PMD rounds third, out at the plate

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

By Jake Nichols

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-If the mayor thought he was going to catch even one inning of his beloved Red Sox and their playoff game Monday night, he was dreaming. On the agenda was a scheduled discussion on the Planned Mixed-Use Development (PMD) regulations.

The oft-maligned development tool is so intricately tied to the Comp Plan and its ongoing revision, Mark Obringer said he didn’t know how to separate the two. Abe Tabatabai has made it clear he doesn’t favor the use of PMDs on smaller lots and mayoral challenger Mike Lance said he would cast the PMD to the fires of hell if he ever got into office.

“Just before hell freezes over,” Mayor Mark Barron quipped when Tabatabai asked when the Comp Plan revisions would be done. “This is a very good discussion for this very complex issue. I hope everyone can appreciate the complexity of this issue … you should have never approved this, Abe,” Barron added in reference to the adoption of the current PMD tool which Tabatabai helped draft.

During the public comment phase, Jim Wolf urged the council to quit getting caught up in the numbers, and just ask the neighbors whether they like that massive new building blocking their kitchen light. “I hear very little from you guys talking about the impact on the surrounding neighborhood “Be a little holistic,” he said.

Kristy Bruner (Conservation Alliance), Armond Acri (Save Historic Jackson Hole), and Mike Lance (mayoral candidate) all reached an accord with their pleas to the council: Four-story buildings are too tall and the PMD’s “community benefit” loophole is too subjective.

At the other end of the spectrum are property rights protection and monster builders who ARE able to develop three lots of commercial-residential-lodging in under 46 feet, despite parking and housing impact. But on this night, public sentiment was in a shrinking mood.

PMD shrinks in the wash
After kicking around some of the problems inherent in the use of the PMD, Mayor Barron was ready to start slicing. “The height of buildings has been maybe the most contentious issue. Anyone want to take off the fourth floor?” he asked.
The pleasure of the council was to chop fourth floors off of all PMD applications and limit the height to a 42 foot max. “Most architects can design a nice 42-foot, three-story building,” Tabatabai said.

“Is it the height or the number of stories?” city administrator Bob McLaurin asked the Council. “Do you care if it is four stories if you have a height limit?”
“I think the people do,” Barron answered.

Bob Lenz was particularly irked by the arrogance of some developers. “They come in here with these maximums, thinking that’s their right. They need to earn them,” he said. “Just because those are the extremes doesn’t mean you have a right to do it. You gotta earn 46 feet.”

Then Melissa Turley turned the screws on fat cat developers.
“Let’s make all PMDs meet all four criteria (Developers currently must meet two of four),” Turley began. “Also, any PMD would have to exceed our base mitigation rate for affordable housing. Add 20 percent to the mitigation rate, across the board, for all PMDs.”

The room murmured.

Barron said he wanted to be clear on what Turley was proposing – a mandatory 20 percent affordable housing on top of the already 15 percent required from new developments?

Yes, said Turley. “What we are getting from PMDs is not nearly enough community benefit. That’s what I’m hearing.”

“Melissa’s proposal would increase the affordable housing requirement significantly. Just so we’re clear,” city planner Tyler Sinclair interjected.
“If you want to kill the PMD, maybe that’s the way you do it,” Obringer said. He added he would rather the new Comp Plan decide the fate of a tool he felt was still useful for unusual lot circumstances.

The Mayor was willing to workshop the new tweaks to the PMDs in November. “Melissa is adding a little bit of a twist on it. I’m going to support it so that staff can take a look at it,” he said.

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PMD rounds third, out at the plate | Planet JH News Article: Council Chronicles

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