Letters April 23, 2008

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

By Planet User

Animals need homes, too
I am nine years old. I’m writing because people are talking about letting the Teton Meadows Ranch developer put 500 houses on Seherr-Thoss ranch. I’m worried that it will ruin the beautiful view and take away land for wildlife. Not only are there bald eagles that hunt and live there, but also other animals such as hawks, moose, elk, bugs, geese, coyotes and foxes that need the ranch to live.

The law says that you are not allowed to kill bald eagles. People may not think they are killing eagles when they build all those houses, but when you destroy their land and kill their prey, you are destroying their home. Wildlife needs a place to live too, not just people.

Please don’t build the Teton Meadows Ranch development.
- Maleah Mader
Jackson, Wyo.

TMR should be first to go
<Note: This letter was addressed to Planning Officials. - Eds>
I am surprised to see the Teton Meadows Ranch project may possibly be excluded from the current moratorium on subdivision development. As the ill-conceived debacle that initiated the entire moratorium process, it would seem only logical that the TMR project would be the first to be INCLUDED in any postponement until the completion of the new Comprehensive Plan. The extraordinary up-zoning on TMR is exactly what a well-designed Comp Plan should be in place to prohibit.

Don’t undermine the efficacy of a solid plan by approving a development which can only be used as a future nail in the coffin of good planning. If TMR is approved as it is, there is nothing to prevent it from becoming a standard (norm) for subdivision design in our county. You all have come this far by looking at long-range impact. There are many more options for smart growth (Town as Heart being the most popular with county residents). You are sitting on a very solid foundation, both with public approval and, I hope, within your own consciences, if you hold fast and put everything back on the shelf until there is a blueprint for responsible, controllable, well-situated growth.
- Priscilla Marden
Jackson, Wyo.

Spring cleaning
I am a happy Pearl Street Bagels girl. I realize the humor in it, but the big FLOP against our spring closing comes with misunderstanding. Sure, you have your caffeine needs, and we feel partly responsible for feeding the addiction, but just realize that we didn’t drop everything and run away. Many of us have gotten down and dirty to keep our working environment a place we are proud of.

If you peeked in the window, instead of throwing obscenities at the closed sign (wish we had a hidden camera), maybe you noticed that the place was torn apart and thoroughly cleaned in a way that we never have a chance to do any other time of year. Us PSBers have standards ya know. We hope that gives you some peace of mind!
- Allison Dubenezic
Jackson, Wyo.

Buzz off
Thank you to the anonymous person (who identified himself as “Buzz,” self-named after the Planet JH article “The Buzz: moratorium, closing daze”) for bringing up an excellent point with proposed developments in the valley. Buzz’s online comments were quoted in the April 16, 2008 edition of Planet Jackson Hole.

Buzz is concerned that folks that are against some of the recent proposed developments may also be concerned about their property values. Buzz brings up a valid point that has not really been publicly addressed. The Land Development Regulations of Teton County, WY, Section 2540, Planned Unit Development (PUD-AH) District for Affordable Housing, states that one of the general objectives of the PUD-AH District is to provide neighborhood development design to achieve “preservation and enhancement of surrounding and internal land values through planning, design, and other development techniques.”

Buzz feels that existing homeowners will lose “hundreds of thousands of dollars” due to the current, proposed developments. Buzz would then have to agree that the proposed developments do not meet one of the general objectives for the PUD-AH zoning change they are applying for - since he/she feels that surrounding land values will not be enhanced or preserved by these developments. I will make sure that your views get passed along to the county commissioners. Thank you once again Buzz for bringing attention to just one of at least 25 reasons why Teton Meadows Ranch should not be approved.
- Kristin Vito
Jackson, Wyo.
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Letters April 23, 2008 | Planet JH News Article: Letters To Editor

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