Jackson housing ground breaking

Jackson Housing Project

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department continues to work on providing much-needed housing for employees assigned to work from the Jackson Region office. Like many Jackson-based agencies and organizations, Game and Fish has faced significant problems with employee recruitment and retention due to the ever-increasing cost of housing in Teton County.

Stay up to date on the Jackson Housing Project

 

In 2019 the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission explored the option of moving the regional office out of Jackson due to the extremely high cost of housing in the area. However, there was support from the community for Game and Fish to maintain a strong presence and retain the office.

 

In 2021, after an exhaustive review of locations to potentially build housing, the Commission decided to build on the northeast corner of the Commission-owned South Park Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) along Wyoming Highway 89, approximately five miles south of Jackson. Development on this particular portion of the WHMA will not impact high-value wildlife habitat or the Department's management of wintering elk. The project calls for the construction of six single-family houses and one multi-occupant house for temporary employees. The project is intended to be completed in 2024.

 

Public access during construction may be impacted.

Jackson Housing Project Visual materials

  • Housing Plans
  • A view of a foundation with a structure in the background at the site of the Jackson Housing Project
  • A construction worker on a lift next to an unfinished structure that the viewer can look through to see mountains off in the background.

FAQs

Have a question about the office construction? Check here first to see if it has been answered.

The Department worked closely with Teton County in 2021, including several meetings with County Commissioners and County planning staff. Teton County communicated strong support of this project and the strategy to accomplish this project. The county has agreed to work with us on fire code inspections, electrical inspections, and other important life/safety measures for our employee housing development.

This project will be accomplished entirely with Game and Fish Commission funds from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses; no State general funds will be used. The Commission proactively set aside money for this project during the last several years.

Housing has become cost-prohibitive for Game and Fish employees in Jackson and the Department is facing significant recruiting issues in this area. Teton County's median listing home price is over $4 million. For the past 15 years, the Department has worked on trying to achieve a long-term housing solution. In 2019, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission explored moving the regional office out of Jackson. However, there was strong support from the community, including hunters and anglers, for maintaining the office in Jackson. Employee housing will allow Game and Fish to better serve the public in the community and manage and protect fish and wildlife habitats in the Jackson area.

Jorgensen Associates, Inc. a Wyoming-based company located in Jackson, was hired to produce the housing design.

Currently, the project calls for the construction of six single-family houses and one multi-occupant house for temporary employees.

The housing units will be built in the northeast corner of the wildlife habitat management area. Development on this particular portion of the WHMA will not impact high-value wildlife habitat or the Department's management of wintering elk. The location of the housing was determined through surveys, data and monitoring.

The employee housing will be located on the Commission-owned South Park Wildlife Habitat Management Area, approximately five miles south of Jackson. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission acquired the properties that now comprise the WHMA in 1939, 1941 and 1947.