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October 16, 2014

This Ain’t Housing

Housing? This ain’t it. Did you know that in a recent survey 2% of Teton County residents indicated they were camping?

The Western Greater Yellowstone Regional Housing Needs Assessment just came out. It contains valuable data on the state of our housing situation. It has some suggestions. And it takes the long view.

First, the facts for Teton County:

• Restricted housing units: 1,488 out of 13,300.
• Seasonal and second home units: 3,978.
• Rental units needed to stabilize rents at existing levels: 300.
• Ownership units needed to meet demand over next 5 years: 900.
• Median income, 4-person household: $96,800.
• Median single-family home listing price, July, 2014: $2.1 million.

Now the fix. These are some suggestions from the study for how to meet our goal of housing 65% of our workforce:

1. Establish a dedicated revenue source for housing, be it a tax or fee, optimally shared by visitors who benefit from the services provided by our workers.
2. Create a housing fund that pools revenues from existing exaction and mitigation requirements.
3. Require that accessory units be rented long-term and enforce requirement.
4. Revise the existing regulations to:

  • Increase consistency between town and county requirements.
  • Base exactions on housing demand created to account for the greater demand generated by larger homes.
  • Simplify fee-calculation methodology into per-employee and per-square-foot amounts.
  • Modify commercial mitigation requirements to account for total employment and simplify the requirements with fewer use categories.
  • Encourage voluntary real estate transfer assessments.
  • Assist developers who are building workforce-targeted market housing with waivers while assessing appropriate exactions when existing workforce housing is redeveloped into market housing.
  • Codify a process for crediting affordable housing units created before they are required or that are beyond the number required.

    • We should also have a central authority to coordinate the efforts of county, town and our three hard-working and dedicated housing organizations, the Teton County Housing Authority, the Jackson Hole Housing Trust, and Teton Area Habitat for Humanity.

    Most importantly of all, the study’s authors take a long-term view. They point out that the more and faster we grow, especially in the second home sector and in the lodging and dining sectors, the more pressure we put on our tight housing resources. Growth management is the one an overarching way to achieve our vision in the long run.

    I ask for your vote to push forward real housing solutions. Thank you.

    September 29, 2014

    Leadership for Teton County

    We’d been up since 0-dark thirty, plodding upwards. It was dark except for the first gray light of dawn lipping the Sleeping Indian. It was cold—bleak, early winter cold. Our group stopped and dropped, sitting dejectedly on their packs. Communications specialists headed to the Mideast to hide equipment on mountain tops, they had hired us to introduce them to the hardship of mountain travel. And they were getting their money’s worth.

    “These guys are whipped,” said the other guide, “I think we should we call it.”
    I checked in with everyone, asked how they felt, assessed the situation. “Let’s not,” I said. I looked at the group. “No one feels good at this time of day. Our bodies, our brains, nothing is awake yet. Let’s give it a go for fifteen minutes, half an hour, see how we feel once the sun comes up.” We got up, shouldered packs, trudged on. The sun edged over the horizon. Our pace steadied; dejection turned to determination. Several hours later we summited. A brief act of leadership had turned the tide.

    As it is with guiding, so too with being a commissioner—leadership matters—especially now as we navigate tough tradeoffs on almost every issue.
    On the one hand we have open space and ranch land, abundant wildlife and rich habitat, and a plethora of diverse cultural events and opportunities. We are the place to be, the “Fabled Montropolis.”

    On the other hand: Roads are congested. Housing is tight, expensive and restricted. Certain developments can threaten our wildlife and wildlife habitats. New challenges, as well as new opportunities, require fresh leadership.

    The late Warren Bennis, a well-known leadership guru, said that leaders have integrity—they don’t lie to themselves. They have curiosity—they wonder about everything. And they have daring—they try new things (Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader).

    Furthermore, leaders are not managers. “Managers are people who like to do things right….. Leaders are people who do the right thing. Managers have their eye on the bottom line. Leaders have their eye on the horizon.” (Economist, August 9th, 2014)

    Eighteen years of guiding, six years of service on our planning commission, a background in economics, and 40 years of observation and thought on our community have honed these leadership qualities in me. I look forward to serving as your leader on the county commission, to taking the long view and protecting our values, our people and the place we love.

    July 18, 2014

    The Long View

    Let’s make a mountain guide a commissioner. Here’s the text of my speech to the Jackson Hole TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party, July 17.

    I was born in Jackson, raised outside of Wilson, schooled locally.

    Up to 2010, my primary career was as a professional mountain guide, mostly for Exum Guides. During my time there I was personnel manager and part owner.

    Notwithstanding the joke about guides, that the only difference between a guide and god is that god doesn’t think he’s a guide, it matters that I have that background. Some of the critical skills required of a guide carry over well to the job of commissioner, including listening to and observing people, evaluating their strengths and utilizing those strengths to achieve a goal.The job also requires the ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

    That background also matters because I’ve been in the shoes of an employer trying to house employees for a short, intense summer season.

    I’ve also been a grounds keeper, condo maintenance person, surveyor helper, table-busser, waiter, laborer, ski patrolman and avalanche hazard forecaster.

    That matters because to understand our community’s current challenges, it’s important to have walked in the shoes of our workforce, looking for housing, working multiple jobs at once.

    I’m currently working as a consultant in environmental economics. That matters because economics provides a suite of tools for finding constructive ways to address our community’s challenges.

    And I’m currently serving my sixth year as a county planning commissioner.

    That matters because planning and zoning are the broadest powers granted a county by the state. That power must be wielded judiciously and with clear purpose and intent. I’ve already been looking closely at the proposed development regulation amendments designed to implement our community’s vision as described in the comp plan. I’m prepared to make decisions and get them implemented.

    I’m blessed to have parent’s here in the valley. That matters, because I care how our community provides for our elders.

    And I’m blessed to be a parent of two boys, aged 3 and 5. Being a parent matters—I’m nothing if not thinking about the future, for them and for our county.

    We have accomplished a huge amount as a county. We have many outstanding citizens past and present to thank for those accomplishments. Large tracts of historic ranch land have been permanently conserved. Our pathways stand out nationwide. Our community is vibrant and diverse.

    We also have much to do. Let’s be honest, the trajectory of development in our county is off the mark for accomplishing our community’s vision. Our best shot to adjust course is in front of us now as we update our development rules and standards.

    My diverse background, my years spent observing and thinking about our county, and my stake in the county, past, present and future, make me immensely qualified for the job of commissioner. Let’s think clearly about our community’s values in a way that takes a long-term view. And let’s give a mountain guide a chance to serve as our commissioner.

    Thank you for your consideration. I hope you’ll vote for me August 19th and November 4th.

    July 13, 2014

    Our Comprehensive Plan: Community First

    We need clear development standards that reflect our community’s Common Values as identified in the Comprehensive Plan: Ecosystem Stewardship, Growth Management and Quality of Life. And we need consistent interpretation of these standards.

    The Comprehensive Plan identifies Ecosystem Stewardship as our commitment to protecting our natural resources. It identifies Growth Management as a suite of strategies and guidelines on how to achieve the goals of ecosystem stewardship. And it recognizes how Ecosystem Stewardship and Growth Management combine to preserve our Quality of Life. Our Comp Plan is a commitment to a community-first, resort-second ethic. If we are consistent with this vision, we will protect our habitat, provide for a diversity of housing and implement effective multi-modal transportation. The key lies in how we craft zoning rules and development standards to implement our plan.

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