JACKSON, Wyo. — On Monday, Jan. 8, the Town of Jackson’s Planning Commission approved a Land Development Regulations (LDR) amendment to allow affordable housing units in the Neighborhood High Density-1 (NH-1) zone to be 48 feet tall, allowing for the construction of four-story buildings.
The Jackson Teton County Housing Authority requested this Text Amendment P23-168 to add a Workforce Housing Incentive to the NH-1 zoning district for sites that meet certain criteria. The existing height limit has been 35 to 39 feet depending on roof pitch.
According to The Town of Jackson, the NH-1 zone is the residential zone with the highest allowed density and the only zone to have a minimum density requirement of 17.4 units per acre. This is intended to discourage “underdevelopment” of properties that are optimally located to accommodate higher-density housing instead of typical single-family homes. This residential zone “aligns with the Comprehensive Plan goal of building denser residential projects in transitional subareas that house workforce close to services and jobs,” per Town Council Meeting minutes.
In 2023, the Town Council and County Commissioners purchased the 5.15-acre Virginian Recreational Vehicle (RV) Park at 90 Virginian Lane for the purpose of developing it for workforce housing, and this property was zoned NH-1 to allow for the fourth story workforce housing bonus.
If a NH-1 zone site meets the below criteria, a fourth story and 48 foot building height is allowed, provided the fourth floor area is 100% deed restricted.
• A development site shall be at least two contiguous acres.
• The additional floor area applied can be distributed throughout the structure.
• The additional floor area applied needs to be deed-restricted and on-site.
• Building needs to be set back from small-scale development.
• The site shall be served by transit within a quarter mile.
• The site shall be within a quarter mile walking distance from numerous commercial services.
• The additional building height shall not decrease the required open space.
• Fourth story may be used for parking that serves the added deed-restricted units.
• 40% of the fourth story shall be stepped-back 10 feet along all streets.
According to the Town of Jackson, new affordable housing development will be required to respect and enhance the character and cohesiveness of existing residential neighborhoods.
