Subdividing Green Acres

With construction having begun on the North Platte Valley Medical Center at 13th Street and Bridge Avenue, surrounding property has the potential to be of value. 

The closest property with the possibility to be developed is a five acre parcel on the east side of 13th Street owned by one person. On April 13, local business owner, and owner of that property, Randy Raymer appeared before the Saratoga Planning Commission with a preliminary subdivision plat.

“I bought that whole seven acre parcel several years ago. I divided six lots off that were zoned retail business and re-zoned them to residential. That left me with approximately a five acre parcel there,” said Raymer. “When the new North Platte Valley hospital was looking for land, I offered them nearly four acres of my land. Paul McCarthy offered eight acres of his land, they chose the larger parcel which I think was good for them but, at that point, I realized if that piece of land was going to be merchantable for me that what I needed to do was go ahead and get it divided.”

That five acre parcel, on which sits both the office for R.G. Raymer Construction and Bridge Street Storage units, is all part of Green Acres No. 2 Subdivision.

The preliminary plat submitted by Raymer and Engineering Associates would create Green Acres No. 3 subdivision and two retail business lots. While the initial application stated that it would be two residential lots, both Raymer and Levi Wolf of Engineering Associates stated that was incorrect and would be corrected.

“I don’t intend to do anything else with it. I don’t intend to extend any utilities or anything else. It could potentially be divided further, but what I want to do is I want to break that piece of land off of what I already have developed and that I already have buildings sitting on,” Raymer said. “It’s just that simple.”

As the planning commission looked over the preliminary subdivision plat, Chairman Tom Westring expressed concerns about easements on the property. One easement runs along what would be 11th Street between property zoned retail business and property zoned RD 6000.

Raymer explained a 10 foot easement was already in existence for both Carbon Power & Light and Union Telephone, though it had never been recorded. He added that, when developing the plat, both he and Wolf decided to expand the easement to 20 feet.

Westring added that he believed there should also be an easement between the proposed subdivision of Green Acres No. 2 and Green Acres No. 3. Along with there being access for electric and telephone, the planning commission chairman stated there should be access for sewer as well.

Raymer replied that sewer access was not the purview of the planning commission, but the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board.

In response, Westring stated that the Saratoga Planning Commission was tasked with long term planning and needed to consider the possibility that the two lots could be purchased and rezoned from retail business to residential.

“I don’t think that will ever happen,” said Raymer. “I don’t see it being anything except retail business.”

With some changes needed, namely the easement between the two proposed subdivisions and the change from residential to retail business on the application, the Saratoga Planning Commission voted unanimously to table the plat until the next meeting.

According to section 17.20.030 of the Saratoga Municipal Code, the Saratoga Planning Commission “shall approve, conditionally approve or disapprove of the preliminary plat” within 30 days of the regular meeting. 

The next meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission will be at 5:30 p.m. on May 11 at Saratoga Town Hall.