Housing Must Be a Top Priority for Teton County (build it, and they will stay)

by Dan Powers

I’m a county commissioner, former builder and citizen of our valley and I believe housing must remain one of Teton County’s top priorities. This is not just a development issue. It is an economic issue, a family issue, a public safety issue, and a question of whether the people who work, serve, raise children, volunteer, and retire here can continue to call Teton County home.

Teton County is facing a housing market that does not function like a typical local market. We have to recognize that we are really dealing with two different systems of supply and demand: housing for visitors and investors, and housing for residents. Those two markets are related, but they are not the same. A new high-end home, vacation rental, or second home may add to the total number of housing units on paper, but it does not necessarily add a home for a teacher, sheriff’s deputy, nurse, county employee, small business worker, retiree, or young family trying to stay near their roots.

That is why simply saying “build more housing” is not enough. We need the right kinds of housing in the right places, tied to local wages and local needs. More than a thousand local families and workers need a home they can reasonably afford if they are going to remain in Teton County. When teachers, nurses, first responders, tradespeople, and service workers cannot find homes for their families, the whole community loses the people it depends on. 

If we do not act intentionally, the market will continue to produce housing that serves outside demand while local residents are pushed farther away. The consequences are already visible as employers tell us that housing affordability is the defining issue they face in finding or keeping qualified employees.

I support strengthening our housing approach and continuing to support the Teton County Joint Housing Authority. The housing authority gives the community a practical tool to produce and preserve homes that remain affordable over time. This matters because one-time projects are not enough if those homes eventually return to the open market and become unaffordable again. The goal must be permanent or long-term affordability, especially for homes created with public support, public land, public incentives, or public-private partnership.

We have evidence that this approach can work. The Driggs Depot Square project has 30 units of housing for those making less than 60% of the Average Median Income (AMI).  Sherman Park in Victor is under construction with 55 deed restricted units in the 80-120% AMI range.  We just broke ground on the Front Street project in Driggs with another 23 units of below market rent and 3 workforce housing units for Teton County employees.These projects are not theoretical. They show that when local governments, housing partners, nonprofits, developers, and funding agencies work together, we can deliver real homes for real people.

The county government cannot solve this alone. Cities have an essential role to play because many workforce housing options are best located near existing infrastructure, jobs, schools, grocery stores, parks, and transportation corridors. I support cities using smart incentives for both public and private market workforce housing. Driggs’ Qualified Workforce Housing Incentive Program is a strong example. It allows developers to receive incentives such as increased density, lot coverage, building height, and certain fee or mitigation waivers in exchange for permanently deed-restricted workforce housing. The program is designed to increase long-term affordable rental and ownership options for people who work in Teton Valley. 

That is the kind of practical, market-aware policy we need more of. We should not treat public and private solutions as opposites. We need both. Public entities can help set the rules, provide land where appropriate, apply for grants, and protect long-term affordability. Private builders can bring capital, expertise, and speed. The Housing Authority  can help preserve affordability and ensure homes remain tied to community needs. The county and cities should continue aligning policies so that workforce housing is not an afterthought, but a core expectation in future growth.

We also need housing tools that fit the rural character of Teton County. One option I support is a carefully designed one-time lot split policy that allows Ag families to keep land in family hands. Many longtime families are land-rich but cash-poor. Without flexible options, the pressure to sell family land for large-scale development can become overwhelming. A limited, one-time family lot split could allow a son, daughter, parent, or close family member to build a home without forcing the sale of the larger property.

Housing is the foundation for the rest of our county’s priorities. We cannot support local businesses if workers cannot live here. We cannot protect public safety if deputies, EMTs, firefighters, and county employees are priced out. We cannot preserve community character if the next generation has no path to stay. We cannot maintain a strong volunteer culture if the people who serve the community are forced to commute from farther and farther away.

My approach is practical: recognize the difference between visitor housing and resident housing; support the Joint Housing Authority; partner with cities to incentivize public and private workforce housing; and create targeted rural tools like a one-time family lot split to help Ag families keep land in local hands.

Dan Powers

District 2 Teton County Commissioner