JACKSON, Wyo. — Grand Targhee’s development plan to build 22 cabins at the base of the resort was recently approved by the Teton County Board of County Commissioners, and with it, the resort is required to create employee housing units.
Jackson/Teton County Affordable Housing Department will oversee the housing mitigation project proposed by Targhee to build units in Driggs, Idaho. Targhee plans to build 14 dormitory units in two buildings, as part of a larger 16 building housing project.
April Norton, director of the Affordable Housing Department, said that her department would oversee compliance from the applicant, and eventually the renters.
“We have been talking to the housing authority on the other side,” Norton said, during the May 16 meeting. “We look forward to working with the housing authority over there. We feel pretty confident we can find a path forward on shared compliance, we don’t have it today.”
In March 2022, Targhee completed 16 six-bedroom dorm buildings in Driggs, on Mill Creek Drive and Dreamweaver Lane. According to Targhee, the buildings were originally going to provide housing for 96 people, with 96 individual bedrooms, but one bedroom in each building was redesigned as a double occupancy room. This allows occupancy by seven people in each building, and the project can house a maximum of 112 people. While the units are built, they are not yet deed restricted.
Based on the housing mitigation rules, the resort is required to house 11.05 employees. They plan to house 14 employees across two buildings for compliance with the cabin project, which would give them 2 units to be applied to future projects.
During the May 16 meeting, the board heavily discussed differing opinions about the cabins falling under residential or commercial mitigation requirements. The cabins will be short-term rentals but also privately owned. If the cabins were considered residential units, the housing mitigation requirements would be more substantial, requiring affordable units for the community, not just employees.
The development plan will allow short-term rentals for no longer than 30 days and allow the owner to reside in the cabin for no more than 90 days.
Targhee will be required to present an annual monitoring report to the housing department, which will document short-term compliance at the cabins. If the use changes at the 22 cabins to primarily residential, the mitigation requirements would change.
“I want these rented, I want people in them,” Geordie Gillett, Targhee’s owner and general manager said. “I don’t want to just sell them and they are occupied for just 10 days over Christmas.”
