This editorial was written and submitted by Kirby Watson.
The following opinion piece is a community submission and doesn’t reflect the opinion of TRN Media, which encompasses SweetwaterNOW and The Radio Network.
| Sublette County elected commissioners Joel Bousman, Sam White and Tom Noble have opened the floodgates for out-of-state developers to rezone (A1) ultra rural migratory corridors of threatened species for individual developer financial gain against Sublette County Planning and Zoning Board recommendations and overwhelming Sublette County Resident opposition. The allowance to rezone for out-of-state billionaire Joe Ricketts’ Upper Hoback resort and multi-millionaire California real estate developers Jason (Smee Homes Inc/CA and Rim Realty Inc/WY) and Melinda Moyes’ (Melson Realty/CA and Rim Realty Inc/WY) 40 Rod property for monetary gain is contradictory to community virtue. Jason and Melinda Moyes, who recently relocated from California to Sublette County, are now attempting to either Rezone or attempt to receive a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) from our county commissioners in order to be legally allowed to utilize their recently acquired high acreage parcel, located across from the Rim Station (which the Moyes recently purchased), in order to develop this large Rim acreage commercially. On 9/15/22, the Sublette County Planning and Zoning Board unanimously rejected the CUP of this new Moyes financial venture at the Rim that was proposed through a request for a Conditional Use Permit because they felt it would be more difficult to rezone. As with Ricketts rezoning, the new Moyes Rim conditional use request will be presented before the County commissioners again following the unanimous rejection of the Planning and Zoning Board. Once again, Bousman, White and Noble have the ability to disregard community sentiment and the requirements for rezoning and dismiss recommendations of the Zoning Board assigned to qualify rezoning. Commercial development of our cherished ultra rural A1 zoned county space by individuals with no respect for community virtues, through the practice of hiring Rio Verde Engineering and out of state parties to produce short-sighted documents, once again will allow ultra rich out of state developers the ability to permanently alter our community and threaten a multitude of wildlife corridors. Please sign, and forward to neighbors, this petition in opposition of Bousman, White and Noble’s continued disregard to abide by protocol established through the 10 requirements to rezone or allow for a conditional use permit. Please write your feelings regarding rezoning and CUP past, present and future developments through critical migration corridors. In your letters to commissioners please include your demand that they explain how their past, present and future votes specifically relate to each of the 10 rules for rezoning/allowance of conditional use permits and please be in attendance of the Oct 4th commissioners meeting that will decide the outcome of this outstanding request. Kirby Watson |
