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1) New
year brings new players to Comp Plan deliberations • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1) New year brings new players to Comp Plan deliberations Following a two-week hiatus over Christmas, weekly public hearings on the draft Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan are set to resume on Thursday, Jan. 7, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., County commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow. (UPDATE: The Jan. 21 hearing has been cancelled, due to a lack of quorum.) Also, starting this month, the Conservation Alliance is replacing our once-a-week Comp Plan open house discussions with more targeted once-a-month conversations. This month's is Jan. 12, when Christine Walker of the Teton County Housing Authority will discuss and answer questions about affordable housing and the draft Comp Plan. (See Coming Events below for details.) Public review of the draft continues to be shared jointly between both the town and county planning commissions, despite mounting pressure for a split town-county revision process. (Marked differences between the commissions have led many to question how well the joint process is working.) This may change with some new faces -- Jamie Walter replaced Geneva Chong on the town planning commission in December, and on Jan. 1, the newly appointed Mark Newcomb and Peter Stewart replaced county planning commissioners Larry Hamilton and Joe Palmer, whose terms expired. (Visit www.jhalliance.org/takeactioncontacts.htm for a list of all the players.) In December, the planning commissioners began reviewing Theme Three, “Uphold Jackson as Heart of the Region,” resulting in some positive steps. For instance, on Dec. 17, after a discussion about density neutrality, they voted jointly to recommend that residential development in town be capped at current base amounts, with exceptions for increases linked to commensurate decreases in the county. A vote to cap non-residential (i.e. commercial) development in town at current base rates also passed jointly. The commissioners are expected to wrap up Theme Three on Jan. 7 and then start working on Theme Four, “Meet Our Community’s Housing Needs.” (For a link to all of the recommendations to date, visit www.jacksontetonplan.com/blog/2009/08/planning-commission-review. Click here for brief recaps of the meetings held so far.) The Conservation Alliance will continue to provide detailed comments and to represent our 2,000-plus members at the weekly hearings to ensure that Jackson Hole ends up with a plan that will actually protect our wildlife, natural resources and quality of life. Links to our comments are available via www.jhalliance.org/library.htm#comments. Background information on the Comp Plan is available at www.jhalliance.org/issuescompplan.htm.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 2) Other community planning news As always, the Alliance continues to monitor many other community planning matters in addition to the Comp Plan. Here’s a partial roundup, but please bear in mind that all meetings are subject to change. Call the Town of Jackson at (307) 733-3932, Teton County at (307) 733-8094, or reach Kristy Bruner at Kristy@jhalliance.org or (307) 733-9417 for confirmation. If you’d like to comment on any of these issues, contact information for all local public officials is available at www.jhalliance.org/takeactioncontacts.htm. ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION: Jackson Town Council and Teton Board of County Commissioners joint information meeting, Jan. 4, 3 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. The draft Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan, released in April 2009, included as a strategy the establishment of an Environment Commission to coordinate comprehensive, ecosystem-wide data collection and to facilitate incorporating that data into public policy. On Sept. 10, the planning commissioners voted to recommend to the elected officials that an Environment Commission be established as soon as possible, preferably in time to aid the Comp Plan review. On Sept. 14, the electeds agreed, however, three additional meetings and two staff reports later, they still haven’t authorized its creation, mainly due to reluctance on the part of the Town Council. This matter will likely come up again at the Jan. 4 joint information meeting, although it probably won’t be resolved until February at the earliest. We’ll keep you posted. TOWN BUILDING PERMIT EXTENSIONS: Jackson Town Council hearing, Jan. 4, 6 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. An item that would allow developers up to six years (from the date of Town Council approval) to complete their projects is on the slate for the council’s Jan. 4 meeting. For the complete agenda and links to details, visit www.ci.jackson.wy.us and click on “Meeting Agendas” under the “Jackson Government” heading. SEARCH AND RESCUE HELIPAD AT Y INTERSECTION: Teton Board of County Commissioners hearing, Jan. 5, 9 a.m., 200 S. Willow. On Nov. 9, the county planning commissioners unanimously recommended approval, with conditions, for Teton County Search and Rescue’s proposal to build a helicopter pad and training facility at the Y intersection of Hwy. 22 and Broadway. Given the location of the project at a major gateway to Jackson -- and within both the Natural Resources and Scenic Resources overlays -- the Conservation Alliance and others voiced concerns about whether alternative locations had been fully explored. County commissioners were scheduled to hear the proposal on Dec. 15, but it was postponed to Jan. 5. (UPDATE: The county commissioners unanimously approved this proposal at the Jan. 5 hearing, after adding a condition requiring Search and Rescue to monitor the reactions of deer to helicopter takeoffs and landings.) ANTI-IDLING ORDINANCE: Jackson Town Council workshop, Jan. 19, 3 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. Town councilors are scheduled to discuss the possibility of adopting an ordinance that would discourage people from letting their vehicles’ engines run while parked. STAGE STOP: Jackson Town Council hearing, Jan. 19, 6 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. On Dec. 16, town planning commissioners approved sketch plans for a three-story, 32,800-square-foot project one block from the Town Square that will stretch from North Cache Street to Glenwood Street. This by-right development includes a hotel and retail space; Town councilors are expected to consider the plans on Jan. 19. TOWN LDR AMENDMENTS: Jackson Town Council workshop, Jan. 25, 3 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. Following numerous postponements, town councilors are tentatively scheduled to hold a workshop to consider revisions to the flawed planned mixed-use development tool on Jan. 25. (Visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/2009/TownDevelopment.3-09.pdf