Our community is poised to take a huge step in the right direction.
On January 12th (changed from January 4th), the Jackson Town Council and Teton County Commission will hold a Joint Information Meeting (JIM) to discuss two vital questions put before them by staff: 1) How much nonresidential development potential is appropriate? and 2) How should residential incentives be counted against buildout? How they answer these questions will shape how our community grows for decades.
Since the easiest and least costly thing we can do to deal with our housing challenge is to limit new commercial and lodging development, the Alliance strongly supports staff’s recommendation in addressing these questions of +/- 0 additional non-residential potential (which means not adding more commercial and lodging potential to the over 5 million square feet of existing entitlements). And given we need innovative policy solutions that will result in more housing for hard-working families, the Alliance also strongly supports staff’s recommendation to monitor incentives against a set cap.
If the Town Council and County Commission support staff’s recommendation on these two questions, they will take a huge step in the right direction for our community and choose housing the middle class over more Marriott’s.
While staff’s recommendations are great, there’s no guarantee our elected representatives will support them. That’s why we need to let our elected representatives know that this is the best way forward for our community by speaking up at the meeting on January 12th at 3:00 p.m. Click here to join dozens of your friends and neighbors in speaking up for a better future at this meeting. If you want more information or have any questions about testifying, contact our Communications and Field Coordinator, Marisa Wilson, at (307) 733-9417 or by email (marisa@jhalliance.org).
Can’t make the meeting, but still want to make your voice heard? Click here to write your elected representatives today.
For more background on this issue, read the Alliance’s comments on staff’s recommendations, our detailed policy recommendations for implementing the Comprehensive Plan in District 2, and this in depth piece in the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
