Worland Council approves ordinance allowing business owners to live in their businesses

WORLAND — Worland City Council members moved forward with an ordinance which would allow business owners to reside in the same building as their businesses.

Business owners would require the approval of the Worland Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission.

The proposed ordinance affects businesses on North 10th Street and Big Horn Avenue east of Loaf and Jug, among other locations, Worland City Attorney Kent Richins said during the meeting.

Richins said the ordinance is intended, in part, to deal with blighted areas in Worland.

“We thought it was appropriate because if a person could actually live in their business, they could make it better.

“We have blighted areas where businesses are folding and (the area) is becoming dilapidated,” Richins said.

Worland resident Melanie Stine told the council at the meeting that she is concerned about the ordinance.

“In theory, if you let people come in and they only have one household — they don’t live in any other place — and they have multiple cars. They have motorhomes. They have ATV trailers — they have nowhere else to put them,” Stine said.

If approved, residents would live in a separate area in their buildings. The residential portion of the building could not take up less than 25 percent and not more than 45 percent of the building.

Residents could also live in the basement or second story of businesses, if applicable.

Worland Mayor Dave Duffy emphasized that business owners would need the approval of the BAPC.

Stine said she was concerned because the ordinance doesn’t clearly define what a business is.

“Is the council going to define what a business is? If someone hangs a T-shirt in the window for $5, is that a business?” Stine asked.

Stine added that someone living in a business to keep it going is one thing, but the council should be cognizant of “some other stuff” that might come into the play if and when the ordinance takes effect.

Also passed during the meeting was an ordinance prohibiting fireworks from being shot within city limits.

Ordinance No. 824 passed during last night’s regularly scheduled meeting without discussion.

Fireworks were previously banned in the city of Worland, but the ordinance doing so was inadvertently repealed while the council was “cleaning up” ordinances.