Planning commission continues North Cache hotel–residential sketch plan after extensive review and public comment

The Jackson Planning Commission on an evening meeting continued a sketch-plan review for a proposed mixed-use hotel and residential development on North Cache, asking the applicant for more detailed geotechnical, traffic, parking, landscape and affordability documentation before sending a recommendation to the Town Council.

Commissioners voted to continue the sketch plan — labeled P-24-170 — to the Planning Commission meeting on March 19, 2025. The commission also earlier continued a separate item, P-24-196, to the March 5, 2025 meeting.

The project team presented a redesigned scheme that the applicant said is about one-third smaller than the prior submission: Brad Wexstaff of World Capital said the resubmitted proposal reduces gross floor area, basement volume and lodging units compared with the 2023 filing. "Pretty much every metric is smaller," Wexstaff told the commission.

Why it matters: Commissioners and members of the public flagged unresolved technical questions that the commission said must be resolved or better documented before a development-plan approval would be appropriate. Issues include removal or management of contaminated soils and groundwater, the scope and timing of traffic and parking analysis, snow-storage and snow-melt operations for the alley-centered site, and how onsite amenities (a proposed 6,000-square-foot spa and restaurant space) should factor into workforce- and affordable-housing mitigation.

What was proposed and what remains open - The sketch plan covers a block bounded roughly by North Cache, Perry Street, Glenwood and Mercer/Mercel (as shown in the applicant materials). The developer described the scheme as roughly half hotel and half residential: the presentation listed 112 hotel keys and 34 residential condominium units in the current concept, with a reported total gross building area above and below grade of about 260,000 square feet. The applicant said budget, program and massing were reduced from the previous version and that some buildings are connected by a sky bridge. - The town’s staff analysis identified 15 conditions typical of sketch-plan approvals; staff recommended the commission continue the item to allow the applicant to respond and to conduct additional third-party review of technical studies. Tyler (planning staff) told commissioners the town will require a traffic study, updated geotechnical reporting and a remedial action plan addressing contaminated soils and groundwater impacts to Flat Creek and other resources.

Public comment and sustainability concerns Several residents and local organizations urged the commission to require stronger environmental and sustainability analysis before advancing the project. Kaye Modai of Protect Our Waters, Jackson Hole told the commission that new large developments present an opportunity to reduce operational carbon and improve stormwater filtration; she asked the commission to require more robust geothermal and runoff controls, and to seek material reuse during demolition. "They can reduce the electricity demand by 70%," Modai said when describing geothermal potential.

Jenny Fitzgerald of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance also urged the commission to require the geotechnical, environmental and traffic reports to be completed before further approvals so the commission and council could make fully informed decisions.

Design-review feedback and site access The applicant said the revised scheme breaks the development into smaller building masses along North Cache and relocates the primary guest arrival into an interior block arrival (under a proposed pedestrian bridge) rather than directly from North Cache. Applicant representatives noted design-review committee (DRC) comments asking for more cohesive material palettes and reduced third-floor massing on some buildings; the team said it will return to DRC on March 12 with refinements.

Commissioners and staff pressed the applicant on alley ownership, public access and maintenance. The applicant said the alley would remain publicly traversable for two-way travel and for service vehicles, but improvements would be privately funded and maintained under a development or maintenance agreement if the council approves an alley enhancement. Commissioners asked how large service vehicles and trash trucks would access and turn in the proposed roundabout and whether the town would take on plowing and maintenance.

Housing mitigation and program credits Staff and several commissioners questioned the developer’s calculations for the project’s affordable- and workforce-housing obligations. Staff said the project proposes off-site mitigation at the Loop project and claimed the applicant’s submission met the current housing requirement; some commissioners and public commenters pressed for detailed backup documentation for each historical credit the applicant claims. Commission members also debated whether large hotel amenity spaces (conference centers, a 6,000-square-foot spa) should be treated as part of hotel square footage that is exempt from mitigation, or whether such amenities will generate employees who should be counted for housing mitigation.

Requested follow-up and conditions The commission asked staff and the applicant to supply or refine the following before the continued hearing: a more detailed sketch-level landscape/LSR plan; supporting documentation for affordable-housing credit and mitigation calculations; a parking plan (with clarification about a potential administrative parking reduction tied to bike parking); a snow-storage/operations plan and explanation of any proposed snow-melt systems; updated geotechnical and remedial-action reporting; and an updated traffic study or traffic-demand-management plan acceptable to state and town review. Staff also noted third-party review will be used for specialized technical reports.

Applicant response and process notes The applicant’s attorney argued those technical studies are most appropriately prepared once the commission and DRC provide clearer direction about massing and access. "Without that basic information," the attorney said, preparing certain studies now could be wasteful; he asked the commission to provide clear conceptual direction that the applicant could use to finalize technical work.

Commission action After discussion, Commissioner [motion maker: name not specified in the transcript] moved to continue P-24-170 to the March 19, 2025 Planning Commission meeting; the motion carried by voice vote. Earlier in the meeting the commission also continued item P-24-196 to the March 5, 2025 meeting. The commission’s continuation carries a list of requested follow-up items (staff conditions) that the applicant must address for subsequent review.

Votes at a glance - P-24-196 — Motion to continue to March 5, 2025. Outcome: continued (voice vote). - P-24-170 — Motion to continue sketch plan to March 19, 2025. Outcome: continued (voice vote).

Next steps The commission scheduled the sketch-plan item for the March 19 Planning Commission meeting and the applicant said it will return to the DRC on March 12 with design refinements. Staff will circulate the list of required follow-up materials and indicated it will arrange third-party review for complex technical reports as needed.