned to be divided into two sections. According to city documents, the upper portion, closer to East Cedar Street, had been used as an auto storage and salvage operation for over 75 years. The City Council is proposing to rezone that land to Commercial C-2, which permits light to medium commercial activities such as retail stores.
The lower section, adjacent to East Spruce Street, will be rezoned to Residential R‑7.5, which allows traditional single‑family homes on lots of at least 7,500 square feet.
On July 6th, 2024, a fire burned roughly four and a half acres of the former Lawrence Salvage Yard in the center of Rawlins. In the following months, the City Council agreed to purchase the fire‑damaged property for $230,000. The money came from the Dangerous Buildings Fund; a municipal account created specifically for rehabilitating derelict properties for future sale. The purchase was finalized in December 2024, transferring ownership from Jack and Elden Cozort to the city.
Since that time, the city removed derelict vehicles and other debris from the property. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality also conducted a Level 2 Brownfield assessment to determine if the land was contaminated from its time as a salvage yard.
The city received the results of Wyoming DEQ’s Brownfield study earlier this year, which showed that the site contained elevated levels of barium and arsenic. However, both toxic metals were well below DEQ’s thresholds, clearing the way for future development.
After receiving DEQ’s report, the City Council debated what to do with the Lawrence Property. The majority of the governing body agreed that the upper section should be rezoned for commercial development, while the lower portion along East Spruce Street would be opened to residential development.
Councilman Derek Elliot objected to building homes on the north side of the property, saying East Spruce Street becomes dangerously congested when events are held at the nearby Carbon County Fairgrounds. Instead of housing, Councilman Elliot recommended turning the area into an overflow parking lot.
As the fairgrounds are owned by the county, the governing body chose not to pursue the parking‑lot idea, and the Rawlins Planning and Zoning Division began the rezoning process for the Lawrence Property. The upper 9.15 acres is proposed for Commercial C‑2, with the lower 4.88 acres is designated for Residential R‑7.5.
The Rawlins City Council will hold a public hearing during tonight’s meeting to discuss the Lawrence Property zone change request. Afterwards, the governing body will vote on the proposal for the first time. The measure must be approved three times during three separate hearings before being finalized.
Tonight’s Rawlins City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall, located at 521 West Cedar Street. The public is encouraged to attend.
