Don’t miss our Candidate Forum on August 30!
August 30th – Candidate Forum hosted by Shelter JH & ActNowJH 5:30pm @ St. John’s Church
Local politics affect our everyday life! Learn more about the candidates running for office this year and ask them your questions. In an effort to make this event as accessible as possible, we will be offering childcare.
We also released our candidate questionnaires so you can start learning about who’s running for office. Early voting is open now, and Primary Election Day is August 16!
Did you miss the Teton County Library forums? You can check the recordings out here!
Fairgrounds
We’ve gotten a ton of questions about the potential fairgrounds move recently, so here is our explanation and perspective:
The Fair Board, Town and County are considering moving the Fairgrounds and Rodeo concession to a more appropriate location on agricultural land. This relocation would improve access for horse trailers, create a newer and better space for equestrian uses, and provide an opportunity to build a state-of-the-art events complex. It would also free up a large plot of publicly-owned land in downtown Jackson which could be used for housing our community members.
We support a collaborative process with the Fair Board and the many community members (i.e. 4H) who enjoy the fairgrounds to make a plan to move the Fairgrounds and then to build a significant amount of housing on the current site. Relocation could be a win-win-win: a win for fairgrounds users who have bigger and better facilities, locals who need homes in town, and for the community at large who would have access to a new events complex.
Tell your commissioners today that you support this move: commissioners@tetoncountywy.gov
Welcome new board members!
We are thrilled to announce the addition of two new board members, Kelsey Yarzab and Jimmy Rosen! Kelsey works for Habitat for Humanity and led the charge to repeal Ordinance 473. Jimmy is a therapist in town and has been involved with Shelter since its early beginnings. Both of these board members are stupendous additions to our team!
SPET Update
The Town Councilors and County Commissioners have been hard at work discussing the SPET ballot. They released the final ballot last week. Get ready to vote on SPET items this election day, November 8!
Policy Platform
We took the time this election season to hone in on our policy goals so we can make sure we endorse candidates who align with our priorities. Check out our in-depth policy goals here, and please send us any feedback you may have!
Northern South Park draft plan released
In early July, the County Commissioners approved the Northern South Park (NSP) NeighborhoodPlan. This plan will house our local workers, families and retirees, and we are thrilled to see so much potential for new homes for our community members—especially our neighbors with lower incomes and higher need.
Now, we see an opportunity to make it even better with more homes and a higher percentage reserved for locals. By increasing the density of NSP, the county could both increase the percentage of community benefit (workforce and affordable homes reserved for locals) and provide a net benefit to the landowners.
Write in and encourage local leaders to support even MORE density for homes for locals in NSP! commissioners@tetoncountywy.gov
Hot Topics in Housing
ShelterJH members share relevant media pieces with one another through our Google Group. Here are what our conversations have been about this month:
- The Daily: Why is buying a house so expensive right now?
- The Colorado Sun: Aspen prioritizes community housing (thanks to member Devon Viehman for sharing!)
- East Hampton Star: Referendum for a real estate tax
- Inlander: Spokane creating affordable housing inside city limits (again, thanks to Devon!
- Slate: The Hotel Spirit (thanks to member Grant Gallaher for sending this article to us!)
