Jackson Hole, Wyo.-It was the first assembly of the Council in the new year. Greg Miles squiggled into the hollowed out butt cheek dents of Abe Tabatabai’s old seat. Tabatabai had occupied the chair from 1994 to present, with three years off in the middle for good behavior. 

“From now on, we will have to call you a RECOVERING councilman,” the mayor quipped. Mark Barron later expressed the town???s appreciation of “Abeisms,” alluding to Tabatabai’s penchant for butchering American idioms through a thick dialect. Example: “I don’t want to cut the noses of two baby birds in the bushes to spite washing my face in the bathwater.”

“This organization has become my second family; this place, my second home,” Tabatabai actually said in accepting accolades from a standing gallery.

City manager Bob McLaurin, busy slapping “Colorado” labels on UPS boxes, watched intently beside a glowing mother-to-be (again) Audrey Cohen-Davis. The Council appointed Nancy Shea to finish Miles’ term on the Planning Commission and promoted Melissa Turley to vice-mayor in Barron’s absence – which Barron promptly told Turley would amount to pretty much the next month.

Bank on it

The Rocky Mountain Bank sought to settle their 17,040 gross square feet into 890 W. Broadway. Approval of the final development plan for the two-story building would situate the financial institution between Bank of Jackson Hole (both of them) and First Interstate Bank, just two blocks east of Wells Fargo Bank and First Bank of the Tetons. A bank robbers’ getaway car could spin donuts in the Pizza Hut parking lot and spray six separate banks with the snow.

After Rocky Mountain Capital representative Coleman Andrews sparred briefly with councilor Bob Lenz over the unique shared parking plan between RMB and the Gun Barrel, attention turned to how the building addressed Broadway and crowded Scott Lane.

“I have a little heartburn over where the front door was at the planning level,” Miles admitted. “Would we allow a building to be built without a front door anywhere else? I like the parking in the back but this looks like a monument on a site rather than a pedestrian-friendly building that engages the street with a door.”

Architect Hal Hutchinson said a water main easement prevented the structure from getting cozy with Broadway, and the lack of a distinguishable main entrance was done intentionally for security reasons (confounded would-be robbers would simply give up and rob another nearby bank after failing to find a way in).

RMB didn’t get Miles’ vote, but didn’t need it. The development passed 4-1.

In other business

After lively exchange over the possibility of revising affordable housing mitigation rates, the Council decided it was best to table the plan to another meeting to allow for more public input. 

Christy Bruner (JH Conservation Alliance) said, “We believe it is critical that new businesses pay their way and mitigate their impact.” Armond Acri (Save Historical JH) warned that the proposed 2,500 square foot exemption would entice developers to sneak in under that threshold with a spate of 2,499 square foot projects.

Mark Obringer summed up the feelings of the Council saying he would like to see the downtown area revitalized with small, local businesses like funky coffee shops, so those merchants had to be protected from the burden of heavy employee housing penalties.

“The Town is where the County has been putting their employees for years,” said Barron. The mayor added he didn’t feel any pressure to keep up with the County, which has already jacked their affordable housing percentage mitigation rate from 15 to 25.

 The evening was extended by the speed-reading of endless ordinances. By Ordinance H, Cohen-Davis’ water broke. The city attorney paused briefly at Ordinance N to give birth. By the time she finished up with Ordinance W, her kid was outside warming up the car. PJH