JACKSON, Wyo. — In spite of many residents voicing their opposition to the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole (PCJH) housing development located at 1201 South Park Loop Road during the regular Town Council meeting on Monday, July 15, Town Council members unanimously approved the 21-unit townhome development. Of the 21 units in total, 20 units will be designated as workforce deed-restricted.
Additionally, Town Council approved a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and waived application fees for the construction of a 1,500 square foot fellowship building connected to the PCJH property. The property, totaling 2.93 acres, is owned by the PCJH and spans roughly 1,100 linear feet of South Park Loop Road.
The property is also located within the Homestead portion of Cottonwood Park, which was zoned for a complete neighborhood plan (CNMP) in 1983 when it was annexed to Teton County. The 148.61 acres was designated to allow the density of 785 dwelling units (i.e., apartments, townhomes and condominiums).
According to the staff report, the affordable housing complex will consist of two sevenplexes, one fourplex and one triplex, which totals 25,466 square feet. All units will be two stories and under 28 feet tall. Basements are proposed for storage needs. A 23 spaced parking lot is proposed to the north of Montana Drive. The development plan includes a parking agreement, totaling 33 spaces, to provide additional guest parking at the main church parking lot. A potential bike path and START bus stop is proposed to be built along South Park Loop Road.
Many local residents asked Town Council to vote against the PCJH development due to the scale of project and its projected impacts on traffic congestion, the school’s pathways and the area’s wildlife corridor.
Resident James Moscow said there will always be a need for housing, but it needs to be developed according to higher community standards. He said that the parking lot will be inadequate and that a commercial fellowship building should not be included with the 21 units.
“Incrementally we need to get it right, and I don’t feel that this project is right,” Moscow said. “I don’t see the need for a fellowship hall, the need is for housing.”
David Ellerstein, a resident whose family lives near the approved housing development, said that the building’s impact on traffic, schools and the hospital is too much.
“Stop approving these mega projects,” Ellerstein said. “This plan would add about 150 cars per day, which will add to the existing F grade of traffic around the schools. The housing development will blindly lead up the hill on Montana Road going right across the pathway and this seems like a dangerous situation. I ask that you divert the traffic through the church parking lot. I live on this pathway and the number of kids going to and from school on the pathway is huge.”
Ellerstein also said the buildings and parking lots will impede wildlife from moving through the area.
“This is the final wildlife corridor going from High School Butte to the open fields,” Ellerstein said. “Every day, deer, elk, fox and bear go through this little strip that you are going to develop, and there’s a creek right next to it.”
Councilor Jonathan Schechter spoke to opponents of the affordable housing development.
“I support this with a heavy heart,” Schechter said. “The fact that they are willing to set deed restrictions on all of the units, that really sets a high standard for other developments.”
Jim Rooks said that his approval of the PCJH development was one of his most difficult decisions as a Councilor.
“We have over 1,000 families in town desperate for housing as we speak and these are not new people … they are teachers, nurses and friends,” Rooks said. “When we have a developer come forward with 20 deed-restricted units, it’s literally impossible for me to say no to that.”
Council Woman Jessica Sell Chambers said that while it is difficult for residents to have new housing developments in their backyards, she sees the recent boom in density as adding a vibrancy to town.
“When I look at these projects, there are a lot of benefits that come along with them,” Sell Chambers said. “I am confident in our abilities to assess development impacts.”
According to the Town, the townhome development plan will be completed in two-phases. A building permit for Phase 1 is to be submitted within two years, consisting of 10 units, the fellowship building, 10 parking spaces, outdoor gathering spaces, a community garden and internal sidewalks. A building permit for Phase 2 will be submitted within one year, consisting of 11 units, 13 parking spaces and internal sidewalks.
