Proposed zoning ordinances in Evansville would protect property values, enforce orderly growth and "Mrs. Jones who is 80 years old and retired won't have to worry about a triple X movie theater moving in next to her," said Mayor and long-time resident Phil Hinds.

After nearly two years of work the municipality of more than 2,200 people is embarking on its first attempt at zoning.

The ordinance will need three public readings with three approvals before it can be finalized. If affirmed, the mayor said, local residents don't need to worry about changing their address as existing buildings will be grandfathered into the policy.

"So if you have a trailer house and you are in a place zoned as a residential area you will still have your home. We are not allowed to dispossess anyone," Hinds said.

Hinds said he isn't sure why it has taken until 2007 to formalize city zoning but it is "absolutely necessary."

"With all of the growth going into Evansville we need to have some controls so that people are not subjected to an industrial plant on either side of their nice little home," he said.

While factories aren't popping up in neighborhoods, Hinds said there are trailers next to established houses and businesses in residential areas. These ordinances will help the town keep the regions separated and create established residential and business sections.

Zoning isn't mandatory, said the executive director the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, George Parks. Zoning ordinances are up to the city or municipality, and while most choose to have the ordinances, some may not.

"Zoning helps people to plan, helps business to plan, allows you to maximize the efficiency of your infrastructure, and it does protect property values," he said. "But it's the government having regulations about what you can and can't do with your property that's the common resistance to zoning."

Parks said the basic philosophy for Wyoming municipalities is local self-government, where it's a community's choice whether to have these public restrictions.

While Parks said most municipalities the size of Evansville have zoning, some cities in the U.S. - Houston being the largest - remain without zoning and have what Parks calls, "some bizarre land uses."

Pat Paddock, owner and operator of Smith RV and a member of the Evansville zoning committee, said the town is also experiencing interesting uses and is in need of a face lift these ordinances could create.

"If there's no zoning you will get junk yards next to houses and people will collect junk cars and build shabby additions that aren't safe and don't look nice," Paddock said.

Zoning was not considered in the past because, "There was no one who cared or had the time to mess with it," but Paddock said with new development beginning regulations need to be set.

Evansville town planner and planning consultant for Worthington Lenhart and Carpenter, Steven Kurtz, said the zoning was instigated because of Coal Creek Industrial Park and Eagle Estate Homes.

"One of the major reasons we are doing this is Evansville is growing," Kurtz said. "When you have investors that build 240 houses they need to have the assurance that there is zoning so the property values are protected.

The homes start at around $170,000. Mayor Hinds has purchased a lot and plans to move to the new area.

Hinds said he sees this as having lasting impacts on the town of Evansville. In coming years, he envisions the population will double and commerce will "hit the roof."

Paddock also said the zoning can only help Evansville.

"I think [the ordinances] will bring more people into Evansville," he said. "There was the stigma for many years that Evansville was a neglected area and I think it will do wonders especially because we are close to Casper and there is a lot of land that can still be developed."

Hinds said the zoning ordinance may not be perfect but once it has been adopted if there are problems they can be changed.

"There's always people who won't be entirely satisfied and we are not out to dispossess anyone or infuriate them," Hinds said. "So if they have a problem we will work with them on it."

The first of three public readings of the zoning ordinances will be held July 9 at 7:15 p.m. in the Evansville Municipal Building, 235 Curtis Street.]]>