Stay tuned via the project page for more information.

Four million dollars in state funding has been approved by Idaho Housing and Finance for the 175 Front Street project on .6 acres being donated by Teton County on Front Street in Driggs. The project will provide 28 deed-restricted apartments affordable to households earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) as well as groundfloor space donated back to the County. Design is expected to be completed this summer and construction to begin in 2024.

175 Front Street Affordable Housing Project - $4M IN FUNDING AWARDED!

Stay tuned via the project page for more information. 

Four million dollars in state funding has been approved by Idaho Housing and Finance for the Sherman Park Workforce Housing project on 3.39 acres at the intersection of Agate Ave and Baseline Rd in Victor.  The project proposes 90 apartments with 23 being deed-restricted as affordable to households earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 32 units affordable to households earning under 120% of AMI. Design is expected to be completed this summer and construction to begin in 2024. 

Sherman Park Affordable Housing Project - $4M IN FUNDING AWARDED!

This transaction is part of the Teton Creek Land & Water Project, an ongoing effort launched in 2021 by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Idaho to achieve conservation and community benefits for the region. Following TNC’s acquisition of 1,000 acres of property in Teton Valley, TNC is collaborating with organizations of the Teton Creek Corridor Project to pursue exciting outcomes including: supporting agricultural irrigation needs and exploring opportunities for implementing regenerative farming practices; improving flow in Teton Creek at critical times for native Yellowstone cutthroat trout; permanently protecting elk migration corridors and wildlife habitat.

The property was sold as a package of separate land parcels, some of which have limited conservation values. On parcels with lower conservation values, TNC is seeking to support local partners in addressing community-based needs,such as expanding public infrastructure, building affordable housing, and pathways for community benefit. This includes two downtown parcels, the first of which was sold to the City of Driggs in 2022, and the second to TCJHA this year.

“We couldn’t have hoped for a better deal,” said TCJHA chair Shawn Hill. “Having a conservation and community-minded seller allowed us to acquire downtown land ideal for housing. This transaction simultaneously advances conservation and affordable housing goals, proving that, as a community, we can do both at the same time.”

“It’s exciting to see a diverse group of organizations working together on conservation and community outcomes, from the preservation of open space and wildlife habitat to affordable housing solutions,” said Neil Crescenti, Agriculture Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Idaho. “We are happy that the Teton County Joint Housing Authority will use this downtown property to meet important community needs.”

The Board of County Commissioners allocated a portion (12%) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds that Teton County received from the federal government to the TCJHA to support housing solutions. “With the skyrocketing cost of living in our community, below market housing options are critical,” said Cindy Riegel, chair of the Teton County Commission. “The $300,000 of ARPA funds that were allocated to the TCJHA and used to purchase this property will create stability for local employees and their employers. It is exactly what this economic stimulus money was meant to do.”

The Teton County Joint Housing Authority (TCJHA) has closed on the purchase of a 1.14 acre parcel at the north end of Front Street in Driggs, with funding allocated by Teton County, Idaho from its American Rescue Plan Act funds. TCJHA will be conducting public outreach and developing the details of the  design, financing and schedule in the coming months. This is the fourth new housing project being assembled by the Authority, since it began operating in 2020. 

The Land Use and Employee Generation Study documents current links between the construction of new commercial and residential development, the employees generated or induced by the development, and those employees’ need for housing. The information may be used by the local jurisdictions in Teton County, Idaho to inform incentive standards and support annexation and entitlement negotiations and other discretionary planning decisions where the impacts of new development on affordable housing may be mitigated. The study will also inform developers on the need for affordable workforce housing to serve their proposed development and encourage inclusion of such housing in their plans.

Economic & Planning Systems delivered the completed Employee Generation Study to the Housing Authority this June. The study, funded by Teton County, Idaho, calculates the additional workforce housing demand created by new market residential and non-residential development. This will support local efforts to understand better and address the workforce housing shortage. 