Renew America Success Stories

Public and Private Land Use Planning and Management Advocacy

Description

The Public and Private Land Use Planning and Management Advocacy project of the Jackson Hole Alliance for Responsible Planning works to implement responsible land use planning and management in Jackson Hole.  The goal of the project is to  ensure that growth, development and other human activities are always in harmony with the conservation of the area's scenic wildlife and other natural resources.

Jackson Hole, a community of 12,000 people situated in the northern Rockies, is a town of enormous scenic beauty.  Driven in large part by a desire to enjoy this beauty, Jackson Hole has experience an enormous influx of residents in recent years.  Since 1960, Jackson Hole's population has increased by more than 200% (compared to 40% for the nation as a whole), and pressure for ever-greater development is increasing.  Because Jackson Hole has become a popular location for retirees, the community is under pressure to approve large parcel development for retirement homes, golf courses and shopping malls. This trend means that premier properties -- land with extraordinary wildlife and scenic qualities -- are likely to be under the most intense pressure for development.

The Jackson Hole Alliance for Responsible Planning was formed to help counter pressure for such growth and sprawl. Through the Public and Private Land Use Planning and Management Advocacy project, the Alliance has worked to ensure a review of Jackson Hole's land use plan so that consequences for Jackson Hole's scenic beauty will be considered before any development plans are approved.  The Alliance engages in community education and grassroots activism to accomplish its goals.

Franz Camenzin, Chairman of the Alliance Board, in a mailing to Jackson residents, summed up the position of the Alliance: "In choosing to live in one the world's most beautiful mountain valleys, in being part of the problem for the mere fact of being here, we all have a responsibility to the future of Jackson Hole."

Program Highlights

Land Use Recommendations

• Reduce drastically the amount of development that is permitted in Jackson Hole.  A build-out population of 40,000 or more is incompatible with preserving the rural quality and wildlife habitats of this valley.
• Establish clear and better levels of protection for wildlife habitats, wetlands, riparian corridors and areas of critical scenic value.
• Improve the local quality of life, via construction of pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian and ski trails.
• Resolve significant problems with transportation systems and outdated residential zoning.
• Prohibit the types of generic, large-scale development (golf courses, convention centers, factory outlet businesses and shopping centers) that are ubiquitous in resort towns.
• Locate and use funds to purchase conservation easements on private lands that are determined to be of value to the community.
• Direct future development to already developed areas to preserve open space.
• Employ growth limits to counter the trend toward oversized land development to give the community more time to adjust to the development that does occur.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The Jackson Hole Alliance for Responsible Planning works with the local planning agency and concerned businesses and residents in the community.

Budget: In review.

Community Served:  The 12,000 residents of Jackson Hole.

Measures of Success:

Officials have passed a growth moratorium and initiated an in-depth planning process, designed to ensure strong protection for Jackson Hole's unique character.

 Published: May 1997

Success stories designed by Mark W. Nowak

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