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The town’s all-in on affordable housing at Nelson Drive.
Councilors’ 4-1 vote on Dec. 16 directs the town’s attorney to work out a deal spending up to $4.05 million of set-aside tax money for what’s being touted as a first-of-its-kind workforce housing partnership between an affordable housing nonprofit and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust is planning 36 townhomes on about three acres of national forest just east of town.
The governing body is spending 40% of its limited Specific Purpose Excise Tax funds delegated to rental housing.
Jackson Mayor Arne Jorgensen said he supported the project but was the sole vote in opposition. He wanted, in part, to consider spending less SPET for less housing in this project, to save money for future ones.
Councilor Kevin Regan said his majority vote didn’t come easy. He and his colleagues initially tabled the decision for a week to gather more information.
“But after weighing it carefully and with a lot of butterflies about this decision, I can support the motion,” Regan said.
Town councilors like Devon Veihman weren’t moved by the Housing Supply Board, which wanted to see $8.1 million of town and county money get double the rentals from the Housing Trust.
Anne Cresswell leads the nonprofit and said the pitch for 24 homes was a “non-starter.”
Councilor Devon Viehman, a real estate agent by trade, agreed.
“If I thought there was a way that we could negotiate with the housing trust and squeeze some more out of them, I would be the one to lead that charge,” Viehman said.
Councilors also dismissed concerns that the project threatens public land or the environment.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a first-of-its-kind, 30-year special-use permit, similar to those of nearby ski resorts. That will allow the Bridger-Teton to house its employees in 13 of those homes.
Councilor Alyson Spery and her colleagues want to act before the housing crisis worsens.
“Here is a project that pencils in value and is ready to go,” Spery said. “That SPET money is [worth] less and less every year.”
The decision paves the way for quicker construction, as soon as next spring.
The county has yet to consider the same six-unit offer. The project would be fully funded if county commissioners reach the same decision as town councilors.
If not, Cresswell said the project would likely be built in phases.
