Letters March 26, 2008

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

By Planet User

Alex von Irrelevant
“Praising all the crap you have is very un-classy.” Hmmmm. Pretty interesting quote at the end of a Q & A that includes roughly 90 I’s and 33 Me’s/My’s, oh, and a riveting story about how many sunglasses he used to own. Really, does anyone reading this article give a crap about this guy? I’m really glad you got to hang out with Bono and Anthony Kiedis. Any more names that nobody cares about that you wanna drop? Oh wait, I just saw Paul Oakenfold’s name, touché.

You are exactly the kind of person that turns people in Jackson off. While talking about yourself and how good your life is obviously fascinating to you, no one else cares. There are many wealthy people in Jackson, take my word for it since you will never see them in your club, and there are many people in Jackson who are barely scraping by.

You won’t see them in any V.I.P. rooms either, they’ll probably be at one of the local bars or restaurants that are laid back and aren’t full of a-holes like you. Who knows, maybe a lot of Paris Hilton types will move to Jackson and frequent your club, talking about Bono and boarding schools and me, myself, and I. Just think, Jackson, wouldn’t that be a great addition to our lovely mountain town.

- Matthew Kramer
Jackson, Wyo./Victor, Idaho


No density up-zones for free market homes
 100 free-market homes? I’d vote for no more than absolutely necessary to fetch more money than from 35-acre ranchettes. And I’d suggest revising the Plan of ’94 to give density bonuses for re-sale-restricted clusters only.

- Bob Morris
Teton Village, Wyo.

Get Guier back
 Dr. Guier has been my orthopedic surgeon since 1990. He has operated on my left knee, right hand, and replaced my wife’s hip. His skill and caring inevitably resulted in a close friendship, and he became a prized neighbor.

I have other close friends among Jackson’s large medical community, but no other doctor telephones me out of the blue every couple of months year-round just to say hello and to find out how I am doing. I have been an admirer of St. John’s Hospital since I was first sewed up by Dr. Huff in 1932. I have used the Emergency Room on many occasions, and experienced long and short stays in the hospital.

 It is not difficult to love our wonderful hospital and Chris Guier. For the sake of the community, please reinstate him to full hospital privileges now.

I am 88 years old and fully expect to die in St. John’s or at home within the next very few years. I am counting on having Drs. Butcher, “Mark,” and Guier help me with my transition.

- Jack Huyler
Jackson, Wyo.

Make a plan, stick with it
Over a thousand acres of land are now proposed for development in the Valley. We can no longer be told that we must accept the environmentally hideous, workforce-neutral Teton Meadows Ranch project because “it is our last chance.” This is a pivotal moment, a chance to do it right with a true comprehensive plan.

Comprehensive means “covering many things or a wide area, including everything so as to be complete.” A plan is “a design or scheme, to work out in advance and in some detail how something is to be done.” Our Planning Commission, County Commissioners and Housing Authority now have an opportunity to do just that. We can build what we want, how and where we want it, according to a Comprehensive Plan. Teton County badly needs Smart Planning. The argument that “we already have ugly development, so let’s add more” is an offensive copout. Look around you. The part of Teton County that nature gave us is spectacular. Are we equally proud of the part we humans built (that is, outside of a few exclusive neighborhoods where hardly anyone goes)?  Allowing further development without a comprehensive plan will give us more of the same - Everywhere.  
Greater demand to develop and live in Teton County is inevitable. Most of this will come from people relocating here from other places. What shape will this growth take? What do we want Teton County to be like in 5, 10, 20 years? How will we balance a need for sustained affordable housing, wildlife, environmental impact and the gift of natural beauty?
I encourage our elected and appointed governmental officials to place a moratorium on development until we create a Comprehensive Plan that respects our natural resources and benefits the entire community.

- Kristine O’Brien
Jackson, Wyo.


Revise comp plan first
<This letter was directed to the Teton County Commissioners and also edited for length. - Eds>
I don’t envy the fact that you will soon have to deal with the rush to develop the scenic open spaces of South Park. Your plates will indeed be full with forthcoming development proposals and presentations by Teton Meadows Ranch, Three Ranchers LLC and The Porter Estate. The community is looking at the potential of “shoe-horning” an additional 815 homes into South Park ala Park City, Utah.

Speaking of Park City, have any of you driven through that area recently? If not, I highly recommend that you do. Is this what we want in Jackson Hole? Park City, Wyoming does not have a “ring to it.”

It seems evident that these developers are betting that they can win bigger, better and denser development approvals under the existing comprehensive land use plan and regs than waiting to apply under the new, revised plan which has yet to be completed.
 Given the fact that one of the commission’s prime responsibilities is to protect the quality of life in Teton County, it only makes sense to review all of these new development projects subject to the new comp plan…..not the old one.

Jackson Hole knows where it has been. Teton County’s priority should be in completing the comp plan revisions prior to reviewing and approving development plans from the aforementioned entities. Call it “tabling” the applications or perhaps even consider declaring a “moratorium” (there…I said it) on new development applications pending completion of the comp plan revisions. 

The future of Jackson Hole is in your hands and we have just this one opportunity to get it right.  We can all afford to wait for the new plan.

- Robert Sanford
Rafter J
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Letters March 26, 2008 | Planet JH News Article: Letters To Editor

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