If all goes as planned, the new CY Middle School may begin construction on July 15, said local attorney and developer Keith Tyler.

The 179-acre west-side project, which includes the new school as well as possible restaurants, small businesses and 600 apartments, was approved for the third and final time at the Casper City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Plans for the school need to be approved at an April meeting, which will then set things into motion, Tyler said, beginning with the construction of the school and streets.

The project, called Mesa Addition No. 5, faced protests from people in the neighboring areas, but by the final reading, only two residents voiced concerns. Over the course of the eight-week approval process, the developers, Rich Fairservis and Randy Hall, as well as city staff and neighboring homeowners made multiple concessions and agreements.

"The whole process is one of cooperation," Tyler said after the meeting. "In the end we have to come to an agreement that is feasible for the developer but meets the requirements for the city."

Concerns for the development included the traffic on Wyoming Boulevard, dirt from construction, drainage issues and design guidelines for the potential buildings.

Jack Bell, the Wyoming Department of Transportation deputy director, said once construction nears completion, WYDOT may change the speed limit on the highway from 55 mph to 40 mph or 45 mph, slowing traffic down along the three planned stop lights.

Mayor Paul Bertoglio said Wyoming Boulevard is becoming more of a city street. When the West Belt Loop is completed most of the truck traffic will be diverted away from the highway, Bertoglio said.

The council also voted against a plan to abandon a sidewalk and sewer reconstruction project in the Fort Casper area.

At the March 15 council meeting, people owning more than 50 percent of the land in the area protested the plan, but during the meeting several took their names off of the protest list.

Between March 15 and Tuesday, 29 of the 141 homeowners who initially protested took their names off the list.

The project calls for the city to pay part of the project and homeowners to pay a portion. Homeowners may pay on average $4,000 to $10,000.

Area resident Rose Hill said the streets, sewers and water lines in the area need replacement.

The city identified these needs in the mid-1990s, Hill said.

Resident Rocky Carr protested the plan and told the council it should have abandoned the project because there were originally enough names on the list.

Council member Keith Goodenough agreed, saying the city should have abandoned the plan, but the rest of the council members and the city attorney said the process followed state statute and was legal.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com

News tracker:

Last we knew: Mesa Addition No. 5, a development that may include the new CY Middle School, needed one more approval before being passed by the Casper City Council.

In another matter, more than 50 percent of the people owning land in the Fort Casper area opposed a sidewalk and sewer project, but 29 took their names off of the protest list, allowing the city council to vote whether or not to abandon the plan.

The latest: The council passed the Mesa Addition.

The council voted to allow the sidewalk project to continue into its approval process.

What's next: The site plans for the new middle school need to be approved on April 15, and dirt work for the school and area may begin on July 15.

The council will vote on the sidewalk and sewer project in their next meeting on April 15, on the first of three needed approvals.