Is Driggs the new Jackson?

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Driggs is doing its best Jackson Hole imitation. A quick scan of news making headlines over the hill shows very similar plot line drama to that marking tony Jackson. Upscale luxury hotel, condominium project, and affordable housing. It’s all coming to the town of less than 2,000 residents.

Much of the growth is trickle down wealth epicentered in Jackson. Victor and Driggs serve as bedroom communities designed to house the blue-collar workforce of Shangri-La. Fast-forward to today. Drictor development has a whole different feel as those displaced by Jackson Hole’s uberwealth, combined with coastal newbies looking for a western lifestyle, are driving the latest land rush.

Organic growth was anticipated as early as 2006 when Victor exploded in unchecked ghost subdivision development that sat unfulfilled after the 2008 crash. Things have certainly picked up since then.

Even as far away as Driggs (an 8-mile straight shot on Highway 33 that can get nasty in winter) and Tetonia (another 8-mile drive from Driggs), proposed development is beginning to stack up in planning offices.

Victor City Council got a recent ‘scared straight’ presentation from Jackson/Teton County affordable housing guru April Norton as Teton County Idaho is trying to learn from Teton County Wyoming. The City of Driggs has already looked into implementing housing regulations in order to codify the city’s desire for workforce and affordable housing.

Housing is booming in Victor and Driggs. Commercial development has been quick to catch on.

Several Jackson-based businesses have launched new enterprises in Victor or Driggs. Tom Fay started up a Victor version Pinky G’s. Wanderlust Bistro recently opened its doors in Victor. It is owned by the same owners who run Streetfood out of the Stagecoach and Butter Café in Teton Valley. Give’r is opening a new production space in Victor.

Jackson-based Teton Thai, Most Wanted Performance, Fitzgerald Bicycles, and Give’r all jumped to TV. Jackson artist Katy Ann Fox just opened the first art gallery (Foxtrot) over the hill.

Driggs hotel coming

Staying ahead of the curve won’t be easy. Massive development is coming, beginning with a 107-room Marriott coming to Driggs. The four-story hotel will sit on the vacant lot adjacent to Broulim’s to the south.

The hotel is a development by Lot6 Group LLC, who is also putting up two new hotels in Rexburg—a 97-key Marriott SpringHill Suites and a 102-key Hampton Inn and Suites.

Principal owner Kevin Flamm said the Driggs hotel project will fly under the Marriott Element brand to take advantage of better flexibility.

“We wanted the hotel to fit with the community so we would need to alter the base prototype to do this. Element is a Marriott brand that allows large customization,” Flamm said.

The key component to flexibility is the mix of short- and long-term rentals. Some 65% (70 rooms) of the project will be extended stay rooms with kitchenettes. The hotel will also offer a full bar/lounge (including an outdoor terrace with firepits) along with multiple other amenities.

“This clean, balanced, and sustainable approach…we felt would match well with the existing community. The hotel will have a bike rental program, electric car charging stations and falcon nesting boxes,” Flamm added.

Flamm hopes to break ground this June and have the hotel open by November 2023.

Affordable housing efforts

Depot Square is a mixed-use project that breaks ground this week at the southwest corner of Depot Street and Front Street in Driggs. On an acre of land leased by the city, the Northwest Real Estate Capital Corp project received a tax credit award from Idaho Housing and Finance Association for the project. It includes 30 deed-restricted affordable apartments as well as retail spaces, live-work units and business incubator spaces.

Pushback felt

Tougher affordable housing regulations pertaining to new development, including mitigation to offset their impacts, is on the way in Teton County Idaho. But it is not coming fast enough for many in the Driggs area who are resisting growth.

A packed house city council meeting last month went over three hours as public comment was unanimously opposed to a monster 200-unit subdivision next to Teton High School. The council ultimately denied the application unanimously.

A taste of Jackson life is already ruffling feathers of those in the vicinity of Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport, which has been on the receiving end of a huge uptick in private jet arrivals since the Jackson Hole Airport closed April 11. Noise and traffic are encountered every day according to several social media posts.

As Victor and Driggs appear to be dragged kicking and screaming into a feeding frenzy that has threatened to ruin the social fabric of Jackson Hole, the only question remaining might be: Is Tetonia far enough away?