Residents rank open spaces above affordable housing

Thursday, March 27, 2008

By Planet User

Jackson Hole, Wyo - The majority of local survey respondents want the new comp plan to prioritize preserving open spaces and wildlife habitats.

Preliminary survey results for Teton County Comprehensive Plan Scenario Surveys are available on the web. The posted results reflect data collected online but do not yet include the results from telephone calls.

Nearly 1,000 respondents answered online. The majority were between the ages of 18 and 44. More than 90 percent are full-time residents of Teton County, and more than half had lived in the county for at least 11 years. Seventy-six percent owned homes while 24 percent rented.

Almost 87 percent said the vision and themes in the plan captured their values “somewhat” or “very well.” Respondents stated that the plan's first priority should be providing stewardship for wildlife habitat and other environmentally sensitive areas (39.7 percent). Preserving open space was a “higher priority” than affordable housing for 46 percent of respondents while 25 percent thought both were equally important.

Respondents across the board rated preserving open spaces and migration corridors, as well as limiting growth, above creating affordable and gap housing.

Responses can be found in full via http://www.jacksontetonplan.com/survey/

PERMALINK:
Residents rank open spaces above affordable housing | Planet JH News Article: General News

Reader Comments
I'm not sure you can interpret these results, especially as listed above, as favoritism towards open space over affordable housing. What you can draw out of this is that the overwhelming percentage of respondee's are NIMBY's who already own their own homes and don't give enough of a crap as to how others will obtain theirs. How do you expect to have a sustainable work force if they can't afford to live here? Living out of the valley and commuting in this year will be a joke. Gas prices are going through the roof, no one will be able to afford it. I would expect tourism dollars to be paltry this year as many vacations will not be taken. I doubt seriously this will be taken into account by the commissioners with regards to the local economy. Do you guys want to help? Let there be a spurn in construction to subsist the loss of tourism dollars in the next couple of years while we dig deeper into a recession. I'm all for responsible planning but c'mon. We're talking about a small area in relative size, remember the valley is still 97% public lands so there is plenty of space for wildlife to roam and plenty of open space as a whole. I imagine these developments are only encroaching on a fraction of a percent of that remaining 3%. And keep in mind construction costs only go up as time goes on so the time for affordable housing is now. Steve
Long Term leases provide a better solution for the work-force issue than affordable housing. We don't deserve to profit off of the land, but can expect a stable, quality life if we are to participate in this community. Were there an opportunity to engage in a long-term affordable rental situation, created with sustainable philosophy, respect for open space, and amenities that could support raising a family (garage, yard, open space), then that would suit the needs of all. DJ
By long term I mean a 4 year lease or longer. DJ
"Seventy-six percent owned homes" Of course these folks favor open space above affordable housing. I can't say I blame them. They have all the services they need and see no reason for more affordable housing just so the commercial sector can get its hands on more labor for the tourist sector. They also see a feedback loop--more labor, more housing, more jobs, more affordable housing demands, more more more growth. Limiting afordable housing is a way to limit growth. eyesonjackson
South Park Residents came out in droves to fill out the online survey thanks to the proposed currently being proposed in their neighborhood. Their knee jerk reaction essentially cooked the results of the survey. Let's hope that planners take this into account and offer sensible and weighted solutions in the final edits of the comp plan. Deez Nuutz

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Residents rank open spaces above affordable housing

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Reader Comments