JACKSON, Wyo. — Town Council will vote on Monday, May 18, at the regular Town Council meeting on whether to support proposed amendments to the Teton Village Area 2 Master Plan that could change the location of the START Bus stop in Teton Village.

The Area 2 Master Plan, originally approved in 2005, required the developer Four Shadows, LLC, to provide land for a transit center in Teton Village. The original plan was unclear about location and timing.

Now, Four Shadows is proposing an approach for the transit center, suggesting transferring about 2.6 acres (Parcels L and M) to the Teton Village Association (TVA), which would allow TVA to plan and build a transit facility.

Stakeholders in the proposed change — Four Shadows, TVA, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) and START — each submitted a letter of comment.

The core Teton Village Parcels. Parcels L and M are located on the southeast side of Teton Village, close to Shooting Star Ranch and the Bodega. Image: Teton County Resort Master Plan Document

START warns that moving the bus stop farther away from the ski base area and ticket office could negatively affect public usage of bus systems.

“Asking riders to walk more than 50 – 100 feet in ski boots while carrying equipment, often with children, reduces transit’s competitiveness and encourages driving,” Town Transportation Manager Dr. Charlotte Frei and START Transit Director Mike Toronto stated in a letter of comment. START recommended instead to upgrade the existing stop to have five or more covered bus bays, rather than relocating to Parcels L and M.

Four Shadows argues that transferring parcels to TVA is more appropriate than routing buses through JHMR, which is a private corporation.

“It is time for meaningful transit, which is why we are voluntarily amending our own Area 2 Resort Master Plan to enable better public transit,” Four Shadows wrote in a public comment letter. “It is certainly not the time to privatize those public assets.”

The original 2005 master plan required Four Shadows, JHMR and TVA to jointly determine the transit center location with input from START.

Doug Pierini, JHMR’s CEO, calls the amendment a violation of the original requirements. Pierini writes in a letter that the new plan ignores and will omit JHMR input, “who is the largest stakeholder impacted by the Amendment.”

The regular Town Council meeting will be held on Monday, May 18, at 6 p.m., in Town Council Chambers at 150 E Pearl Ave.

Hannah is a Buckrail Staff Reporter and freelance web developer and designer who has called Jackson home since 2015. When she’s not outside, you can probably find her eating a good meal, playing cribbage, or at one of the local yoga studios. She’s interested in what makes this community tick, both from the individual and collective perspective.