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The Cheyenne City Council has approved a new zoning ordinance that creates special overlay districts for historic horse racing facilities, reshaping where betting centers can open in the city and giving local officials new tools to control their placement. The change arrives as state law shifts authority to municipalities, a transfer that becomes effective July 1, 2026—making the decision immediately relevant to developers, neighborhood groups and city planners.
What the ordinance does
Under the new rules, the city map adds designated Regional Entertainment Overlay Districts where historic horse racing centers may be developed “by right.” In those areas, a project proposing wagering terminals would follow the same building-permit process as other commercial construction, without requiring special approvals beyond standard permits.
Outside the overlay zones, by contrast, any proposal to open a gaming facility must meet additional criteria and obtain explicit city authorization—giving the council a gatekeeping role over locations beyond the targeted commercial corridors.
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Protections and proximity limits
The ordinance sets protective buffers meant to keep gambling venues away from sensitive sites. It requires gaming centers to be sited no closer than 500 feet, measured in a straight line, to elementary and secondary schools, standalone child care centers, places of worship and public parks or recreation facilities.
City planning staff emphasized the rule is not an absolute ban in every circumstance. Charles Bloom, Cheyenne’s Planning and Development director, told the Public Services Committee that the council retains discretion to consider exceptional situations. Physical separations such as interstate highways or bodies of water, Bloom said, could justify allowing a facility even if the straight-line distance falls under the 500-foot threshold.
Amendments, grandfathering and a close call
A Planning Commission amendment briefly broadened the restriction to include all child care facilities, whether freestanding or part of a larger building. That change, officials acknowledged, would have imperiled two existing operations. In response, a substitution to the ordinance reverted the language, explicitly grandfathered those locations and clarified the process for future approvals.
Where overlays are placed
The overlay districts are concentrated on commercially zoned land: parts of downtown Cheyenne, corridors along Interstate 25 and stretches of West Lincolnway. According to a city memo, planners selected those areas to take advantage of nearby regional destinations, major transportation links and interchange nodes—sites where entertainment uses could attract visitors and bolster local economic activity.
Why this matters now
Until recently, Wyoming counties handled siting for gaming centers. New legislation passed during the 2026 state legislative session transfers that authority to cities, and Cheyenne’s ordinance is the city’s first major step in implementing the change. Full municipal control becomes effective on July 1, 2026—so developers and neighborhood organizations should expect the city to play a decisive role from that date forward.
- For developers: Projects inside overlay areas face a simpler approval path; outside them, expect additional standards and a discretionary review.
- For residents and institutions: The 500-foot buffer and the council’s review authority increase protections for schools, child care centers, places of worship and parks.
- For city planners: The overlay approach concentrates entertainment uses where they can leverage traffic corridors and visitor destinations.
- For local government: The change aligns with state law and shifts responsibility—and political accountability—for gaming siting to municipal officials as of July 1.
The ordinance gives Cheyenne more control over where historic horse racing centers can operate while channeling such uses toward commercial corridors the city wants to develop. City officials say the measure balances economic opportunity with safeguards for vulnerable community assets, though the council’s discretion means each proposal will likely be contested and considered on its individual merits.
Planning staff provided maps and further documentation to illustrate the new districts as part of the ordinance package; those materials are available from the city for anyone tracking potential project proposals or anticipating community hearings later this summer.
