Town and county leaders released the new comprehensive plan Monday, revealing areas of the valley targeted for additional growth or minimal development.

Before the Jackson Town Council, Teton County Board of Commissioners and a roomful of valley residents, officials unveiled the plan, discussed how it should be read and talked about the timeline for its adoption.

“Overall, what we heard the community say is that ‘We care first and foremost about wildlife,’ ” County Planning Director Jeff Daugherty said. “We also heard that a no-growth plan was not a direction that the community wanted to go.”

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.

It’s available online at www.jacksontetonplan.com. Hard copies can be purchased at Staples.

Residents are encouraged to provide written comment on the Web site by May 15 so those can be complied for planning commission hearings, which start at the town and county levels in June.

Officials will continue to take public comment until the plan’s final vote, slated for September.

Daugherty said this document improves on the 1994 plan by ranking seven themes in order of importance. Those were not ranked in the previous plan.

“This plan says that you can’t have all things be all important in all places, that you have priorities,” he said.

The plan would strive to protect wildlife and natural resources as its top priority by directing growth to South Park, Wilson, the Aspens, Teton Village and town.

Specifically in town, the “Y” intersection, Karns Meadows, southeast Jackson and North Cache are targeted for growth.

“It says that in areas of the community where we are going to grow, we are going to grow responsibly,” Daugherty said.

Meanwhile, the plan would protect base property rights and seeks to redevelop rural parts of the county, such as Buffalo Valley, to the lowest possible level. That would mean one home per lot, or one home per 35 acres, in most places, he said.

Daugherty said 60 percent of the county’s growth would occur in the “nodes,” or areas already developed. Further, 96 percent of the land available for development is targeted for minimal growth.

The plan would provide greater predictability by its inclusion of future land use maps. That section contains “snapshot” descriptions of 25 districts, each of which is accompanied by a map showing specific land uses. Those snapshots contain narrative descriptions of how the map is to be interpreted and applied.

Town Planning Director Tyler Sinclair said the maps are a good step toward addressing predictability.

“It’s not a zoning map,” he said. “It’s a place to start zoning discussions.”

Further, Sinclair said the document is only a 10- to 15-year snapshot and doesn’t seek to plan 40 to 60 years into the future.

Town and county planning officials will hold a series of meetings in the coming weeks to explain the plan to the public. Each meeting will have the same presentation, so residents don’t need to attend multiple meetings, officials said Monday.