Peri Stern, a Jackson resident, told the joint meeting that the planning process for the 90 Virginia Lane housing project has been “contentious, confused, opaque, behind schedule, and seemingly grasping at straws.” Stern urged elected officials to “take a step back” from a formulaic focus on unit counts and to create a community definition of success before construction proceeds.

Stern said the current approach too often fixes a unit target first and only later attempts to define what success would mean for the neighborhood, resulting in “very large buildings and a sea of parking.” She pressed officials to answer five questions together: what do we need; what do we want; what is our capacity; what can we afford; and how will we know we have succeeded. “We need to do something, but what?” she asked.

As a concrete proposal, Stern asked the boards to direct the Jackson/Teton County Housing Department and Penrose developers to temporarily pause activity on the 90 Virginia Lane property. She recommended that the county administrator, town manager and housing director meet with an executive director from the Community Foundation to organize a public planning charrette in early 2026 that would include Penrose and other stakeholders.

Stern said such a charrette, conducted “thoughtfully, deliberately, together,” would allow the community to craft a shared vision and measurable definition of success and reduce contention. She framed the requested pause and the charrette as a way to safeguard public time and funds by ensuring subsequent development aligns with community priorities.