April 2025

Northern South Park meeting coming up!

The Teton County Commissioners could be voting on the next step of the Northern South Park Development—the Master Site Plan—as soon as Tuesday, May 6. We remain optimistic about this opportunity, thanks to years of collaboration from landowners, nonprofits, electeds, and passionate residents.

We’re celebrating wins like binding minimum densities and a collaborative process—and we’re here to make sure this plan stays on track. To truly meet our housing goals, we need deed-restricted homes built with free-market ones—not decades later. We’re calling on the Commissioners to ensure thoughtful construction linkages, real integration, and community accountability, especially if public dollars come into play. 

Together, let’s make sure Northern South Park lives up to its promise: a vibrant, well-integrated neighborhood where locals can live and thrive.

Tell your commissioners to protect our community investment: commissioners@tetoncountywy.gov.

The future of the Virginian neighborhood

At the joint Town and County meeting about the Virginian this month, the Pennrose developers shared an update that will affect the future of this neighborhood: rent prices are lower than projected (which is great news for future residents!), but that means that there is a high funding gap projected. Our elected officials and the developers together are pursuing cost-saving measures to make sure this project pencils—and that the units serve locals who need them!

Chances are we won’t see a parking garage there and that parking will be located near each unit instead of a centralized structure. Read on for other changes that will allow this project to be successful.

Longer table, not a higher fence

Last week, former ShelterJH board member @akazunas wrote a Guest Shot exploring the sentiment that Jackson may be “full.” Sometimes, we hear this assertion when advocating for the importance of developing homes local workers can actually afford. What do you think—is Jackson “full”—and was it so before or after you arrived?⁠

She writes: “Who gets to decide who lives in Jackson or when it is ‘full?’ The same residents who doubt the necessity of more affordable housing almost certainly moved here from elsewhere, and use the very infrastructure such as roads, sewer, water, stores and services they claim the currently unhoused, commuters and/or future residents suddenly would overburden if allowed to live locally.⁠

Why are some folks’ presence acceptable here, but not others’? Why are the environmental impacts of one resident’s house or emissions from one resident’s car acceptable, while those of another’s (particularly folks who want to live closer to their jobs, the community they love or the outdoor spaces that feed their souls) are not?”⁠

Indiscriminate property tax cuts harm the public

Lowering property taxes can be a lifeline for locals on fixed incomes or for renters subject to rising taxes passed on by landlords—but across-the-board cuts for second homeowners and the ultra-wealthy? That’s a recipe for disaster.

The recent 25% tax cut for ALL homeowners may seem like a step in the right direction, but it’s contributing to a $6 million public funding deficit, affecting essential resources like schools, transit, and emergency services. Let’s make sure we target tax relief to those who truly need it while prioritizing our community’s well-being.

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: