JACKSON, Wyo. — After citing “high density” issues, Town Council unanimously voted for a continuance to deliberate over a sketch plan and conditional use permit (CUP) for an approximately 66,000-square-foot hotel proposed for a 0.34-acre plot of land on 50 South Millward St.
The applicant’s property totals 15,000 square feet (sf) and is located at the corner of South Millward St. and West Pearl Ave. According to staff notes, the proposed three-story mixed-use hotel would house 67 lodging units, 10 residential units, one street-level retail unit and an underground parking garage accessed from the one-way alley north of the property. The property currently hosts the Town Square Lodge, which would be demolished to accommodate the new hotel if approved.
The staff report states that the project’s neighboring property at 155 West Pearl Ave. is the location of the “Wort Family Home & Cabin,” which is designated on the Town of Jackson Historic Register and is protected by a preservation easement. Mature evergreen trees are located on the shared property boundary between 155 West Pearl Ave. and the applicant’s property. Approximately 45% of their limb canopy extends onto 50 South Millward St., per staff notes.
In order to accommodate the hotel, the sketch plan proposes a below-ground depth of approximately 39 feet, with a portion of the first basement floor exposed at street level. According to Jackson Planning Director Paul Anthony, the hotel is the “deepest inhabitable building ever proposed in the Town of Jackson.”
Inside the multi-level basement an Automated Parking System (APS) or “parking stacker system” would automatically park and retrieve vehicles using robotic lifts, conveyors, sensors and a computer kiosk. The mechanical system is designed to minimize the area required for parking cars.
Councilwoman Devon Viehman said she was supportive of using an APS instead of building an outdoor parking area. Viehman said that constructing underground is also a creative way to hide a larger building, which people don’t necessarily want to see.
“It’s very clever,” Viehman said. “We see cities using this to conserve parking space. I think we will see more of this.”
Councilor Kevin Regan said too much was being squeezed into a small space. Regan also said that a traffic, groundwater, safety and geotechnical analysis needs to be provided from the applicant.
“I agree we are running out of space for parking, but if it breaks down, the Town will be the first call,” Regan said.
The applicant, Shaun Gilbert, a developer with Dauntless Development, said the hotel’s “layout is the best way to move forward from an efficiency standpoint.”
“This is a tight space, so we are getting an elevator in there to take them [vehicles] straight down,” Gilbert said. “We are going to be operating the system, so we don’t take this decision lightly. The hardware is simple but technicians will watch the operating software around the clock.”
As part of the Development Plan submittal, the applicant must provide a parking and traffic study and an updated site plan, per staff notes. According to Dauntless Development, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality has completed some preliminary mitigation and testing scoping work. The applicant said that the project would not hit groundwater, which is 50 feet below the surface, according to initial studies.
“This plan has more potential for danger than any proposal I have seen,” Councilor Jonathan Schechter said. “There’s a level of uncertainty that I am uncomfortable with.”
Mayor Arne Jorgensen also asked the applicant to show how the project will mitigate its “intensity of use.”
“By going underground, you’ve opened yourself up to more subjective review,” Jorgensen said. “I need to see a comparison study to see the benefits. We are doing a bigger building, so there will be more cars on the roads. It’s a combination of all these things — parking, groundwater, units — which need an impact study.”
Anthony told Town Council that the project’s CUP, which is required for larger buildings within Town’s Downtown Design Overlay-2 for “western character,” will identify the mitigation needed to offset traffic, environmental, tree and groundwater impacts.
Gilbert assured Town Council that the building will be constructed to work for the community, and that public input is actively being received to improve the project.
