Housing mitigation talks begin

Housing mitigation meetings started earlier this month! Thanks to our electeds, Town/County staff, and consultant Andy Schwartz for evaluating the plethora of mitigation options.

While we want to see mitigation rates that better reflect the huge impacts commercial and residential development have on our housing crisis, we also know that we can’t push the envelope too far without inciting people (some from our own community!) heading down to the Capitol in Cheyenne to try and sidestep our local decision-making.

⁠We look forward to staying engaged throughout the whole process and to a new and improved housing mitigation policy.⁠

Thanks for joining us at our mid-year meeting!

Thanks to everyone who showed up on Tuesday evening for our Shelter meet-up! We appreciate our members being always eager to learn about the latest housing issues we’re facing and ready to take action. We hope you all left feeling inspired. See you at the next meet-up!⁠

ISO people who care about property tax relief

Representative Storer is looking to convene a committee of 4-8 people to address possible solutions to the property tax crisis that she can then take to the state Revenue Committee meetings.

Calm, thoughtful, open-minded people who are having difficulty staying in Teton County are welcome. Ideally the committee would include property owners/renters of different ages, incomes, gender and length of time here. The committee would meet about once a month starting in early August, potentially at the library. Representative Storer will be at the initial meeting to discuss the legislative process and answer questions. Please reach out if you’re interested!

Short-term rental regulations pass!

On July 17, the Town Council voted to pass the first reading of the short-term rental updates! If the next two readings pass, the new updates will go into effect in 2024. Thank your Town Councilors for their work on this and if the ordinance passes, we’ll stay vigilant to make sure the changes are having their intended effect.

Legacy Lodge

On July 11, the County Commission voted 3-2 to deny the Darwiches’ application to turn the top floor of Legacy Lodge into apartments while preserving a commercial use for the other units. The Wyoming Supreme court case is still pending regarding the entire complex becoming homes for locals. We’ll keep you updated as litigation continues to unfold.

Northern South Park: backstop idea coming soon?

We are still eagerly awaiting a “backstop” idea to ensure deed-restricted homes are built ASAP if the non-profit organizations (Habitat for Humanity and the Housing Trust) do not build homes at a certain pace. Huge thanks to the Commissioners for their work to make sure that we see deed-restricted homes built there as soon as possible.

Virginian RV Park

This month, the Town and County voted to finalize the deal to purchase the Virginian RV Park! $10 million of the funds will come from the Housing Department and the rest will be financed. The deal is set to close on August 1!

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: