JACKSON (WNE) — Housing that will be primarily for state troopers and snow plow operators is moving forward.

Teton County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a preliminary application from the Wyoming Department of Transportation to build housing for its employees on land south of town it already owns.

The units, no matter how many, are still five to 10 years off from being completed. The project will be phased, said Taylor Cook, of the WYDOT, depending on funds.

While the units are meant to first house WYDOT employees, it’s suggested that the deeds have “workforce” restrictions so any member of the local workforce would be eligible if a unit was empty.

The agency needs housing to fill and keep positions, former WYDOT liaison Keith Compton told commissioners back in March while advocating for the property to be rezoned.

The plan now is to have two types of housing on the site. Most of the proposed units would be 2,334 square feet and two stories, with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms and an attached two-car garage.

The rest would be smaller apartments in a five-bed, five-bath building.

A few dozen neighbors of the project signed a letter to commissioners more than a year ago opposing the project, objecting to the impacts of an increase in houses they say would double their neighborhood. Only one attended Tuesday’s meeting in person.

“There’s not a single person in our neighborhood who supports this project,” Rosi de Haan said. Her biggest concern was that the aquifer could be harmed. De Haan urged commissioners to lower the number of homes to four.

After Tuesday’s approval, commissioners will take a look next at a development plan from the agency before it breaks ground.