The future of Jackson Hole is guided by two words: (the) comprehensive plan.
The comp plan is a roadmap that dictates how the town and county should grow. It guides policymaking on myriad things. Some examples? The location of affordable housing and commercial development. The directives in the comp plan also determine things that shape people’s quality of life, like how much of the workforce should live locally. (Sixty-five percent is what the current plan says, and that helps inform affordable housing policy.)
But the population has grown and things have changed in the valley since the comp plan was last updated in 2012.
“The comprehensive plan directs us to check in when residential units have increased 5% from where they were in 2012,” Tyler Sinclair, town community development director, said. The valley recently reached that mark, of about 500-some units, “so we thought that was a good time to pause, see where we’ve been and if we are keeping on track.”
As officials prepare to assess and update the comp plan, they have noted that a big part of that process hinges on public participation. “We really appreciate how involved people are,” Sinclair said. “It’s a small town and they are still able to affect local decisions.”
For folks looking to make their voices heard on Jackson’s progress, the town and county hosts an open house on the comp plan update today. Sinclair pointed to the interactive element that allows people to “jump in and offer their input” during presentations. People will also get a “report card” that assesses how the town and county are doing in meeting the goals of the comp plan.
The open house is from 12:30 to 7 p.m. today at Center for the Arts. Folks can drop in at any time; there will be a presentation on every half hour about the comp plan update.
Listen to the full conversation above.
