Stage Stope stopped

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

By Jake Nichols

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-For an alley the Town gave away, councilors sure are taking an intense interest in it. Jackson legislators took nearly a year to vacate the alley that straddles the Woods Motel and micro-mall where Teton Thai is crammed. The oddly configured adjacent properties belong to Jim Darwiche who was before the Council for the umpteenth time trying to push his proposed 31,000-foot lodging/retail venture through at least sketch plan approval.

Councilors sent Darwiche redesigning months ago with concerns over sidewalks, public rest rooms, and countless issues with that dang alley.

“We intend to upgrade the alley with resurfacing and buried power lines to make it more attractive and functional,” project architect Roger Strout said. According to Strout, an extended analysis of the alley and its uses showed traffic there would increase because of the proposed addition of a basement restaurant.

Mark Obringer said he knows a thing or two about restaurants, and they require deliveries and trash removal practically nonstop. And who the heck would want to eat in a basement restaurant, anyway?

Who would want to live in a basement unit, wondered Melissa Turley. She was worried for the seasonal employees who were getting rooms in the root cellar below even the underground parking.

Despite planning head Tyler Sinclair’s advice that sketch plan approval was for general things like volume and massing, Turley again hammered at the alley, wondering what type of lift the loading dock would be utilizing. Strout played along and said he was considering a scissor lift.

With Bob Lenz, it’s always pedestrian flow. “That 12 foot sidewalk [on Cache] is either there or the vote is ‘no’ from me. It’s that crucial,” he said. “When the pedestrian comes to that corner he needs room.”

Only councilman Greg Miles seemed to stay on task, focusing on the architectural design, which the Design Review Committee found to be too busy with diverse materials and the Planning Commission thought too “southwestern-looking.”
But fellow architect Stephen Dynia came to the defense of Strout during the public comment phase: “This is a great scheme. The level of detail here for sketch plan is impressive. The discussion is on the visual aspect of a ‘Western look’ and what is authentic. Well, mimicry degrades tradition to the point of a ‘Disney-fication’ of Western.”

What amounted to nitpicking at such a preliminary step was likely a product of the development’s location – partially inside the hallowed ground known as the Town Square Overlay. The panel did agree the site was perfect for a mixed-use development and they all were intrigued by the small, local shop spaces it would include. But just when it seemed they were ready to give their approval, talk swung around to another possible continuation.

When Darwiche finally stood up for his Stage Stop development, introducing himself as “the guy who’s gonna pay the mortgage on this,” he pointed out that every one of his neighbors and they were all excited about the project. He also stressed the project was done by the book and he was asking for nothing out of the ordinary.

Mayor Mark Barron began the parry: “The Council is asking if you are willing to take a continuation ...”

“The bird is in your hand. You can kill it whenever you want or let it fly,” Darwiche said.

“It’s your money,” Barron countered. “Do you want to change it now with another sketch plan?”
“I don’t know how serious to take certain things.”
“Like a heart attack,” Barron answered.

“This is your decision,” Darwiche said, confused as to why the Council was asking him to stall his own project again. “If there is a critical point anywhere along the way you can condition it then.”

The Council voted unanimously to stop Stage Stop.

Housing trusted
The altered arrangement of Greg Prugh’s Dos Diablos development was passed. The project was modified to accommodate the sale of 60 percent of Prugh’s units to the Housing Trust who, in turn, were partnering with St. John’s Hospital for half of those. PJH
PERMALINK:
Stage Stope stopped | Planet JH News Article: Council Chronicles

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