Jackson Hole Underground

Last week’s enactment by the Teton County commissioners of a moratorium on large developments effectively killed the proposal for Teton Meadows Ranch, which even the staunchest supporters admitted was less than ideal. So what’s the next step?

Come up with a better plan. Most disconcerting about the fight over Teton Meadows was the backlash against affordable housing in general. Now with the focus on drafting a new Comprehensive Plan for the town and county, the naysayers will be busy at the keyboard, trying to insert their language into the document.

For affordable housing advocates, it’s easy to be discouraged by the furor over Teton Meadows. But it’s more essential than ever to stay involved in the process. Tonight there’s a meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jackson campus of the Teton Science Schools (on Highway 22) where consultants will present scenarios for future development.

Showing up to these meetings and making your presence felt sends a message that the new plan won’t be shaped by a few. The easiest way to give input is to visit the Web site JacksonTetonPlan.com, where all documents are posted and comments will be accepted throughout the summer.

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Tonight the Teton County Planning Commission resumes its hearing on the proposed Teton Meadows Ranch development south of town.

Public comment begins at 5:45 p.m. in the Snow King Grand Room.

What can I write about this project that won’t amount to throwing gasoline on the fire of a simmering class war?

I sat through three and a half hours of last week’s meeting and listened, when public comment began, to a filibuster by South Park “Neighbors” opposed to the proposal. Without a hint of irony, they listed a litany of reasons why their suburban neighborhood is unsuited for human habitation besides their own.

A common thread in many of the comments: “my property values.”

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In case you missed it, “Smart Growth” has the solution to congestion on Teton Pass.

Seriously, smart growth will be the topic as two important issues converge this week: affordable housing and a new Comprehensive Plan.

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The News&Guide has a front-page story this week about growing concern among Teton County officials over the cost and frequency of backcountry rescues, particularly of skiers in extreme terrain.

One source of irritation, not mentioned in the article, stemmed from the all-night rescue of snowboarder Toby Kuznia on New Year’s Day. Kuznia, 23, walked out on a cornice on the edge of Unskiabowl, in the southern Tetons, and triggered a slide that carried him several hundred feet over cliffs. N&G reporter Cara Froedge wrote a gripping narrative of the ordeal, with Kuznia, who suffered a broken pelvis and other injuries, pictured flashing the “hang loose” sign from his hospital bed.

Turns out that on one of the four helicopter trips needed to shuttle Kuznia’s party and rescuers off the mountain, a ski belonging to one of Kuznia’s friends fell out of the chopper and was lost. The friend allegedly asked the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees Search and Rescue, to buy him a new pair of skis.

Dude, thanks for saving my buddy’s life. How about a new set of twin-tip Salomon SPKs to go with that heli ride? And a fresh coat of wax.

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