ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

All of us at VARD - members, staff and board - have been following, and/or participating in meetings for the rewriting of the Land Use Code for almost 10 years. We are continuing to follow it now. We have the utmost respect for the current, and past, P&Z Commissions who have listened to many, many verbal comments in public sessions and spent hours poring through countless written documents, studies, and written public comments for years. Theirs is a very difficult job, at a very difficult time, in the County’s history with development proposals at levels not seen since the early 2000’s. The current draft of the code produced by P&Z Commissioners reflects the comments, both pros and cons, made by the public. 

That said, in what appears to be a stall tactic in response to hostile and intemperate “comments” and even threats to individual commissioners, the P&Z Commission chose not to send its work to the County Commissioners. Instead, it is forming a “committee” to review a document that has been reviewed, analyzed, scrutinized and modified over many years. For the P&Z to create a “committee” to yet again analyze the code rather than sending this current draft onto County Commissioners for deliberation is a disservice to our inclusive process and to our community.  Whether this delegation of authority to an entity that the P&Z creates is legal or not, it will only create a cloud on the work the elected County Commissioners should now be doing.

We at VARD, over our 20 year history, have been active in promoting RESPONSIBLE development and preventing irresponsible development. We have held potential developers accountable to zoning ordinances of respective cities and the County. In so doing, we have helped save thousands of acres from IRRESPONSIBLE development. We have thwarted efforts by developers from around the country, including Jackson, from capitalizing on our 2.5 acre zoning for their financial benefit.

These lands that VARD has saved from irresponsible development would not only have been a visual blight on our community but also a stress on our local natural and public resources. VARD has many times over our history played a critical role in prohibiting irrational and sometimes illegal placement of, septic systems, wells, building envelopes, and glamping resorts (to name a few), and we have saved and preserved hundreds of acres for wildlife and for open space for the enjoyment of everyone in the valley, including those who oppose this code. In fact, VARD has stopped unwanted and potentially damaging developments by “investors'' from Jackson, Idaho Falls and around the country. Mountain Legends with 90 proposed houses on 200 acres and Mahogany Ridge with 1984 units on 712 acres of critical big game, fish, and waterfowl habitat are just two examples of disasters, based on the current code, being avoided. VARD also played a critical role in rescuing the 950-acre Maytag property from development of hundreds of homes and, instead, these 950 acres are now part of National Forest land and will be preserved in perpetuity while providing wilderness access and enjoyment of our valley citizens for generations to come. This is what we stand for, and this is RESPONSIBLE. We work not just for our members, but for the good of the citizens of Teton County. The framework of the Land Development Code will benefit all in the community. We can’t stop growth, but we can make sure that growth is done in a responsible way.

Here's what is easy... to foment and create discord among one group around baseless, unfounded, and imaginary issues. Anyone with a lack of understanding and a grudge can do that, especially in this era of social media. It’s so easy to spread untruths and unfounded information. Piece of cake. Just grab your phone and off you go. 

What is difficult and challenging and sometimes uncomfortable is discussing issues in a constructive and mature manner - to reach a compromise that is agreeable to both sides. This is what defines us now and has over decades in our valley, not provocative and unfounded accusations.

Yes, we are grateful to the members of this County’s Planning and Zoning Commission and we are fortunate to live in a society which allows us all the same right: to voice our opinions. But let’s do it with respect for one another. As we talk about “rights” this is one right that we all share. Let’s all move forward in a dignified and respectful way and get this done.

Tomorrow’s meeting (Tuesday, November 9th) starts at 5pm. Agenda, Zoom link, and in person information HERE.

Item #6 on the agenda is Appointment of Ad Hoc Committee to Assist With Development of a Draft Land Development Code and is scheduled for 6:15pm.  

What can you do?
Email the P&Z Commissioners TODAY and let them know you support the code moving forward to the BOCC. Ask them to amend or withdraw their motion made during the October 27th P&Z meeting to form an ad hoc committee and move the Draft Code on to the County Commissioners. 

Here’s why...

1. The P&Z did not sign up for this headache, but the County Commissioners did. The P&Z Commission is a group of volunteers appointed by the County Commission. They are supposed to give their recommendation and then get on with their other business (which is substantial). The County Commission, on the other hand, is elected and paid to handle controversial issues exactly like this. The P&Z could recommend that the County Commission form an ad hoc committee. Or the P&Z could simply say that their work is done and it’s for the County Commission to figure out. In any case, a bureaucratic logjam is NOT the solution. Which brings us to our next point…

2. We, the people, have recourse with the County Commission, but not the P&Z. The County Commission is composed of pro-planning, pro-conservation folks who campaigned on passing the Land Development Code. They won hefty majorities in the last two elections because the majority of Teton County residents want to protect this special place. The County Commission elections are held every two years - next year, in fact - so, if we, the people, don’t like what they’ve done, we can vote them out. Simple as that. The P&Z are not elected, but appointed to fill four year terms. Their work is supposed to be technical - not political. So, let the politicians do the politics, and let the P&Z fulfill their role in implementing policy and providing technical recommendations. It’s the only way to move forward and to break the cycle of bureaucratic dead-ends that have plagued the adoption of the Land Development Code for the last decade. It’s time to move forward. 

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

P&Z Meeting Zoom Link is HERE
Or you can join by going to Zoom.com and entering the following information:
Meeting ID Number: 701 658 496
Passcode: 967030
You can also call into the meeting via Zoom by dialing 301-715-8592 and entering the ID number and passcode above.