This past Friday, a preliminary injunction was filed, in US District Court, against the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust to stop a $30-million housing project from moving forward on land administered by the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
As part of the deal between the BTNF and the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust, the JHCHT would have administrative control of the forest service land and construct 14 buildings comprised of 36 units for local employee housing.
On December 15th, the Town of Jackson approved $4 million in SPET funds for a first right of refusal on 6 units to house the Town of Jackson’s employees at half the rental rates for 30 years. The Teton County Commissioners are also considering a similar proposal to fund 6 units for county employees. Of the remaining units, 13 would be for forest service employees and 6 would be leased by the JHCHT for local workers.
A brief history of the Nelson Trailhead Project:
In 1957, three administrative parcels were created for the BTNF. These included the land currently occupied by the BTNF office on Cache Street, as well as the Nelson parcel and an area south of town near Bryan Flats.
In 2009, former BTNF Supervisor Jacqueline Buchanan conducted an environmental assessment to determine the impacts of housing local forest service workers on the administrative parcel located on Nelson Drive.
In 2012, former Supervisor Buchanan initially approved 13 single-family housing units for forest service employees, but later changed the term “single family housing units” to mean “multi-family housing unit.”
In 2013, a 10-acre parcel was sold on Cache Street to a local developer to improve or expand existing BTNF structures and build a bunkhouse on the remaining BTNF land on Cache Street.
The public has not had the opportunity to weigh in since then. In September 2025, current BTNF Supervisor Chad Hudson announced that he had partnered with the JHCHT to build housing on the Nelson Trailhead administrative site. Mr. Hudson also increased the number of buildings to 14, stating that it would not cause additional significant impact.
The Injunction
Attorney Michael Clement filed the injunction pro se, meaning he is filing the lawsuit personally. He lives two blocks from the proposed development on Nelson Drive.
The motion claims that the Nelson Trailhead project is unlawful for several reasons, including the environmental review pertained to units, not buildings.
The 2012 Findings of No Significant Impact stated,
“Up to 13 housing units, with associated amenities, constructed as multifamily complexes (could be apartments, condos, duplexes, triplexes, etc., or a combination of;)”
Other potential violations addressed in the motion refer to housing only being approved for forest service employees, the lack of public comment taken since 2012, Supervisor Hudson’s authority in issuing a Special Use Permit to the JHCHT, and the length of time for the proposed permit.
If Mr. Clement is unsuccessful, this will be the first time that members of the public would be permitted to live on US Forest Service land, although other communities are also exploring the idea.
This plan has caused a lot of controversy among area residents, however Mr. Hudson, told The Open Range Record he was simply getting creative to house his employees in one of the most expensive areas in America.
Public comment by the BTNF is being held at the Teton County Rec Center on January 6th.
Rebecca Bextel (Who is a partner in The Open Range Record) held a town-hall to educate the citizens of Jackson about the proposed "afforable housing" plan.
This is a developing story and The Open Range Record will add more details as they become available.