Office is one of several new “Character Zones” as part of the Comprehensvie Plan for Jackson, WY

Over the past few months, Town of Jackson leaders and the public have been reviewing a set of proposed zoning guidelines as part of the new Teton County Comprehensive Plan. These new “Character Zones” envisioned for downtown Jackson Hole include Office, Retail, Resort Connector, Residential and Gateway (see map below).

This blog will focus on the office zone discussing what the Town has planned for the area as well as public response and comment to the proposal. 

Character Zones

 PROPOSED OFFICE ZONE – E Broadway & Willow: This zone is an area running along E Broadway and south along Willow Street in E Jackson (brown area in the map above). This zone, which is not considered a “visitor destination” area would focus on supporting employment and “high-intensity” residential use (a.k.a multi-family residential complexes). Owners could build up to two stories with a density or Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 1.00. This means that a 7,500 square foot lot (50′ x 150′) could hold up to 7,500 square feet of floor area. Owners would also benefit from a reduction in the parking requirement which the Town hopes will help spur the creation of new office spaces. To learn more about this proposed zone, please reference a recent article in the Jackson Hole News & Guide.

After recent public comment and Town Council discussion this past week, we may see certain sections of existing residential along S Willow Street excluded from the office zone. Since a major goal of the Comprehensive Plan to provide more housing in Town, this area seems like a “logical place to start” according to Town Councilman Jim Stanford.

An article in today’s Jackson Hole News & Guide outlines some additional public comment and discussion on the character zones.