Northern South Park Neighborhood Plan
Jackson, WY · 2021
★ 2026 CNU Charter Award
Client: Teton County and Town of Jackson, through Opticos Design
Location: Jackson, WY
Year: 2021
CP Role: Sub-consultant to Opticos Design
Practice Area: Real Estate + Feasibility
Team: Alex Joyce, Principal-in-Charge and Development Strategy; Alex Steinberger, Scenario Modeling Lead; Julia Michel, Project Manager; Paul Runge, Market Analysis
The Challenge
Teton County wanted permanently affordable homes on 225 acres of private ranch land next to Jackson, in a market where a median-income family could afford one home in ten, and the landowners had no obligation to build.
Our Approach
We built the financial case behind the plan. We modeled four alternatives in Envision Tomorrow, from existing zoning at 98 homes to 2,381 homes, and compared housing mix, price points, fiscal return, and travel. We tested returns for each building type and incentives such as density bonuses, tax abatement, inclusionary requirements, and land donated for affordable housing, then set the absorption rate and phasing and outlined how to finance roads and utilities.
Outcome
Teton County adopted the plan in 2022: up to 1,682 new homes, with at least 70% of the first 1,200 permanently deed-restricted. Opt-in zoning followed in 2024, and in 2026 the County approved the first development under it, 557 homes on 74 acres, 70% to be built as affordable housing by Habitat for Humanity and the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust. The team received a 2026 Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) Charter Award for their work on this project.
Renderings: Opticos Design.
Related Projects
