August 27, 2024 |
Photo – Map of area for requested zone change – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Rawlins City Council will hold a special meeting on Friday to accept public comment on a zone change which the Bureau of Land Management has proposed for the agency’s property at Donnel and Jackson Streets.
The BLM is asking the city to change the zoning from residential to commercial so it can construct two barracks to house firefighters. At the governing body’s meeting, Councilman Weisenburg said the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a request to rezone the land that the BLM owns at the intersection.
The special use permit would allow the federal agency to construct two firefighter barracks on its land.
City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave said rezoning the property is necessary for the BLM to legally construct a new fire station and barracks on the property located on the south side of the city.
The Planning and Zoning board passed the zone change request. Residents in the neighborhood may have other thoughts.
According to the report filed by Bigfoot 99 last week, the city attorney told the governing body that five of the 20 nearby property owners protested the zone change. Meanwhile, six of the seven Rawlins city council members must vote for the zone change before it can be approved.
According to the language in the city documents, the Special Use Permit would allow the BLM to use the Labor Camp as a permanent barracks to house fire crews.
At Friday’s special meeting, each member of the public who wish to speak will be granted five minutes with extensions allowed.
The meeting is scheduled for this Friday at 11 a.m. inside Council Chambers.
