February 26, 2024
RE: Northern South Park draft Land Development Regulations
Dear Teton County Commissioners,
Northern South Park (NSP) offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build needed housing for locals. We are excited to be in the homestretch of the planning process and are proud of the substantial progress we have collectively made in outlining a vision for the project: we have gone from just 10% of proposed homes dedicated for locals, as per the original proposal, to the current 70%, as the Neighborhood Plan reflects.
Thank you for listening to our community’s concerns and for directing staff to explore concurrency and backstop options for the NSP land development regulations (LDRs). We would also like to thank county staff for coming back with a written phasing proposal so quickly. The new phasing concept in “Northern South Park Additional Information (AMD2022-0008)” represents a significant step towards solidifying LDRs that truly serve locals and can garner full community support.
At this point, we encourage you and your staff to have a robust discussion surrounding the details, pros and cons, and potential risks to various players (landowners, developers, and public) of this complex structure. Our community deserves clarity on outstanding questions such as:
- How will the different timelines of building permits and certificates of occupancy align?
- Is 50% the right checkpoint, or should earlier checkpoints be considered?
- What is the appropriate number of affordable (or total deed-restricted) units to require at each checkpoint?
- Can new Development Plans begin before previous ones are complete?
These types of questions are of the utmost importance, as answering them will determine whether the LDRs guarantee the high-prioritization of affordable housing construction and prevent it from being overshadowed by free-market housing development.
We also hope you and your staff will continue to explore a plan and timeline for future public funding that may be required to actually build the affordable and deed-restricted homes, alongside our community’s generous philanthropy.
Our board, staff, and members submit these additional comments in good faith to help inform upcoming discussions. We would like the final push for approval of the LDRs to be as collaborative as possible, as transparency, open dialogue, and sharing of information will go a long way in giving our community the peace of mind needed to advance this project. We look forward to being a part of the solution as the community begins the hard work of getting deed-restricted homes on the ground.
We are grateful for the work you and county staff have done conducting intentional research that will enable you to make these critical decisions on behalf of our community — including and especially for those facing housing insecurity. We look forward to celebrating with you as you bring the NSP LDRs over their long-awaited finish line.
Sincerely,
Nikki Kaufman
ShelterJH Board Chair
on behalf of the ShelterJH Board of Directors
