Thai Me Up Event

It’s almost time to channel our collective frustration about MORE luxury condos coming to town (and replacing beloved local haunt Thai Me Up) into ACTION!⁠

Luxury condos are taking over because of what our current Land Development Regulations (LDRs) allow. You know who makes the LDRs? Town Councilors and County Commissioners. Do you know who elects them? WE DO! Come to Thai Me Up this Thursday, Nov. 3rd, to grab your voter guide with ShelterJH-endorsed candidates and get ready to exercise your civic duty by November 8.⁠

A generous donor is covering beers for folks who donate to us… while supplies last!

Seeking paid canvassers and volunteers for Get Out the Vote 2022!

These hardy ShelterJH members braved the intermittent snow flurries last Monday evening to walk around the Powderhorn area and make sure voters have the resources they need to vote for housing champions and critical ballot initiatives (SPET no. 12!) by November 8.⁠

We are still looking for people to help show support for pro-housing election choices before Election Day! We are hiring canvassers and phone bankers and looking for volunteers to help with our Get Out the Vote campaign from NOW until November 8! DM us or send an email for more info: info@shelterjh.org

It’s time to VOTE!

ICYMI: Screenshot this voter cheat sheet with ShelterJH-approved choices for your 2022 general ballot! We have thoroughly vetted each candidate running for local races. We have endorsed and recommended candidates who align with our priority to support homes for those who need them most. Check out the details regarding our endorsement criteria and recommendation process.

You can vote NOW through November 7 at the County building at 200 S. Willow Mondays through Fridays from 8am-5pm. On election day, November 8, head to a polling place near you

Don’t forget to vote YES on all of the SPET measures, including the housing measures, and ESPECIALLY SPET #12!⁠

Legacy Lodge

On Tuesday 11/1, there will be yet another meeting to discuss potentially allowing local workers to move into Legacy Lodge.⁠

Here’s what we know:⁠

👩‍⚕️Commissioners are negotiating a minimum occupancy requirement for critical service providers: from 25-50% of all of the units⁠

💰️Keith Gingery (County attorney) recommended that the Commissioners not mandate that a portion of units be Affordable (income-restricted) because there is no legal nexus to do so. His recommendation is based on the idea that filling Legacy Lodge is not creating jobs, so according to the County attorney, requiring Affordability is not legally founded⁠

👨‍⚖️Commissioners approved the  Planned Unit Development (PUD) earlier this year. The PUD is the precursor for the Conditional Use Permit (CUP), which they are discussing now and if approved, would allow workers to move into Legacy Lodge. A contingent of Rafter J residents has sued the County regarding their approval of the PUD. If the outcome of the lawsuit is that the PUD was illegally approved (which could take anywhere from 6 month-2 years), but people move into Legacy Lodge in the meantime, this could mean that everyone would be evicted immediately. The Commissioners are discussing adding a condition to the CUP that would allow it to become effective only when the PUD lawsuit is over. ⁠

➕Pro of adding that condition: it would safeguard people from potentially being evicted if the lawsuit is found against the Commissioners. ⁠

➖Cons: This condition would mean that people would not be moving into Legacy Lodge for 6 months-2 years, depending on how long the lawsuit takes.⁠

🔊Share your thoughts with us! And you can always share them with the Commissioners, too: 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:

  • WyoFile: statewide housing shortage reaches Shoshoni.
  • The Atlantic: The Housing revolution is coming (thanks to member Luther Propst for sharing!)
  • CBS News: ShelterJH board member Elizabeth Hutchings was featured on CBS this month discussing the housing crisis!
  • New York Times: The Rent Revolution (thanks to board member Skye Schell for sharing!)