Northern South Park - Up to Date! - Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance

Posted January 31, 2024 in Conservation 609 0 0

The current vision for Northern South Park (NSP) has been part of the community’s discussion for at least a decade. While many may be feeling fatigue on the subject, we need to be diligent, as important decisions regarding the development’s future are being made. An amendment to the Teton County Land Development Regulations (LDRs) to implement the NSP Neighborhood Plan is being reviewed by Teton County. If approved, the amendment would allow for an enormous density bonus if the landowners choose to opt in. The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) will hear this application on Tuesday, February 20th at 9am. Your opinion and your voice are important for the commissioners to hear! The Alliance will certainly be at these meetings making comments and engaging with the County Commissioners on this important topic.

History

The NSP Neighborhood Plan was approved by the BCC with community input in 2022. This plan established the allowable density of 1,800 residential units on Northern South Park’s 222 acres of agricultural pasture land south of town.

Above: Aerial image of proposed NSP development parcels, outlined in orange.

To understand the current situation with NSP, it is important to understand how we got here. In 2012, The BCC and the Jackson Town Council approved the Jackson – Teton County Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan was years in the making and involved hours of community involvement and input. To put it simply, it identifies areas appropriate for development and areas that should be conserved. Northern South Park was identified as a location for additional residential density and the Plan provided that it be “similar density to the adjacent West Jackson Residential neighborhoods” (Subarea 5.5, e.g. Cottonwood Park, Cottonwood Flats, Tribal Trails, Latitude 43 Apartments, formerly Blair Place Apartments) (Jackson – Teton County Comprehensive Plan 2012).

Realizing Implementation of the Comprehensive Plan’s vision for NSP requires establishing standards and zoning for developing NSP. The first step was to create the vision and guiding document specifically for NSP – the Neighborhood Plan. Community involvement for the Neighborhood Plan was initiated in 2020 and continued throughout the writing of the Neighborhood Plan until its approval by the BCC in 2022.

Now, the County is considering an amendment to the Teton County LDRs and Official Zoning Map to implement the NSP Neighborhood Plan.

Again, if approved, this would result in 1,800 residential units (30% market rate and 70% deed restricted) on 222 acres…

Getting this step right for the community is essential to the success of implementing the Neighborhood Plan.

The Conservation Alliance is advocating for the following revisions to the proposed LDR Text Amendment to ensure full implementation of the Neighborhood Plan:

Community Character Preservation
- Revise the Text Amendment to REQUIRE concurrent / simultaneous development of market and deed restricted units.
Wildlife Permeability Preservation
- Revise the Text Amendment to:
  - prohibit fencing except for special purpose fencing like small dog runs, trash and recycling concealment, and on larger single family lots – small wildlife friendly fences (not lot perimeter fencing);
  - prohibit fencing in open spaces, except for ballfields as long as there is a 150-foot development free perimeter;
  - prohibit fencing in pedestrian corridors;
  - make clear that the minimum open space required is based on maximum residential units (1800 units = 36 acres of open space);
  - require the identification, location and configuration of all required open space to be depicted on the Master Site Plan (1st step in the development process of NSP);
  - require the open space areas to not only be contiguous but linear and located to provide wildlife ingress and egress on the east, west and southern sides of the NSP Neighborhood;
  - require the majority of the open space areas to be at least 250 feet wide. Pinch points of 150-feet may be allowed with review and approval of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department; and
  - require mitigation of all transportation related wildlife permeability impacts.
Natural Resources Protections – ground and surface water
- Revise the Text Amendment to:
  - require a 150-foot development free setback from Flat Creek, which supports the Planning Commission’s revision
  - require Town of Jackson confirmation that NSP will be permitted to connect to the Town of Jackson wastewater facility prior to issuance of the Final Development Plan.
  - require native landscaping and minimization of manicured lawns, except for ballfields.
  - require NSP to implement a neighborhood irrigation and fertilization plan to minimize introduction of nutrients into the ground and surface water to be approved with the Master Site Plan.

Northern South Park is an opportunity to make a big impact on our community housing crisis. However, addressing our housing crisis should not be at the expense of wildlife and community character, which the entire community agreed years ago in our Comprehensive Plan’s Common Value 1, Ecosystem Stewardship.

Next Step: