JACKSON HOLE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE
P.O. Box 2728
Jackson, WY 83001
(307) 733-9417
www.jhalliance.org
1/30/08
By Franz Camenzind, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance
With what is likely to be the last vote on Grand Targhee ResortŐs application to become an officially zoned year-round resort with all its accompanying density, it is time to put some facts on the table. It's also time to consider the magnitude of this proposal and compare it to recent developments. As it now stands, the 33 conditions of approval for the 120 acres of private land at the base of the leased ski hill allow for 450 lodging units and 150,000 square feet of commercial space. The lodging units will house up to 40 employees in addition to containing a maximum of 45 single-family units and 45 cabins or townhouses. The remaining lodging units will be restricted to short-term rental -- less than 30 days. At build out, the resort is expected to accommodate about 2,500 overnight guests on an average day.
Grand Targhee Resort owners advertise that their greatest amenity is their
location, which is completely surrounded by public lands. This includes the
ski hill leased from the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the nearby Jedediah
Smith Wilderness Area and Grand Teton National Park -- all public lands, our
land.
Just a few years ago the resortŐs 120 acres were also public lands. They
were acquired through a trade of private land located between Yellowstone and
Grand Teton National Parks. That trade for the 120 acres was reported to have
cost the owners about $28,000 per acre. The owners' estimates, provided
earlier this month, place the average land value now at $350,000 per acre --
a 12.5 times increase in value from what used to be our land.
So what is the public getting in return for this private profiteering off our public lands? First, the public will get a chance to visit a privately owned, first class, all-season resort in a pristine setting. The public will also get more competition for ski lift tickets, more skiers on the slopes, more hikers on the trails, more backpackers in the back country, much more traffic on the road through Alta, and more light, sound and air pollution. To mitigate for environmental impacts, the Grand Targhee owners have agreed to acquire 299 acres of high-value wildlife habitat or land that would qualify for Teton County, WyomingŐs Natural Resource Overlay. (However, the language surrounding this condition of approval is not clear in its requirement that the 299 acres are to be protected with a conservation easement!) The owners have also volunteered a 1 percent real estate transfer fee to be used for the acquisition of lands or conservation easements with high habitat value, or to be used for stream restoration or efforts to protect in-stream flow and water quality. This is a good offer, but we must remember that the costs will be paid by subsequent owners, not the developer, who is profiting from this proposal.
The resort owners have agreed to a one-time exaction of $500,000 to be paid to Teton County, Wyoming, to offset impacts to the Alta area. This money might buy a 2,000-square-foot school or library building, or it might pay for about 2 miles of pathway, or several miles of sidewalk, but not all of these and not for their long-term maintenance. The resort owners have also agreed to provide the required employee and affordable housing units, and to build a modest sheriffŐs office and medical facility at the resort. These features would not be necessary if it were not for the need generated by the resort. They should, therefore not be considered as providing overall public benefit.
The conditions also call for a conservation easement on a 20-foot-wide strip of land surrounding the development to prohibit future resort expansion. But there is no condition that would prohibit future growth within the existing resort. And the resort will be expanding its use of public land leased from the Forest Service to house its maintenance and storage needs.
By comparison, the recently approved SRA expansion of Teton Village contains only 10,000 square feet of new Ňlocal convenienceÓ commercial space, under 400 additional lodging units and an expected average overnight population of less than 2,000 people. The SRA development also contains 1,302 acres with conservation easement and restricted development potential (included in the above numbers). It includes a multi-layered fee structure to pay for a public transit center, transportation facilities and funds for its long-term operations, plus the construction of a sheriffŐs sub-station and a donation of 12 acres for a pubic park.
Whatever your feelings concerning the SRA development, Grand Targhee ResortŐs proposal, although occupying far less land, has considerably larger development mass, provides magnitudes less in mitigation and will have far greater impact upon the surrounding public lands. We should be able to do better -- far better for the community, far better for our public land and far better for future generations.
The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance is a non-profit
organization dedicated to responsible land stewardship to ensure that human
activities are in harmony with the areaŐs irreplaceable wildlife, scenic and
other natural resources. The organization has 2,000 members from Jackson Hole
and across the nation.