The town of Jackson and Teton County, WY, are in the process of jointly updating their 1994 Comprehensive Plan — a piece of legislation that guides policy, investment, programs, and land use decisions in the area. Updating the Plan is a complex process but one which will help it better meet the needs of Town and County residents, businesses, and other stakeholders.
PlanJH, a diverse group of community members from the Jackson/Teton area, has helped facilitate public discussion of the issues surrounding the Comprehensive Plan, and in May the group held a public presentation about smart growth strategies. Roger Millar, Director of Smart Growth America’s Leadership Institute, was on hand to answer questions and offer strategies that could help Jackson residents fulfill their vision of community success.
Millar’s session provided an overview of smart growth strategies, many of which are included in the Comprehensive Plan, and discussed of how smart growth can help preserve rural areas like the ranch lands in Jackson Hole. Bill Collins, a member of PlanJH and former Teton County planning director, said Millar’s insights provided an added bit of momentum at a key juncture in the community’s planning process. “Hearing smart growth success stories from around the country helped inform the community about important policies in the new Comprehensive Plan,” Collins said.
In an exciting development, Town and County officials unanimously approved the Comprehensive Plan in late June. The project will now move to the next stage and begin developing “character districts,” a way to bridge the gap between the policy portion of the Comprehensive Plan and its implementation. More information and news about the project can be found at PlanJH.org.
Click here to download Smart Growth America’s presentation for Jackson and Teton County, WY (PDF)
Interested in bringing Smart Growth America to your community? Email Roger Millar, Director of Smart Growth America’s Leadership Institute, at rmillar [at] smartgrowthamerica [dot] org for more information.
Photo by Flickr user random letters.