JACKSON, Wyo. — On Wednesday, May 14, Town Council pushed back a vote on the Mogul Hotel/Condominium sketch plan application to allow for more time to consider the property’s affordable/workforce housing options for the community. Town Council agreed to continue the discussion to a special meeting scheduled for June 16.
According to the staff report, the Mogul property on North Cache St. would comprise approximately 190,000 square feet (sf) of habitable mixed-use space, including 109 hotel rooms, 17 market long-term residential units (2:1 Bonus) and 16 workforce-restricted units (2:1 Bonus).
During Wednesday’s meeting, Mogul Capital suggested increasing the number of workforce deed-restricted units offsite in exchange for the allowance of more market rate units at the Mogul Hotel. Representation for Mogul Capital Stefan Fodor explained that the transfer would convert 27,000 sf of space — originally planned for 16 deed-restricted workforce units — into 17 market rate units. As part of the transfer, Fodor said that approximately 38 deed-restricted workforce units would then become available at “the Loop” housing project on South Park Loop Rd.
“This would create roughly twice as many workforce units at the loop,” Fodor said. “The transfer would provide permanent affordable housing for the community.”
Fodor said that deed-restricted units would be submitted when the first building permit is issued for Mogul. According to the applicant, a rent cap would be placed on the deed-restricted units.
Town of Jackson Senior Planner Tyler Valentine told Buckrail that the housing transfer would create almost 54,000 sf worth of market rate units at the North Cache site, which in turn would increase the requirement for workforce housing. He explained that the 2:1 housing bonus tool, which is a land development regulation requirement, would increase the square footage for workforce units to approximately 40,000 sf at the Loop.
Valentine reminded Town Council that the Mogul property is the last Town project that could consider developing offsite housing because its application was submitted prior to last year’s emergency building moratorium. The moratorium placed a cap on building size and restricts offsite development.
According to Valentine, the Loop is currently projected to house a total of 194 units, with 81 designated as workforce restricted, 112 designated as market and one designated as affordable. Valentine explained that since the Loop development is currently under construction, residents would be living in the market rate units before there would be a potential housing transfer.
“The Loop would get a certificate of occupancy at some point and there will be people living in these market units,” Valentine said. “Say there are going to be 40 units that are now going to have a workforce restriction placed on them overnight. A lot of those people living there may not qualify for that workforce deed restriction.”
Valentine said that while resident displacement is a concern, the construction of workforce housing is more important. Housing Director April Norton told Town Council that the applicant’s original proposal of 37,000 sf for only 17 workforce units at North Cache wasn’t adequate, and that the addition of offsite workforce units is better for the community. But, Norton voiced concerns for people potentially having to move if the Loop units were to become workforce designated.
In a suggested compromise, Fodor said that Mogul could allow a minimum of six months for people to find alternative housing.
Councilwoman Devon Viehman spoke in favor of more affordable units being moved offsite to the Loop development. Councilor Kevin Regan was also eager to move forward with the possible housing transfer.
“This is an opportunity to pursue a win-win,” Regan said. “There are always tradeoffs. People would have to commute to work. Our community has very loudly asked for more restricted housing. These offsite units would be more affordable than what they would be at the hotel. The workforce units at the hotel would be more expensive. This would be giving the community what they need.”
Mayor Arne Jorgensen said that he did not want to commit yet to the potential housing transfer. Jorgensen said that the goal is to diversify mixed income levels at the Mogul property to help mitigate traffic impacts.
“The Mogul site would become more homogenous and I am concerned about that,” Jorgensen said. “We are allowing an addition of 17 high-income units, which is not ideal. The 40,000 sf of workforce units doesn’t do enough … the public benefit isn’t quite there.”
Councilor Jonathan Schechter told Town Council, the applicant and Town staff that more time is needed before approving a possible housing transfer.
“I would like more careful thought about what this would mean,” Schechter said. “The applicant wants a decision but I don’t want to make this decision on the fly in the 30 minutes that it was proposed. This is a major policy decision.”
