The North Platte Planning Commission met Tuesday, Feb. 24 and held two public hearings about topics that will move forward to the North Platte city council.

The first public hearing considered a request from Dennis and Shirley Ogborn to vacate a portion of an alley between 621 and 701 E. 12th St.

The request involves vacating approximately 118 feet of alley running north from E. 12th

Planning Administrator Judy Clark provided commissioners with a map and a plat illustrating how the property would look if the alley is vacated. An ordinance reflecting the proposed change will be forwarded to the North Platte city council for final consideration.

According to Clark, the alley does not contain public utilities and is not used for public sanitation collection. The vacation will allow the lot to be reconfigured.

City Attorney Bill Troshynski said the adjacent property owner — the city housing authority — has expressed no interest in acquiring half of the vacated alley. As a result, the ordinance will be modified to vacate the alley while reserving the city’s right to the property, allowing the city to later sell or convey the property to the applicants.

Clark said the major concern is cars that cut through the area from E. 12th.

No members of the public spoke during the hearing. The commission unanimously agreed to recommend approval. The city council will vote to finalize the request at their March 3 meeting. 

Food truck, mobile home revisions

In other business, Troshynski informed the commissioners that draft revisions to food truck regulations are being prepared.

Commissioners will receive information via email outlining potential updates to city code, along with examples of how other Nebraska communities regulate food trucks.

Clark also noted ongoing review of mobile home park regulations, specifically a provision requiring storm shelters that meet federal standards. The requirement is being examined as a potential development proposal is under consideration. The potential developer does not want to spend millions of dollars installing a storm shelter but would instead put the mobile homes on permanent foundations.

Clark said more discussions will be forthcoming on this topic.

Historic preservation

The commission also held a public hearing on an amendment to the North Platte City Code of Ordinances regarding the Historic Preservation Commission.

Clark said the proposed changes clarify board composition requirements and align meeting procedures with other city boards and commissions. The North Platte Historic Preservation Commission unanimously recommended the changes at its Feb. 12 meeting.

The amendment includes:

• Clarifying the roles of officers, noting that staff now perform the duties of secretary and treasurer.
• Updating meeting frequency requirements from “quarterly” to a minimum of four times per year.
• Adjusting public notice requirements for meetings from seven days to at least 48 hours to align with other city bodies.

Kevin Kreger, assistant grant administrator for the city, told the commission that many of the existing provisions dated back to the ordinance’s original adoption in 2007 and were based on state examples. The proposed revisions are intended to modernize and clarify the language.

No members of the public spoke during the hearing. Commissioners voted unanimously to close the public hearing and approve the amendment.

Both approved items will move forward to the North Platte City Council for consideration on March 17.

© 2026 The North Platte Bulletin. All rights reserved!