GILLETTE, Wyo. — A proposed zoning amendment that would allow the Campbell County School District to construct a new bus barn advanced to its third reading following a Tuesday night decision by the Gillette City Council.
The zoning amendment passed its second reading during the council’s meeting on Oct. 1 where the council voted unanimously to advance the ordinance to its third and final reading. Should it pass its third reading and satisfy state statutory requirements to become a city ordinance, it would add K-12 Transportation as an authorized activity at the intersection of Enzi Drive and Southern Drive.
According to a memo penned by City Administrator Mike Cole, the proposed location has been earmarked for public facility use since 2013, which includes a new CCSD transportation 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 years in the making with the school district fielding three locations. One location was near the old Campbell County Road and Bridge building on 4-J Road and Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, a second was identified on W. Warlow Drive, and the third location was along Southern Drive and Enzi 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 W. Warlow Drive option.
But at Enzi Drive and Southern Drive, heavy vehicle and bus traffic can access the site from arterial roads through primary access points. The location also has all the necessary infrastructure to support a new bus barn including water, sewer, and power.
The school district would look to build the new bus barn in the southern portion of the tract, reserving the northern portion for a new elementary school, per Cole’s memo.
Funding for the new bus barn comes through the State School Facilities Commission, though it requires a site selection sooner rather than later. Funding is reportedly highly competitive and could exceed $20 million, though delays or public criticism regarding the site selection could jeopardize the funding.
Cole says a new bus barn at the intersection of Southern Drive and Enzi Drive is imperative, and that the city considers this type of facility an essential public service.
