Planning Commission to weigh piping Leeks Ditch for South Park pathway

The Teton County Planning Commission is set to decide Aug. 10 whether to loosen a draft condition that says Leeks Ditch "shall remain an open channel" through the Northern South Park Area 1 pathway exaction, or to allow the ditch to be culverted and piped where needed to make the pathway work on the ground staff memo packet.

The applicant (JHHR Holdings I, LLC) says the ditch runs about 9 to 15 feet wide through Area 1, while the county-owned pathway exaction land is 20 feet wide. With a proposed 10-foot pathway centered in that strip, the developer argues an open ditch leaves a pinched cross-section unless the ditch is shifted toward High School Road or pushed into the Town of Jackson well easement south of the exaction. Staff’s option for Condition 2.c would keep the “open channel” language but add an exception: “where necessary to accommodate the pathway, road crossings, or to avoid existing utility easements,” the ditch could be placed into a pipe, with design aimed at avoiding blockage and future maintenance problems. If commissioners go that route, watch for how tight they make “where necessary,” and whether they require named locations (like Haystack House Road and the well house area) before any culvert goes in.