Update: On Monday, March 10, the Teton County Planning Commission, in a vote 3-to-1, recommended approval of Northern South Park’s Master Site Plan.
JACKSON, Wyo. — On Monday, March 10, the Teton County Planning Commission will continue its review of Northern South Park’s (NSP) Master Site Plan, a blueprint of the largest affordable housing neighborhood in Jackson Hole’s history.
The conversation will be a continuation from the Feb. 24 meeting, which became heated at times as Planning Commissioners discussed details of the plan’s application, especially regarding how to mitigate projected traffic impacts.
Teton County Senior Planner Chandler Windom presented the vision for the neighborhood, which will be a mix of restrictive, workforce and affordable housing. She said that the purpose of the Master Site Plan is to establish 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.
According to the staff report, the NSP zoning overlay splits the proposed neighborhood into two areas: Area 1 (Gill property) and Area 2 (Lockhart property). During the meeting, the Planning Commissioners only reviewed the zoning application for the the Gill property.
Area 1, located at the intersection of South Park Loop and High School Road, is a total of 101 acres. The parcel is comprised of vacant agricultural lands, with the exception of the platted Porter Ranch in the southwest corner and an existing residence in the northwest corner. The project area is a little more than 74 acres.
The NSP Neighborhood Plan, which was approved by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) in March 2024, informs the zoning and Land Development Regulations (LDRs) recommendations in Area 1. The staff report states that a total of 86 unrestricted units in Area 1 would be subject to the affordable workforce housing mitigation standards. There is also the potential to develop another 600 residential units, with 70% restricted and 30% unrestricted. Within the restricted units, a minimum of 240 units (40%) are required to be affordable.
During public comment, Executive Director of Teton Habitat Kris Greenville told the Planning Commission that the neighborhood provides a “long-awaited path towards meaningful affordability” for Teton County residents.
“This project is about more than just homes,” Greenville said. “It’s about ensuring that our co-workers and friends have a place to live and thrive in our community. What’s making this opportunity more remarkable is that the land is being generously donated to Teton Habitat by the Gill family at no cost to the tax payers.”
According to Windom, the plan includes 17 blocks within Area 1, with each block varying from 2.5 to 5 acres. Windom said that developers must convey an intent to designate a block or blocks for restricted housing to Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Teton Area, an affordable housing developer or to the Teton County Housing Authority in order to move forward with the development of unrestricted or free market housing.
County Planner Susan Lurie questioned Community Housing Trust Executive Director Anne Cresswell about whether the organization has the ability to fund the design, development and construction of the affordable housing units in the next five years.
“For the last 30 years, we have been raising money to buy land and subsidize vertical construction,” Cresswell responded. “We are really confident that we can move forward more quickly and expeditiously because the land is conveyed at no cost and we are only raising funding for the vertical construction of the homes.”
The staff report states that developers must offer strategies to off-set traffic congestion on High School Road, Highway 89 and South Park Loop Road. The plan also requires open spaces, including parks and all trail networks, to be configured to promote wildlife permeability. While the plan states these mitigation efforts, the public still shared concerns about the neighborhood’s future impacts.
Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Executive Director Jenny Fitzgerald urged the Planning Commission to postpone the review of the plan until it more adequately addressed the anticipated impacts of Area 2.
“Area 1 should provided an open space plan that can be easily expanded,” Fitzgerald said. “The open space should be redesigned to accommodate wildlife not only to the north and west, but also to the east and south. The plan also does not address how traffic impacts will be mitigated. The most important element missing is the development of the east/west connector road.”
Amberley Baker, who represents the Gill Family, assured the Planning Commission that the approval of the Master Site Plan is conditioned on the granting of an easement for the east/west connector. She added that once the road is surveyed, the easement can be included in the plan.
“You will absolutely have an east/west connector in Area 1,” Baker said.
Baker urged the Commission to not push back its decision to April after so much work has already been done to get to this point. Even though Deputy County Attorney Keith Gingery said that “getting into the details is not the role of the master plan,” County Planner Bob Weiss made the motion to postpone the discussion of the traffic details.
In a 2 to 1 vote, the board agreed to wait to give their final recommendations to the BCC. Currently, the BCC is scheduled to review the Master Site Plan on Tuesday, March 18.
