A redesigned layout with communal outdoor space won unanimous approval — and moves the project closer to breaking ground.
After a rocky start earlier this year, the Virginian Lodge’s employee housing project has cleared a significant hurdle. The Town of Jackson’s Design Review Committee unanimously approved the redesigned project last Wednesday — a notable turnaround from January, when the same board sharply criticized the original plans for lacking outdoor space, communal areas, and a coherent identity. The updated design addresses those concerns directly: architects rotated two of the four buildings 90 degrees, creating a shared green space at the center of the complex, complete with picnic tables, benches, and landscaping intended to encourage neighbor interaction.
The committee’s response to the revised plans was enthusiastic. “It has a sense of place, and that’s great,” said committee member Mary McCarthy, who had previously voiced concern that the original design felt like housing “jammed in the corner.” Fellow member Dale Staten, an architect who had called the initial plans “wrought with a lack of design,” praised the courtyard and the gesture of returning usable space to future residents. The redesign was led by architect Brad Hoyt, who was brought onto the project following the January pushback and recused himself from the vote.
With design approval secured, the project — a private Virginian Lodge initiative separate from the adjacent town-and-county affordable housing proposal at 90 Virginian Lane — is now headed to the Planning Commission, with a hearing anticipated in mid-to-late May. Town Council review would follow roughly one month later. The completed private development would add 24 one-bedroom and 8 two-bedroom units to the property, contributing meaningful workforce housing inventory to a market where employee housing remains one of Jackson Hole’s most persistent challenges.
Source: Jackson Hole News and Guide
