The Teton County Planning Commission is recommending that plans for a 70,000 square foot, five-story condo complex at the location of the current Village Center building be rejected due to a lack of employee housing and other concerns. The VC, as locals know it, is the last stronghold of Jackson dirtbags and holds locals' favorites like the Village Café, with its walk-up, PBR-dispensing window vendings, its downstairs bar, Wilderness Sports, and the offices of the home-grown ski film company, Teton Gravity Research, as well as rooms for the Village Center Inn. It occupies prime real estate at the Jackson Hole base area immediately adjacent to the Tram building, and stands out with ghetto appeal. "It's a piece of shit, for sure." said Sam Petri, an employee at TGR. "When you look at it compared with all the other buildings, it stands out as 'a piece of shit.'"
It's only now that the owners of the VC seem to be doing close to as well financially as they were in 2007, but there's still some roadblocks to clear. The plans for the VC were criticized because while calling for 12,000 square feet of commercial space, 38 bedrooms and 18 residential condos, they only make room for housing one employee. As well, the plans would also require most of the facade facing the resort parking lot to be turned into a loading dock, which the planning board is loathe to see happen. If it gets rebuilt, some tenants believe they'll be priced out of the new VC.
· Village Center plans deficient, report says [Jackson Hole Property Guide]