Planning commission backs day-care at JH Indoor Sports; conditions limit initial enrollment to 20 children

The Teton County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval Monday of a conditional use permit to add a day-care education use at the JH Indoor Sports facility in the South Park Business Park.

Chandler Windham, Teton County senior planner, told commissioners that the application (CUP 2025-00001) would allow a preschool program for approximately 20 children ages 3 to 5 to operate Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., inside the existing indoor-sports building at 3580 South Park Drive. The facility already contains indoor fields, training areas and ancillary businesses; the proposal uses existing building space and existing parking. Windham said the building is sprinklered and the applicant must obtain all state and local health, fire and building approvals before operation.

Cornelius Kinsey, architect for the applicant Field House LLC, and David Cox, the facility general manager who will run the program, described planned drop-off circulation, a dedicated parking/traffic attendant at peak times and an operational commitment that daycare hours would not overlap with tournaments. Cox said the operator intends to start with the 20-child enrollment and, if demand and site operations allow, pursue any increase only after satisfying county transportation review requirements.

Staff recommended approval with six conditions: (1) obtain the state childcare license and pass required inspections; (2) set a maximum of 20 children at any one time, with the allowance to increase to 36 only if the Teton County transportation manager approves a transportation mitigation and parking-management plan; (3) maintain a dedicated staff member for parking and traffic control during pick-up and drop-off; (4) prohibit tournaments while childcare is in operation; (5) prior to operation clearly mark one-way travel and short-term parking/drop-off areas and allow inspection by county staff; and (6) pass fire, building and any health inspections prior to opening. Windham said those conditions addressed the county’s parking and circulation concerns and staff was able to make the eight findings required for CUP approval.

Commissioners asked whether state child-care rules could allow a higher occupancy and how county and state standards would interact. Windham said the state licensing authority could approve a larger number, but that local zoning and the CUP conditions represent the county’s limits; the county will require the state license before the facility may operate. Commissioners and staff added a clarifying condition to allow the higher number (up to 36) only after the transportation manager signs off on a sufficient mitigation and parking-management plan, and to require county review of transportation impacts if the owner seeks an increase.

The Commission’s unanimous recommendation in favor of the CUP will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners. The commissioners recorded the motion to recommend approval and voted “Aye” on the revised conditions.

Ending: The project moves to the Board of County Commissioners with a unanimous recommendation for approval and an added procedural pathway for the applicant to seek a conditional increase in enrollment if the county transportation manager finds sufficient mitigation. The applicant must secure state licensure and pass required inspections before opening.