JACKSON, Wyo. — On Tuesday, April 15, the Teton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) held a workshop to discuss the Northern South Park (NSP) Master Site Plan (MSP) application for Area 1, determining the draft conditions for the potential neighborhood.
The BCC, along with staff and stakeholders, hashed out details pertaining to neighborhood integration, open space, off-site traffic improvements and wildlife permeability. Teton County Senior Planner Chandler Windom told the BCC that the conceptual site plan establishes a guide for future subdivisions and development details within each NSP Area, including streets, transit accessibility, blocks, major infrastructure, school lands, pathway connectivity and parks.
Neighborhood layout
According to the neighborhood’s MSP, Area 1 (the Gill property) would potentially provide up to 600 residential units, including as many as 420 deed restricted properties constructed by Teton Habitat for Humanity or the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust, and 180 unrestricted units. The MSP requires 70% of the units to be affordable homes.
Windom explained that the site plan is to be broken up in blocks, with each block assigned to a different level of housing density: NSP 1 (lowest density), NSP 2 (most flexible) or NSP 3 (high density). Windom said that each block would visually “represent different areas in Jackson.”
Full blocks would either be fully unrestricted (free market) or restricted (affordable or workforce), but all blocks would be integrated with a variety of housing types and sizes to provide for a complete neighborhood plan. A development phasing plan would ensure that restricted blocks are conveyed prior to the approval of the unrestricted blocks, according to Windom.
“There are options for multifamily housing on a single lot,” Windom said. “You won’t be able to tell the difference between market rate lots and affordable lots.”
Traffic mitigation
According to Windom, the MSP includes a traffic impact study (TIS) for all of Area 1. Using the West Jackson Transportation Study as a guide, Windom explained that the applicant will mitigate their percentage of traffic impacts by paying a fee toward off-site improvements. She said that off-site improvements could include roundabouts at the intersections on High School Rd., sidewalks or new pathways.
“We are looking at what the percentage of traffic that an area would create and that’s what we would use to determine the percentage of the imposed fee,” Windom said. “The transportation improvements will be determined by Teton County and the Town.”
A construction management plan would require construction vehicles to avoid High School Rd. during peak school hours, per the MSP. According to the West Jackson Transportation Study, NSP Area 1 would not reach traffic thresholds necessitating the construction of an east-west connector road. If additional housing units were to be developed in Area 2 (the Lockhart property), then a connector road would be required across the property to offset traffic during peak morning and afternoon school hours.
According to the County planning staff, an east-west connector road could potentially connect to future easements in Area 2, and to either US89, the intersection of High School Rd. and Gregory Lane or another alignment determined in the future. Amberley Baker, representative for the Gill family, stressed that the approval of the MSP for Area 1 should not be tied to the uncertain future of Area 2. Baker reminded the BCC that even if Area 2 were never to be developed, an east-west connector would provide transportation to multiple blocks in Area 1.
Parks and open space
The MSP proposes that parks should be a maximum of 5 acres and a minimum of 2.5 acres, with a 1-mile pathway looped around the neighborhood. According to Windom, smaller, linear parks placed throughout Area 1 could offer a boulder park, picnic areas and native plants, adding to the connectivity and feel of the neighborhood.
“There will be public entrances to sidewalks,” Windom said. “Parks and open space will be in close proximity, allowing for a gathering space within steps from a front door.”
In a compromise with the (Parks & Rec), the MSP was amended to increase the size of three proposed parks — Park 1 (5 acres), Park 4 (3 acres) and Park 5 (2 acres) — to allow for more active uses, including tennis courts, playgrounds, pavilions, etc. NSP land owner Nicole Gill said that as long as the same number of affordable units is provided to the community, she supports the addition of larger parks.
Wildlife permeability
The MSP condition states that “development plans shall demonstrate wildlife permeability through open space as well as permeability between housing units … particularly on the eastern and southern boundaries.” County Chair Mark Newcomb said that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) recommends that wildlife permeability be considered throughout all phases of project planning, development and construction.
WGFD requires wildlife-friendly fences to be constructed. Additionally, a requirement of 150 feet between fencing and housing structures would allow space for passing wildlife, according to the MSP. The on-site plan also requires consultation with an agency wildlife biologist prior to block development.
Newcomb stressed that the NSP project would reduce the sprawl of development north and south of town, supporting wildlife permeability throughout the county.
“In terms of accomplishing the goals of this community — to take all the housing that could spread out throughout the county and put it all in one place — we are removing the pressure to build elsewhere in the county,” Newcomb said. “We have to keep that in mind. This is finally a place where we are reaching a balance with all of our goals, primarily to provide a neighborhood for the future of this town.”
The BCC is anticipated to vote on the neighborhood’s MSP during its meeting on Tuesday, May 6.
