As a Teton County commissioner, I thought HCN's readers would appreciate some additional information about the expansion of the Grand Targhee Resort in Teton County, Wyo., described in a recent "Two Weeks in the West" item (HCN, 3/03/08). The decision balanced the legitimate need for a historic resort to expand with the protection of natural resources and local community character.

The total number of 450 units approved for the resort includes the existing 96 units and approximately 40 units of employee housing. There are approximately 314 units of new market housing. A boundary around the 120-acre resort to prevent future expansion was a condition of approval and is protected by a conservation easement.

There is a dark-sky condition to minimize night light pollution. There is a prohibition against pets other than seeing-eye dogs to protect against conflicts with wildlife in the national forest areas around the resort. Traffic impacts will be mitigated through the use of mass transit. Six hundred acres of open space will be protected in Teton County, Wyo., and Teton County, Idaho.

Hank Phibbs
Wilson, Wyoming