for background information on the PMD.) Also at this workshop, they’re expected to discuss a proposal that would allow accessory units within the auto-urban residential zoning district to be sold separately to independent owners. (One single-family residence and two accessory-residential units are allowed on single lots in this district, but current regulations stipulate that all three structures must be owned by one owner.) PUD-AH AND PUD-PLANNED RESORT: Teton County Planning Commission, Jan. 25, 6 p.m., 200 S. Willow. The county planning commissioners are scheduled to vote on a text amendment to remove the Planned Unit Development-Affordable Housing and Planned Unit Development-Planned Resort tools from existing regulations. The Conservation Alliance supports this effort to remove unpredictable planning tools -- an effort that is particularly important during our community's ongoing Comp Plan revision process. Please let planning commissioners Paul Duncker, Forrest McCarthy, Mark Newcomb, Peter Stewart and Tony Wall know you support this proposal by emailing them at planningcom@tetonwyo.org. GRAVEL STUDY UPDATE: On Dec. 15, the Teton Board of County Commissioners officially adopted the Teton County Gravel Study as a guide for future decisions as applications for gravel operations come up. It’s available at www.tetonwyo.org/plan/pdplan/docs/draftgravelstudy8-17-9.pdf.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 3) Bridger-Teton updates NEW NATIONAL FOREST PLANNING RULE IN THE WORKS: For several years now, court battles have been waged over federal rules governing revisions of national forest management plans. However, in mid December, the National Forest Service published a notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement to analyze and disclose potential environmental consequences associated with a new land management planning rule. Hopefully, this process will result in a new plan that will remove uncertainties about how to approach forest planning -- uncertainties that have stalled revisions to the Bridger-Teton’s 20-year-old management plan. People have 60 days to share what they think should be part of the EIS. The notice of intent, available at http://fs.usda.gov/planningrule, includes a set of principles that could guide development of a new planning rule, such as an emphasis on restoration, conservation and improved resilience of ecosystems; watershed health; climate change response; species diversity and wildlife habitat; sustainability; proactive collaboration; and working across landscapes. The deadline for your scoping comments is Feb. 16. FATE OF NORTH CACHE PARCEL STILL PENDING: The Conservation Alliance is working with Bridger-Teton officials to bring concerned people, businesses, agencies and organizations together to figure out how to help resolve the B-T’s need to replace its old facilities and provide employee housing. Our EA comments (available via www.jhalliance.org/library.htm#comments), which identified irregularities in the Forest Service’s decision process, have generated interest in finding ways to fund these needs other than selling public lands. Bridger-Teton Supervisor Kniffy Hamilton is expected to decide on the EA later this month. We hope that by that time, our community will have been able to give the regional forester’s office ideas that will help the B-T meet its needs, while still protecting public lands. (For background information on this issue, please visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/AllianceAction/AA.2009/Nov09AA.htm#AA3.) CONTESTED LEASES AND HOBACK WELLS STUDIES DELAYED: Bridger-Teton officials say that problems with air quality analyses will further delay two environmental studies that have been expected for months now. One is for Plains Exploration’s Noble Basin/Eagle Prospect master development plan (aka Hoback Wells), which proposes building up to 136 gas wells, new roads and other infrastructure about 7 miles southeast of Bondurant. The other regards contested energy development leases on some 20,000 acres farther south in the Wyoming Range. (Visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/AllianceAction/AA.2009/Dec09AA.htm#AA5 for more information on these leases.) The studies now aren’t expected until sometime this spring; we’ll keep you posted. DEVELOPER WANTS ROADWAY THROUGH B-T SNAKE RIVER CANYON SECTION: Developer Dick Edgcomb has asked the Forest Service to allow a 60-foot-wide road across nearly a mile of public land in the Wild and Scenic-designated Snake River corridor to access a 144-acre private parcel south of Snake River Sporting Club (formerly called Canyon Club). Edgcomb was the original developer of that controversial project, which included an 18-hole golf course, a clubhouse, employee housing and 72 homes on 360 acres at the former site of Astoria Hot Springs. Despite widespread opposition, Teton County commissioners approved it in 2003. Snake River Sporting Club acquired the property after Edgcomb’s forced bankruptcy in 2005, then in late 2008, the Sporting Club also filed for bankruptcy. Given this history and the possibility of yet another development in such valuable wildlife habitat, the Alliance will be keeping a close eye on this matter as it progresses.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 4) Conservation Alliance annual report now available online Please visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/Reports/JHCAAnnualReport.12-09.pdf for our 2009 annual report. It includes our financial information from fiscal year 2008-09, as well as our top accomplishments of 2009 and top goals for 2010, making it a great way to get all the highlights. You’re also welcome to pick up a printed copy at the Alliance office, 685 S. Cache St. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 5) Coming Events JANUARY 2010 One Tuesday per month Saturday, Jan. 2 Sunday, Jan. 3 Sunday, Jan. 10 Tuesday, Jan. 12 Tuesday, Jan. 19 Wednesday, Jan. 20 Saturday, Jan. 23 Friday, Jan. 29 FEBRUARY 2010 Wednesday, Feb. 10 Wednesday, Feb. 17 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 6) Valley Voices “We can serve the cause of life on earth
better if we move through our anxiety…. - Michael Lerner
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Alliance Action is a publication of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. The Conservation Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to responsible land stewardship in Jackson Hole to ensure that human activities are in harmony with the area’s irreplaceable wildlife, scenic, and other natural resources. We’re located at 685 South Cache Street in Jackson, Wyoming. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 2728, Jackson, WY 83001-2728 and our phone number is (307) 733-9417. If you'd like to sign up to receive our monthly Alliance Action via email, please click here. |
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