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The Laramie County Planning Commission is poised to weigh whether two large warehouses for the manufacture and storage of toy slime can be built north of Cheyenne — a decision that pits a local business’s expansion plans against neighbors worried about safety, water quality and the character of their rural community. With county staff recommending approval subject to conditions, residents have mobilized through formal objections ahead of the commission’s vote.
The applicant, Dope Slimes, proposes two industrial buildings of roughly 20,000 to 25,000 square feet each on a five-acre parcel along Petersen Drive, north of Cheyenne. The company says the site would be used only for production and storage — not retail — with construction staged in two phases and the first building expected within about 18 months of county approval.
County planning staff reviewed the file and concluded the request could meet local land-use standards if several requirements are completed first, including submission of a detailed site plan, biological surveys to assess wildlife impacts, and installation of approved septic and well systems. Staff recommended the Planning Commission forward the application with a positive recommendation to the Laramie County Board of Commissioners.
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What neighbors say
That recommendation faces unanimous written opposition from nearby residents. Six letters attached to the commission’s agenda express concerns ranging from past burning on the property to the risk of chemical contamination and lifestyle impacts.
Multiple neighbors allege the landowner, identified in public documents as Greg Whiteaker, previously conducted large open burns that included prohibited materials and took place closer than the state’s suggested buffer from adjacent homes. One resident described the blaze as occurring within a few hundred feet of a bedroom where young children sleep and cited state rules restricting the burning of vinyl and tires.
Other submissions highlight anxiety about industrial traffic using County Road 124, potential lighting and noise from a commercial operation, the possibility of more industrial uses moving into the area, and the vulnerability of private water supplies: most homes nearby draw on individual wells.
Project details and promised safeguards
Dope Slimes told county officials the facility would create roughly 25 full‑time jobs and that a private access road would be built to keep delivery traffic off Petersen Drive. The company emphasized the property would not operate as a storefront.
- Project: Two warehouses for slime production and storage (phased)
- Size: ~20,000–25,000 sq ft each
- Site: 5-acre parcel on Petersen Drive, rural-ag interface
- Employment: About 25 full-time positions
- County staff conditions: Site plan, biological assessment, approved septic and well systems, and other mitigation
- Community concerns: Past open burning, chemical runoff risk to wells, heavy vehicles, nighttime lighting, and loss of rural character
Planning staff’s suggested conditions aim to address some technical risks, but they do not directly resolve neighbors’ broader quality‑of‑life objections or historic complaints about the landowner’s conduct. Letters from residents name specific instances that the county could investigate independently of the permit review.
The Planning Commission will take a formal position on the conditional use permit request on Thursday, June 25, at 3:30 p.m.; that recommendation will then move to the Board of County Commissioners for a final decision. The commission’s packet contains the staff report and the public comments submitted by neighbors.
For residents and observers, the outcome will clarify how the county balances industrial development in areas designated for low‑density rural living and how closely it will scrutinize environmental and nuisance risks before approving a new manufacturing use in a neighborhood served by private wells.
