Developers sidestep new county rules

A matter of weeks after approving new regulations that give the county a say in the large development projects going on around the county, the Crook County Commissioners heard last week that developers have already found a way to circumvent them.

According to Planning Administrator Tim Lyons, the developer on at least one project has assigned each plot on a large acreage to individual LLCs, ensuring that it does not qualify as a subdivision.

The conversation cropped up when local landowner Jim Geis approached the commission to request assistance. An area of land 1200 acres in size next to his...