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Housing doesn’t cause traffic, but Jackson’s lack of paid parking might.
That’s the point of view of Jackson Hole’s transportation expert, Charlotte Frei. It was one of just many potential solutions in what some see as a bigger problem: linking more housing to more traffic.
Those living near proposed developments have been known to raise traffic concerns. But the connection that’s often drawn between the two might be misunderstood, Frei said.
“Dynamic paid parking could reduce congestion and make space for people,” she said at a Sept. 30 forum hosted at St. John’s Church, the latest in a series hosted by Jackson’s housing advocacy nonprofit, ShelterJH.
While adding paid parking is up to elected officials, Frei explained how charging for parking in the town’s three-hour zones during peak months could alleviate some of the town’s well-known rush hour traffic woes. The idea is that when traffic is at its worst, paid parking could entice visitors and local residents to carpool or use public transit more.
Until recently, Jackson didn’t charge for parking at all. It was alone among some of its mountain peer towns, such as Aspen and Breckenridge, in Colorado, and Ketchum, Idaho, where paid parking has been the status quo.
As of Oct. 6, a $12 overnight charge is in effect at Jackson’s downtown parking garage. Some nearby residents, who often lean on the garage for extra parking spots, said they will now have to scramble to find cheaper alternatives before the town’s winter street parking ban goes into effect next month.
Paid parking was just one tool discussed at the ShelterJH talk. Broadly, the meeting aimed to dispel the notion that density in town means more traffic. Frei believes building more affordable housing options in town and leaning on incentives that push for more use of public transportation, similar to how skiers tend to carpool to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, could help cut back on time in traffic.
Shelter JH is all about adding density and improving affordability in Jackson. Its latest batch of stickers at the talk reads phrases like: “Characters make neighborhood character” and “Density means diversity.”
“We need to tackle not just how we move, but how and where we live in order to align affordability and environmental priorities,” she said. Frei believes Jackson’s “car-centric” culture isn’t sustainable, nor does it align with the town’s environmental stewardship goals.
Shelter JH Executive Director Clare Stumpf supports tying parking policy to housing and believes more affordable housing options in town are part of the solution, especially as both relate to traffic.
“If we remember how many people are commuting to our community every day, building homes near where people work, and exist as community members, makes the most sense,” Stumpf said after the event.
She agreed with Frei that density in town displaces cars that would otherwise be on the road.
Town and county staff have the research to work on some solutions, Frei added, but the question for her is “whether the community wants to implement those tools.”
A town council meeting on Oct. 6 is slated to weigh options for Jackson’s new parking fees or keeping the new charge in place.
