Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story omitted the vote of the Town Council on the motion to extend the deadline for the development agreement. That change is reflected below.
JACKSON, Wyo. — Jackson’s Town Council and the Teton County Board of County Commissioners voted on Monday, Dec. 1, to approve a third deadline extension for the development agreement for the affordable housing project on 90 Virginian Lane. The motion passed three-to-two, with commissioners Luther Propst and Len Carlman in opposition. Town Council voted unanimously in favor. The motion will move the deadline from Dec. 31 to March 31, 2026.
Housing Director April Norton began proceedings with an overview of where the project is currently, mentioning “we’re back again because we haven’t gotten the development agreement and the financing commitment quite right yet.”
Norton then presented two motions: to extend the deadline for planning the project to March 31, 2026, and to authorize hiring professional services to give additional capacity to negotiate the development agreement and financing commitment. The motion to hire a private contractor to advise on the project was passed unanimously.
Shannon Cox Baker, Regional Vice President for Pennrose, which is the development partner of the Housing Authority for this project, expressed that coming back to ask for an extension to a deadline is not something she takes lightly: “As developers, we often use the phrase ‘time kills all deals,’ because it does.”
In the summer of 2023, the Housing Authority went under contract to buy the Virginian Lane RV Park for affordable workforce housing development. Since then, the project has faced multiple obstacles including higher construction costs caused by volatility in the market due to U.S. imposed tariffs.
“These extensions to me are not an indication of a negative. This is how the process plays out,” Mayor Arne Jorgensen told Buckrail. “I believe people are operating in good faith, and on a project that I am very supportive of.”
In public comment, some residents argued it would be foolish not to extend the deadline since it would set the project back to ground zero. Another resident mentioned the process “looks a little bit like a dog with a bone” with no clear end in sight.
County Commission Chairman Mark Newcomb asked how the Town and County would be able to measure forward movement with the project if the deadline was extended, especially in regards to the funding gap. Norton stated that the Housing Authority and Pennrose would be able to provide specific levers to close that gap in a meeting either the week of Jan. 12 or Jan. 19, 2026.
The Board and Council additionally unanimously agreed to investigate future options to operate the RV Park for another summer.
