City Land Use looks at updating regulations

Having sworn Randy Stevenson in as the newest member of Sundance’s Land Use Planning Committee, the council last week took the opportunity to discuss some changes in how residents may improve their land. Some of the regulations may need updating for current needs, the council agreed.

For example, Mayor Paul Brooks mentioned that personal solar panels and wind generators are becoming more common across the nation. While they are not readily spotted in Crook County yet, he suggested it would be a good idea to lay out the ground rules for when they become more popular.

“There are towns that are getting little pockets and the noise of them and the fact they kill birds and stuff, other neighbors find out they don’t like it, so I would really like if you guys would take a look at some of that,” said the mayor.

An additional update mentioned was the allowable height of fences, which is currently set at 3.5 feet. Council Member Callie Hilty pointed out that it’s not easy to purchase fencing at that height and it was suggested that four feet might be more appropriate.

Stevenson suggested that Land Use Planning might also want to look at regulations for such things as electronic signs, flagpoles and windmills.

Hilty, who served as LUP chairman until she was appointed to the council in January, also commented that some towns have a clause in their land use planning documents that a certain percentage of a homeowner’s yard must remain as green space. She suggested the city should check it has the same requirements.

“It’s to prevent somebody from literally filling up their entire lot with buildings and there is still some natural green place per lot,” she said. “That’s maybe something else to have on the radar.”

Mayor Brooks suggested that all these potential changes, and perhaps more, should be discussed by the committee, put in the form of recommendations and then presented to the council at one time.

“If we were to go through those documents, perhaps we could find some additi