GILLETTE, Wyo. — The Gillette City Council will vote tonight on a proposed zoning amendment that would allow the Campbell County School District to build a new bus barn at the end of Enzi Drive.
If approved, the zoning amendment would add K–12 Transportation as an authorized activity within the C-1, General Commercial, zoning district, and would allow the school district to proceed with a new multimillion-dollar facility at Enzi Drive and Southern Drive.
In a memo, City Administrator Mike Cole said the zoning amendment, while not ideal, is an appropriate and precedented approach allowed under the city zoning ordinance. Coach USA operates a fleet of large buses in a General Commercial zone while other entities, including the city, use smaller buses and fleet vehicles in other districts.
Currently, the existing CCSD bus barn on West 8th Street operates within an Office & Institution zoning district, according to Cole, who said similar permitted uses currently allowed within C-1, General Commercial zoning districts include garages, fueling stations, vehicle parking, public or private schools and tire repair shops, among several others.
In 2013, the city earmarked the area of Enzi Drive and Southern Drive to be used for public facilities, which would include a CCSD transportation facility, Cole wrote, adding that until the future land use plan is updated, the current zoning and intended land uses are compatible with the proposed facility.
“Our only concern with the proposed zoning text amendment is that all other parcels within the C-1, General Commercial zoning district would be eligible for this type of use,” Cole said. “As such, the proposed zoning text amendment was crafted with the intent that only a transportation facility serving a K–12 Public School District be considered as a specific, allowed use.”
The proposed transportation facility has been months in the making with the school district exploring three location options — one near county facilities off 4-J Road and West Boxelder Road 4-J Road, another in a vacant area on West Warlow Drive and a third at Enzi Drive and Southern Drive.
According to Cole’s memo, significant environmental concerns bumped the 4-J Road option out of the running while a residential zoning designation and neighborhood proximity concerns eliminated the West Warlow Drive option.
At Enzi Drive and Southern Drive, though, heavy vehicle and bus traffic would be able to access the site from established arterial roads with two primary access points. All necessary utility services like water, sewer, power, fiber-optics, natural gas and communication systems are already in place.
Additionally, Cole says there is an adequate buffer and screening opportunity to separate the proposed facility from existing residential neighborhoods, with the school district looking to build the new bus barn in the southern portion while reserving the northern portion for a new elementary school.
The city would not look to develop a tract of land located to the east of the proposed bus barn, across Enzi Drive, aside from improving the existing softball and baseball practice fields.
According to Cole’s memo, funding through the State School Facilities Commission earmarked for the construction of a new bus barn requires a site be selected soon. Funding is highly competitive and could exceed $20 million, though any delays or public criticism regarding site selection could jeopardize the funding.
“Replacement of the existing bus barn and construction of the proposed CCSD#1 Transportation Facility at the intersection of Southern Drive and Enzi Drive is imperative,” Cole wrote. “City Staff considers this type of facility an essential public service.”
The council will hold a public hearing during its meeting on Oct. 1, which starts at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 201 E. 5th St.
