Town and county planners will have 500 comments to think about when they start reviewing the latest draft of the community’s comprehensive plan.

The statements were submitted during the first round of public comment on the latest draft of the plan, which will guide future development in the town and county.

The e-mails, letters, handwritten notes and comments submitted through the plan’s Web site between April 13 and May 22 will now be bundled and handed over to planning commissioners for their perusal before a June 11 meeting, Teton County Planning Director Jeff Daugherty said.

Officials on Monday released comments received from the Web site.

Most of the public comments criticize the plan for allowing too much of an increase in growth and not taking into account the unintended impacts on area wildlife, transportation systems and the ability of local governments to provide services for an increased population.

“I haven’t had a chance to read a lot of comments at this point,” Daugherty said Monday. “But it seems like a lot of the comments are similar to what you’re seeing in the newspaper.”

In a comment submitted through the Web site, Teton County resident Cindy Hill Stone said planners have disregarded the public’s desire to protect wildlife in the area.

“The entire community said that wildlife in our backyards, in our meadows, on our hillsides, drinking from our ponds, creeks and riverbanks was our most important community value,” Stone said in her commment“And in this new comprehensive plan draft (let’s hope it’s only a draft), the planners are flipping us off.”

Jackson Planning Director Tyler Sinclair said many of the comments have focused on specific districts, such as the Wilson and South Park areas, and certain themes, mainly concerning wildlife protection. He said those would likely be the center of future discussions.

“It’s pretty evident there are four or five chapters and themes that have been receiving the most public comment,” Sinclair said. “We’ll probably spend a lot more time going over those chapters than we will on the chapters that no one has really commented on.”

One comment submitted in support of the plan largely praised staff for including a level of detail that will hopefully add some predictability to future development.

“While there are elements of the plan that need refinement, the basic concepts it puts forth are on target,” states a letter signed by Reed Armijo, Thomas Kirsten, Jeffrey Bates and Francesca Paolucci-Rice on behalf of Jorgensen Associates. “Its adoption will put in place tools that will enhance predictability of future development. ... We believe that the changes for which this plan will serve as guide will result in a healthier, stronger community and are long overdue.”

Other comments fall somewhere in between, offering support for some aspects of the plan but adding criticism and suggestions for elected officials.

“I applaud the goals for the Town Square,” William Friend said in an online comment. “But the tricky part will be the implementation. We’ll need tough standards that are mule strong, horse high and not subject to compromise. Witness the new building now being completed on the north end of Center Street — a tall, red brick and glass monstrosity that blends in with the Town Square area about as well as a buffalo turd in a punchbowl.

“Our elected officials will need to learn to say no to developers if exacting standards are not fulfilled. They should practice in front of a mirror: ‘No, hell no, and, by God, we mean it.’”

The June 11 meeting will mark the beginning of what planners are calling the “second phase” of the comprehensive plan revision.

“We’re ending the first phase, where we released the plan, held meetings and basically got the community up to speed on the plan,” Sinclair said.

Sinclair said the second phase will consist of public meetings at which planning commissioners from the town and county will start to review each chapter of the plan. Those meetings will also allow members of the public time to address planning commissioners directly.

Sinclair said planners will take an informal poll of the number of people who wish to comment at the outset of each meeting to determine how much time they will allow for individual comments.

Sinclair said planners expect to set aside between 30 minutes and 60 minutes per meeting for public comments. The rest of the meeting will be designated for commissioners’ comments and discussion.

The town and county planning commissions are expected to hold joint meetings to review the overarching themes included in the plan but separate meetings when discussing individual districts, Sinclair said.

Public comments and the entire text of the plan are available online at www.jacksontetonplan.com.