The Pennington County Planning Commission on Nov. 24 approved a series of land‑use items and ordinance recommendations and forwarded several of them to the Board of Commissioners for final action.

On the consent calendar, staff recommended approval of multiple conditional use permit reviews (including CUR8525, CUR0514, CUR2327, CUR2331, and COCUR20). Commissioners noted clerical discrepancies in review periods for recurring conditional‑use reviews; staff said the tables show previous conditions while narrative text shows current review cadence and that two consent items (items 5 and 9) would be continued to Dec. 8. The commission approved the consent calendar with clerical corrections.

Specific approvals:
• COCU25‑0019 (item 10): Christine Phillip, assistant planner, presented an application for an existing efficiency dwelling on 0.51 acres at 4715 Mesa Drive that uses the existing septic system and measures 228 square feet. Staff recommended approval with 23 conditions; the commission approved the permit per staff recommendation.
• COMPL2054 (item 11): Staff recommended approval of a four‑lot minor plat in River Bottom Ranch; the surveyor (Tuohy Design Group) noted a Saint Germain Ditch easement and access easements. Commissioners discussed access arrangements for lots that could otherwise be landlocked; the commission approved the plat with five conditions.
• COVPL25‑0002 (item 12): Staff recommended vacation of a waterline easement for property owners Steven and Deborah Berg after confirmation from Rapid Valley Sanitary District that no waterline existed in the easement; commission approved with one condition.
• PU4‑18 (item 13): Planned unit development amendment for Scott and Jan Zaanstra to allow commercial uses on Lot 1 (concepts shown included a wedding venue, pickleball court, pool and vacation cabins). Staff recommended approval with 24 conditions; commissioners discussed approach permits and state access/approach limitations and then approved per staff recommendation.

The commission also recommended OA25‑17 to add and clarify definitions in the Pennington County Zoning Ordinance (Section 103). Staff said the package clarifies terms such as cabin, bunkhouse and studio and differentiates public and private cemeteries (private cemeteries would be moved into a different section with an SPU option due to state filing requirements). Commissioners approved forwarding the definition updates to the Board of Commissioners.

Finally, the panel approved OA25‑18, revisions to the county's special animal‑keeping regulations, including consistent setback language and limiting suburban residential districts to chickens and household pets (no roosters in non‑agricultural districts). Commissioners discussed practical issues such as rooster noise, the method for counting maximum chickens, and potential edge cases for large parcels.

All approved planning commission recommendations will be considered by the Board of Commissioners at its regular meeting on Dec. 2, 2025.