Council liaison: city-owned Robertson Road 9-acre site labeled 'Urban Ag' as placeholder ahead of sale

A council liaison updated the Casper Planning and Zoning Commission on a city-owned, roughly 9-acre site near Robertson Road that the city has labeled “Urban Ag” as a placeholder zoning classification while it seeks a buyer. The liaison said the city hopes the temporary designation will lower appraisal value compared with commercial zoning and that the outcome could facilitate affordable housing, but the ultimate use will depend on a buyer’s plan and additional approvals through the commission’s review process.

The liaison said the site has been for sale for about eight years and that staff expect any future buyer to return to the commission for rezoning, neighbor notification, and public hearings. The commission was told the comprehensive plan shows the property as mixed use, and the current Urban Ag label is intended as an interim measure rather than the final land-use designation.

On traffic, the liaison said the Metropolitan Planning Organization has an RFP out for a corridor study covering the broader area; the study is intended to provide a holistic view of traffic patterns and will precede any project-specific, engineered traffic studies tied to redevelopment. The liaison also described interim measures already installed at nearby intersections, and noted staff will commission a formal traffic study when a specific development proposal is filed.

The council liaison framed the Urban Ag designation as a planning placeholder and repeated that any change to allow commercial or residential development would require a future rezoning application and notification to neighboring property owners.