By Charley Sutherland
Jackson Hole News&Guide
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

JACKSON — The breakup is official.

The Town of Jackson and Teton County have parted ways with Pennrose, the developer both governments picked more than two years ago to build affordable housing at what is now the Virginian RV Park.

Town councilors voted 3 to 2 Tuesday to terminate negotiations with Pennrose. Councilors Devon Viehman, Kevin Regan and Jonathan Schechter voted to end the partnership. Mayor Arne Jorgensen and Councilor Alyson Spery favored continuing to work with Pennrose.

Teton County commissioners also voted 3 to 2 to terminate negotiations. 

Chair Mark Newcomb, Vice Chair Wes Gardner and Commissioner Luther Propst voted to terminate. Commissioners Natalia Macker and Len Carlman wanted to keep the partnership alive. 

Propst said he might change his mind if Pennrose and housing officials identified “socially motivated investors” to help fund the project.

In the meeting, Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr also asked Jessica Sell Chambers, a former Jackson town councilor, to leave the county chambers, amid a dispute over the length of Sell Chambers’ public comment.

Generally councilors and commissioners fell into one of two camps: that homes in the future development had grown too unaffordable, or that developing housing at the Virginian was the best option to deliver much-needed community housing.

“The stakes are high,” Regan said. “This is just not a good enough deal for our community.”

Macker had the development’s future on her mind.

“I know where I’m sleeping tonight and where my kids are sleeping tonight,” Macker said. “There are people in our community that don’t, and I can’t stop thinking about them.”

The vote comes more than three years after the Jackson/Teton County Housing Authority purchased the 5-acre, centrally located RV park with ambitions to build more than 200 homes. Over more than 20 public meetings, town councilors and county commissioners tangled over the project’s details, until some elected officials soured on Pennrose over a funding gap and miscommunication that led to projections for higher rent costs and ultimately doomed the project. In May, the Jackson Town Council voted 4-to-1 against having staff prepare documents to proceed with the project.

It is unclear what happens next with the property.

Housing officials have laid out several possible paths forward, including selling the land, seeking a new development partner and allowing mobile homes on the property. The Housing Authority is limited in how much revenue it can earn from leasing the property to the Virginian hotel, meaning continuing to operate the RV park as is may not be allowed, per IRS rules.

“We’re deeply disappointed,” said Shannon Cox Baker, Pennrose’s regional vice president, by phone after the meeting. “We are incredibly grateful to the town and county staff and to Shelter JH for their advocacy.”

The drama

Tensions reached a fever pitch Tuesday after Sell Chambers, the former councilor, took to the lectern. Sell Chambers sent a 37-page assessment to elected officials and the News&Guide on Monday night outlining several concerns.

In her public comment, Sell Chambers said the Wyoming Department of Audit was considering investigating the project at her request and that the town and county should not have veered from the initial request for proposals to build homes at the Virginian.

Sell Chambers spoke for a little more than five minutes before Newcomb, who chaired the meeting, intervened.

“I really need you to wrap it up,” Newcomb said.

She responded that other members of the public were willing to yield their time to her. Tim Rieser took to the lectern and said he would cede his public comment time to Sell Chambers. In a email sent to town councilors, county commissioners and the News&Guide following the meeting, Sell Chambers said she heard Newcomb give her permission to pool her time with other commenters.

Rieser, a former candidate for public office, has made headlines in recent years for unsuccessfully suing two county commissioners accusing them of launching a “smear campaign” against former Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Chief Stephen Jellie and for allegedly threatening to shoot an employee in the head at a building supply store. Rieser was granted deferred adjudication and unsupervised probation for a charge of breach of peace. He also faced a trespass charge that was dismissed.

Sell Chambers continued speaking. Newcomb banged a gavel and called for the meeting to recess.

A few elected officials headed for the exit. Regan put on sunglasses and left. Newcomb spoke with Sheriff Carr. Sell Chambers remained at the lectern. Newcomb and a few members of the audience, including Town Council candidate Gabe Koerber, argued about whether commenters should be allowed to pool their time. Koerber sided with Sell Chambers, saying he wanted to make a comment but needed to get to work.

During town and county meetings, public comment customarily is limited to three minutes for each speaker. Pooling or sharing time is not a common practice.

Carr asked Sell Chambers to leave the room and she did. Sell Chambers sat outside the county chambers and was there once the meeting ended.

Another Teton County sheriff’s deputy showed up shortly after the heated exchange, and councilors and commissioners resumed the meeting.

The future

As the meeting ended, Gardner aired an idea he’s been proposing for months.

Gardner wants the town and county to abandon their public-private partnership approach to building housing projects. Instead, he wants to try to build housing at the Virginian without the assistance of a private developer. Gardner said he wanted the county’s owner’s representative team to develop a cost and scheduling plan.

Jorgensen didn’t say specifically whether he supported or opposed Gardner’s proposal but said town and county officials likely will evaluate several ideas.

“There are multiple possible paths forward,” Jorgensen said. “I wouldn’t want that to be left out there as a sole process.”

Viehman said earlier that she was intrigued by Gardner’s idea and said the next several months may be uncomfortable. Town and county elected officials will need to show the community the two governments can build housing projects that are actually affordable, Viehman said.

“It may suck for a little while until we can show people in the community that we can do this the right way,” Viehman said.