March 2026

Virginian moves forward!

GREAT NEWS: the Virginian project took another step forward on March 9th with a unanimous vote from both the Town Council and County Commission. ⁠A group of ShelterJH members gave heartfelt comments in person and online in support of 221 future homes for locals. You can watch the comments online here under Virginian agenda line item beginning at 47:30.⁠

Thank your local electeds for their pro-housing decision by sending them an email: council@jacksonwy.gov and commissioners@tetoncountywy.gov.

April 27: Annual Legislative Lookback

Curious what our legislators accomplished in Cheyenne this year? Join us for our annual Legislative Lookback covering key decisions, big moments (yes, including Checkgate), and what it all means for locals moving forward.

Special thanks to St. John’s Episcopal Church for donating the meeting space for this event and to the Teton Democrats for cohosting.⁠

Find out about “NOAH” on 4/20

Some of the most important affordable housing in our community is already here, and it’s quietly disappearing. Join local organizations and Jennie Rodgers from Enterprise Community Partners on April 20 to talk about naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH), what’s at stake, and how we can keep these homes accessible for the people who make Jackson work.⁠

Nelson Drive Update

This month, Teton County Commissioners declined to move forward with a $4.05 million request from the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust to fund the proposed Nelson Drive project. The funding would have secured rental rights for six units, but officials raised concerns about the high cost, unclear valuation, and a pending legal case.

Commissioner Gardner explained at a previous meeting, “‘I really question the $675,000 valuation for the right to rent,’ [he] said. ‘I’d rather spend more money for the straight ownership. That’s a much simpler deal and financially makes a lot more sense to me over the long haul.’”⁠

We want the Nelson Drive neighborhood to succeed and agree with the County Commission that the price is high for what the community receives in return for public dollars. We hope that additional funding sources are secured.⁠

Scharps settle Teton County lawsuit

A lawsuit challenging Teton County’s housing mitigation fees has been settled due to an accounting error, and the mitigation program itself remains intact. Even as legal and legislative pressure continues, mitigation is still one of the few tools we have to fund homes for locals. 

Housing mitigation exists to support the people who power our community by ensuring new development contributes to housing solutions. We’ll be talking all about housing mitigation at our event on April 27—join us to continue the conversation!

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: