JACKSON, Wyo. — On April 25, the Teton County Board of County Commissioners, Jackson Town Council and Jackson/Teton County Housing Authority announced that the Housing Authority is under contract to acquire the land beneath the Virginian Recreational Vehicle (RV) Park for a future affordable workforce housing development.
The hotel and adjacent RV Park were purchased in August 2020 by national real estate investor Waterton and a local Jackson Hole developer Orion.
According to the press release, the Housing Authority has agreed to purchase the 5-acre parcel of land adjacent to the hotel, currently occupied by a 100-stall RV Park, “to help ensure that community members and people in our local workforce can make their home here in Jackson.”
“This is an ideal property for community housing,” says Mayor Hailey Morton Levison. “Its location directly in the center of town will provide easy access to food, transportation and other amenities.”
About 40 percent of local employees currently commute to work. In addition, one-quarter of Town Police, School District Staff and Fire/EMS employees and more than half of all Sheriff and Lower Valley Energy employees commute from outside the County to work daily. Additional affordable housing developments are critical for the local community.
“The parcel is large enough to provide housing at a scale that is meaningful to mitigating our local housing crisis.”
Teton County Board of County Commissioners Chair Luther Propst
“The Virginian RV Park is an ideal location for affordable workforce housing,” Teton County Board of County Commissioners Chair Luther Propst says. “At just over five acres, the parcel is large enough to provide housing at a scale that is meaningful to mitigating our local housing crisis. With Housing Authority ownership, we have an opportunity to create a partnership to provide 100 percent deed restricted housing for first responders, critical service providers and other members of the local workforce.”
The Jackson / Teton County Housing Authority will utilize Housing Supply funds to purchase the land. These funds include mitigation fees from private developers, General Fund contributions from the Town and County and recently approved Specific Purpose Excise Tax funds.
Town and County leaders will collaborate on a community-focused vision for the site before releasing a Request for Proposals for development partners. The current and future needs for housing workforce locally includes 2,000 deed restricted homes in the next five years.
