Despite not agreeing on all of the 47 development terms, the majority of elected officials voted Monday to advance plans for more than 200 Jackson homes, citing the county’s dire housing needs.
County Commissioner Wes Gardner stressed the importance of moving the project along so as not to lose Pennrose LLC, Jackson Teton County Housing Authority Board’s chosen developer.
“If this community weren’t in crisis then maybe we’ve got the time to postpone it for a year. We don’t,” Gardner said. “And, I feel that pressure.”
Traffic concerns, how many homes will be to own versus rent and development specifics have been at the center of debate for what will be one of Jackson’s most dense housing projects.
After three and a half hours of discussion, Teton County commissioners and Jackson town councilors ultimately voted 8-1 in favor of moving on with the project at Monday’s joint meeting, with Commissioner Chair Mark Newcomb absent before the vote and Town Councilor Jonathan Schechter the sole nay vote.
“I am going to vote against this,” Schechter said. “Not that I couldn’t vote for it in another month, but this is the biggest, most expensive, most complex project we’ve ever faced. And, it’s a 99 year project.”
In 2023, the Jackson Teton County Housing Authority purchased the Virginian RV park to build affordable housing for just shy of $30 million.
As the current plan stands, 70% of the units will be reserved for rentals while the remaining units will be for owners, though fine tuning that number has been cause for discourse between county commissioners and town council members.
Some elected officials sought a higher percentage but ultimately voted to move forward with the developer’s initial proposed numbers to keep the timeline on track.
Traffic concerns were a resounding theme of the public comment in fall of 2024.
A traffic impact study completed in January, however, attempted to put those fears to rest.
“Existing Traffic [and] Regional Growth will be much more significant than
traffic generated by this development,” the Colorado based Fasching Consulting’s study reads.
As for next steps, the housing authority will meet again in March to continue the discussion on the funding agreement.
Groundbreaking could be as early as the summer of 2026 with completion in 2031.
