City looks at new housing ordinances

Three or four potential new ordinances are on the table for the City of Sundance, each one governing a relatively recent trend in housing additions.

Trevor Keyworth of the Land Use Planning Committee is moving ahead with creating draft ordinances to govern wind turbines, solar panels and green spaces on subdivisions, and will also be looking to find guidance for tiny homes.

Keyworth sought input from the council last week on the three in-progress ordinances, having found templates to begin the process through Casper’s city ordinances.

Casper’s wind turbine ordinance, he said, places a cap on the wattage allowed at 3 kw. This, said Mayor Paul Brooks, is intended for noise control.

Brooks explained that small wind turbines run fairly quietly. However, he said, when you start reaching the eight- or nine-foot turbines, they get noisier.

For that reason, Brooks said, “I would just as soon we regulate them out before we start.”

Keyworth noted that vertical turbines are now becoming popular, rather than bladed, as they can generate higher wattage. He asked the council if this should be factored in.

“Well, let’s wait until they come talk to us,” responded Brooks, referring to residents asking for permission to install a turbine.

Casper’s ordinance also speaks to a neighbor’s “right to sunlight”, and to issues such as spacing between turbines and maximum heights. Brooks stated that he agreed with regulating the latter two for the sake of aesthetics.

“We’re trying to build a town that people want to live in,” Brooks said.

Regarding the green space ordinance, Keyworth said that Casper sets the minimum amount required in a subdivision at 20%.

“Do you think that’s excessive?...What kind of green space would you like to see?” he asked.

Council Member Randy Stevenson commented that this is often adhered to in the form of a kids’ park or similar amenity.

“For children is usually the direction that takes,” he said. Keywork added that such amenities often drive potential buyers and makes people more keen to move in.

Brooks directed Keyworth to set the percentage at 15%.

Keyworth told the council that he has still been unable to find a template for an ordinance on tiny homes. However, he feels that the city should consider imposing a minimum square footage on houses, not just lots, and on the minimum amount of a lot that can be covered with a building, not just maximum.

Keyworth said he has heard from people who own a lot but don’t want to build an expensive house, but would rather buy a kit for a tiny home. Stevenson commented that most kits he sees are less than 500 square feet.

Though the council was not averse to people living in tiny homes, which are cheaper to run and maintain, Stevenson wondered if they may impact nearby property values.

Keyworth was directed to meet with City Attorney Mark Hughes to work on the in-progress ordinances and with Clerk-Treasurer Theresa Curren to search for an appropriate template for tiny houses.