Planning commission reviews 67-room Hotel Jackson sketch plan with automated parking at 50 South Millward Street

The Jackson Planning Commission reviewed a sketch plan and conditional-use permit (CUP) application for a proposed 66,000-square-foot mixed-use development at 50 South Millward Street, including a 67-key hotel, one retail ground-floor unit and 10 residential units, during its public meeting. Staff recommended preliminary approval of the sketch plan and the CUP with conditions and asked the commission to identify policy questions related to automated parking, right-of-way impacts and dedication of two on-street 15-minute valet spaces for council consideration.

Caitlin Page, the associate planner, told the commission the two requests before the body are distinct: a sketch plan required for large developments in the DC-2 zone and a conditional-use permit required for large buildings. "This is the first time at scale the town would have seen a public process use of one of these," Page said of the proposed automated parking system, stressing that existing local parking standards do not directly address automated designs and that the project will require a parking study addressing queuing, vehicle mixes and whether vehicles waiting to enter the system could encroach on the public right-of-way.

Why it matters: staff framed the review as conceptual — the sketch-plan stage sets the development's broad parameters while the development-plan stage provides the technical detail to confirm LDR compliance. Page said the project triggers other technical work: a traffic-impact study, a preliminary Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) review because the town was recently brought entirely into the WUI standard, and environmental analysis of a previously-flagged hydrocarbon concern noted in the Nelson Engineering materials. Staff also asked for a visual/arborist analysis to assess potential impacts to mature spruce trees on the neighboring property listed in the Jackson Historic Register.

Applicants Sean Gilbert and architect Amanda Machieri presented design and operational details, describing two levels of robotic automated parking intended to increase space efficiency and accommodate larger vehicles. Machieri described a valet-first operational model and said the system is designed to accept large consumer vehicles, including pickup trucks and Sprinter vans, and to minimize alley and street impacts by using short, rapid valet cycles and by keeping most vehicle handling mechanized. "It's designed to be user friendly," Machieri said, adding the system can be overseen remotely by the vendor for diagnostics and some maintenance.

Key points and outstanding issues: staff estimated a housing-mitigation obligation of about 4.857 units based on current credits and proposed unit counts and emphasized that the estimate may change as floor plans evolve; the commission was asked to accept that as an initial figure and to expect more precise counts at development-plan submittal. Page recommended conditions that include submission of a parking study that quantifies queue lengths and vehicle dimensions, updated building plans showing ADA van clearance and queuing that will not encroach on public space, an initial WUI review with the development-plan submittal, and mitigation details for any hydrocarbon contamination identified by engineering or the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

A local context question arose about existing curb uses: a speaker recounted that Hotel Jackson had previously paid for exclusive access to two curved spaces and said signage and enforcement historically were inconsistent; staff clarified the town is not currently selling or leasing right-of-way parking and that any dedicated 15-minute on-street valet spaces would be reviewed and decided by town council.

Procedure and next steps: the commission did not take a final vote on the sketch plan or CUP at this meeting; staff framed its recommendation as "preliminary approval" tied to conditions and further development-stage review. Commissioners asked the applicants to return with the required studies and finer-grain building details; staff and applicants will be available for follow-up questions as the project moves to development-plan submittal.

A procedural motion earlier in the meeting approved the planning commission minutes from May 21, 2025. The commission will forward the sketch-plan and CUP materials, together with staff conditions and the applicant’s follow-up studies, to town council for any decisions required regarding on-street space dedication and the CUP.