Posted: Thursday, March 6, 2008 12:00 am
JACKSON (AP) - School officials hope to build housing as a way to help teachers offset the high cost of living in Jackson Hole.
School officials say the district doesn't have enough money to build affordable housing. Still, the district has been looking to build 11 housing units on 2.5 acres in Wilson, a parcel that has infrastructure already in place.
The district has placed newspaper ads asking if any community agencies, developers, contractors, architects or philanthropists would be interested in getting the project going.
"We keep hearing the word, 'crisis,"' Superintendent Pam Shea said. "But what kind of crisis is it? And when is it? Well, we determined that we do have some time, but we have to start now."
More than 80 percent of district staff responded to a recent housing survey.
The survey found that most staff who'd been with the district nine years or more were well-established and owned free-market homes. But fewer than a third of the teachers who'd been living in the area for less than three years owned their own homes.
The survey also found that the county had more people on the waiting list for affordable homes than who live in affordable homes.
The school board hasn't decided what kind of housing should be built on the Wilson property.
Board member Syd Elliott said the units could be affordable rentals or deed-restricted homes. A deed-restricted home can be purchased at a below-market price by a buyer who meets certain income and asset requirements.