A plot of land bordered by the Dead Horse Point and Island in the Sky road on state Route 313 and U.S 191 was rezoned this week for “resort special” development.

The Grand County Council voted 6-1 to grant a zone change from range and grazing. Council member Chris Conrad did not explain why he voted against the motion.

“Resort special is generally more restrictive [than range and grazing],” Grand County Planner Kristine Killoy told the council.

The rezone request was submitted on behalf of Gerald Gierlinski of Poland who wants to develop a “dinosaur park” on the property. His application for the park is pending before the Grand County Planning and Zoning Commission.

Council members agreed with Killoy that the Highway 191 North Corridor Area Plan, adopted in 1999 as a guide for future land use decisions along U.S. 191, should prevail in this instance.

That plan calls for three “clustered development nodes,” the one under consideration, plus one at the airport and one at Crescent Junction. The rest of the corridor is to remain scenic and open, council chairman Bob Greenberg said.

Greenberg said the council has received written comments on the proposed zone change.

The resort special zone does not allow the full variety of housing types, resource extraction, agricultural uses, and several industrial uses that the range and grazing zone does allow.

Both zones allow many of the same public and civic uses, such as day care and educational facilities.

Resort special zoning allows restaurants, lounges, motels and other recreational uses that range and grazing does not.

Greenberg noted that nothing about the zone change requires that the dinosaur park be developed. The property can now be developed for anything allowed by the resort special zone, he said.