School board likes land gift in development plan
By By Amanda H. Miller
– Oct. 14, 2007 - Jackson Hole News & Guide
Members of the Teton County School District #1 Board of
Education praised a proposed 500-unit development in South
Park Wednesday for setting aside land for an elementary school and
trying to address the valley's housing shortage. Members of a
development team for Teton Meadows Ranch, a proposed housing
development south of town, presented to the board at its regular
meeting Wednesday night.
Jim Verdone, one of the team members, passed out sketches of the
proposed plan and explained that the development would take up 288
acres in the Seherr-Thoss property. He said 25 percent of the housing
would be traditional affordable units. The rest of the .17- to .25-acre
lots would be homestead, deed-restricted lots. Those buying the lots
would not be allowed to own any other property and would have to be
year-round residents and full-time employees in Teton County.
But the crowning jewel in the school presentation was a big blue box
on the graphic the team displayed in a slide show. The blue section
represented land the developer set aside for a new elementary school.
"Finally," said board member Zia Yasrobi. "Finally, I get to live long
enough in Jackson Hole to see a project like this." Yasrobi said he's
been arguing against legislating affordable housing requirements for
developers in hopes that someone would take it upon themselves to
create a project like Teton Meadows, which would theoretically provide
affordable and attainable housing for hundreds of families.
Mike Gierau, another Teton Meadows team member, said the development is
designed to be affordable by removing the two biggest factors leading
to high home prices in Jackson Hole - real estate speculators and
second home owners.
Verdone told the school board that he and the rest of the team has met
with neighborhood groups in Rafter J and Melody Ranch to explain the
plan and take feedback.
But two neighbors, Rich Bloom from Melody Ranch and Sharon Mader from
Rafter J, stood up and asked the board not to be too hasty in lending
its support to the development team. Bloom said he and many of his
neighbors in Melody Ranch think the development is too dense.
Mader said she didn't think the proposal will accomplish its goal. She
said other attainable housing projects in the area have quickly gotten
out of hand, with homes in Cottonwood Meadows now selling for more than
$700,000.
"I'm uncomfortable with a lot of the information presented here
tonight," Mader said to the school board. "Rafter J has never given its
blessing."
Chairwoman Janine Bay Teske, said the school board is not in a position
to approve of or support any new developments. The school district's
interest in the project involves the board's need to know what growth
is on the horizon so it can prepare for an increase in student
population. She added that the district is interested in affordable
housing in order to address teacher retention issues. Yasrobi said he
appreciated the Teton Meadows Ranch team's attention to its impact on
the community, noting that previous developments have not been as
generous with land for a new school.
Gierau finished the presentation by reinforcing that the Teton Meadows
team was not asking for the school district's endorsement. He said
members are welcome to stop by and say a kind word when the time comes,
but otherwise, the presentation was purely for informational purposes.
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