Comp plan available now for public review
By Cara Froedge, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
April 13, 2009
Valley residents can pick up a copy of the long-awaited comprehensive plan draft today.
The Teton County Board of Commissioners and Jackson Town Council will meet at 4 p.m. today to discuss the plan, followed by a public release at 5 p.m.
The meeting will be held at Town Hall.
“At this point, it is the public’s plan,” Teton County Planning Director Jeff Daugherty said. “Staff is listening. Public comment ends the day commissioners adopt the plan.”
The plan is a long-range document that looks 10 to 15 years into the future. It consists of a vision, policies and maps to provide a blueprint for development.
To achieve the county’s top priority of wildlife and natural resource protection, the plan guides development to town and other nodes such as northern South Park, Teton Village, Wilson and near the Aspens.
“Nodal” development also allows for meeting other community needs, such as building affordable housing, diversifying the economy and promoting multimodal transportation.
While the document sets the foundation for land-use decisions, it is not regulatory.
After the plan is adopted, officials must update land-development regulations, which are the rules by which the plan will be implemented.
Among the biggest change is the inclusion of a chapter on future land use. That section contains “snapshots” and maps of the 25 districts showing specific land uses. Those snapshots also contain narrative descriptions of how the map is to be interpreted and applied.
For each district, the community themes are ranked. While wildlife may be the top priority in the county, it may fall elsewhere in the rankings for each district.
“The plan is laid out in order to create the greatest amount of understanding,” Daugherty said.
The public should start reading at the beginning rather than jumping to the future land-use maps, which he stressed are not zoning maps and do not have firm lines.
The town and county planning commissioners will begin public hearings in June.
Town councilors and county commissioners will start hearings in August. The plan is scheduled for adoption Sept. 1.
