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Jackson Town Council extended a moratorium on large building applications at a recent meeting, buying the council more time to consider new land development regulations. The moratorium was originally set to expire Oct. 1 but will remain in effect until Nov. 20.
The moratorium was put in place in June following public outrage surrounding a proposed 360,000-square-foot hotel that would have been the largest development in town history.
Not everyone on the planning commission is on board with implementing size caps on future buildings.
While the council has directed town staff to look into capping developments depending on the location in town — the planning commission is wary of setting a specific number.
They say they don’t think there should be an official size cap, in the event it could prevent development applications in the future.
The council’s latest direction suggests capping the size of new building applications at a fraction of what the Utah developer called for. The council’s latest direction looks at a cap starting at 40,000 square feet in downtown and 50,000 square feet along the highway corridor. At 30,000 square feet, an additional review process could become a requirement.
They say they don’t think there should be an official size cap, in the event it could prevent development applications in the future.
Planning Commission member Abigail Petri thinks the council should figure out a size that would call for an additional review process — rather than ban all large applications altogether.
“We all, I think, agree that 40,000 to 50,000 square feet is too small,” Petri said at Wednesday’s regular planning commission meeting. “I don’t think there should be a maximum. There has to be something at some level that triggers this additional review.”
Changes to land development regulations must be approved by the Town Council, who aim to lift the moratorium and finalize any changes before a new council takes over in January following November’s election.
The council first issued the moratorium in response to Mogul’s real estate application for a 360-thousand-square-foot hotel, which would be the largest building in town to date.
Town councilor Arne Jorgensen says the moratorium extension isn’t surprising.
“I’ve been very clear from the first time we talked about this in June that given the breadth of what we were talking about, we would likely have to extend it. And I have no problem with that,” Jorgensen said.
Official changes have to be passed by the Town Council which won’t take place until after the moratorium is lifted.
