Zoning Protest Bill Aimed at Boosting Housing Passes Senate Committee

A bill to make it harder for neighbors to block multi-family housing projects cleared a Senate committee Wednesday, advancing what supporters describe as a crucial step toward addressing Wyoming’s housing shortage. Senate File 117, which would raise the threshold for zoning protests, passed the Senate Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee on a unanimous 5-0 vote.

The measure increases the percentage of neighbors required to protest zoning changes from 20% to 33% before triggering a supermajority vote of two-thirds by the local governing body. In Cheyenne, that would mean a 6-3 City Council vote to override a protest.

Sponsor Sen. Stephan Pappas, R-Cheyenne, said the bill is identical to one proposed last session before it was derailed by a last-minute amendment on mitigation fees. He was asked to bring it back by the Wyoming Business Alliance, whose members face workforce shortages tied to lack of available housing.

“One of the biggest problems in increasing the workforce is significant housing shortages in Wyoming,” Pappas said, noting that 90% of communities surveyed by the Wyoming Association of Municipalities reported shortages. Behind the shortages, he said, is an over-regulated housing market. “That is what this bill aims to correct.”

Renny MacKay, president of the Wyoming Business Alliance, told the committee the change was originally recommended two years ago by the Regulatory Reduction Task Force. He said developers have seen projects stall and fail under the current law.

Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins, who testified in support, said the city has already worked to reduce its own housing regulations. “We’ve done everything we can do on our side, and we need a little help from the state,” he said. He pointed to a lost development on Holland Court in 2023, where the council voted 7-2 against a zoning change that would have allowed a high-density apartment complex. “We lost 200 housing units because of that.”

Attainable housing must be built densely, Collins said, noting plans for 122 smaller single-family homes in Cheyenne priced in the high $200,000s to low $300,000s—a direct result of the city’s updated codes.

Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Torrington, successfully amended the bill to strike language requiring protesters to demonstrate “concrete and particularized harm.” While voting yes in committee, she signaled potential floor opposition. “It’s concerning to me, because this is a balance between private property rights and what we are allowing in these zoning protests,” she said.

The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration. It arrives amid ongoing controversy over housing policy and a separate “Checkgate” investigation involving campaign checks handed out on the House floor—an issue connected to last year’s failed zoning effort.