Jackson Seeks To Buy 10 Acres From Forest Service

The town of Jackson is looking to buy a piece of property from the U.S. Forest Service.

The Forest Service plans to get rid of the 10-acre parcel on the outskirts of town and would normally auction it off to the highest bidder. But Jackson officials have asked the agency to consider a direct sale, where they would skip the auction and just negotiate a price with the town.

“Any time you can get 10 acres of dirt in Jackson Hole in one parcel, it’s worth looking into,” said Town Administrator Bob McLaurin. “I think one of the things that you will hear from folks around town is that they would like for this property to remain under public ownership.”

McLaurin says the town hopes to put in a new street on the property in question, and might also build affordable housing units and a convention center. He says wetlands on the property would likely be preserved.