Off South Park Loop Road, a 0.28-acre lot in the Gill family's Porter Ranch subdivision allows a total footprint of 3,363 square feet, garage included. The land connects to town water and sewer, and building there follows design guidelines in the neighborhood's covenants. Lots have been offered for $700,000 to $1.2 million. Brett McPeak of Jackson Hole Sotheby's, who is selling the lots with JJ Gill, told the Jackson Hole News&Guide that Porter Ranch is "the first development of its kind in nearly three decades" and that "the last comparable neighborhood was Melody Ranch."
Last month the much larger project north of Porter Ranch got its approval. On Oct. 6, 2026, Teton County commissioners voted 4 to 1 for the Gill family's development plan: 557 homes on 74 acres of ranch land at High School Road and South Park Loop Road, with Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Teton Area and the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust slated to build 70% of them as affordable housing. If you're weighing Melody Ranch against other homes south of town, the size of the project matters less than the terms it was approved under. Those terms set how fast the new neighborhood can grow, what building there costs, and which roads carry the construction.
The Cheapest Vacant Land Still Adds Up to a High-End Build
McPeak called Porter Ranch the "least expensive vacant land in Teton County." The land is only the first cost. The News&Guide used a sample plan Sotheby's has advertised there, the "Munger Home," with 2,756 square feet, four bedrooms, four and a half baths and a 607-square-foot attached garage. Here is what that plan costs to build, using published local figures:
- The lot: $700,000 to $1.2 million, the asking range the News&Guide reported.
- Construction: One Jackson Hole custom builder's 2026 planning figure is $1,000 or more per square foot of conditioned living space, before land. In separate News&Guide reporting on building costs, JH Builders said projects that once cost $600 to $800 per square foot now cost $1,200. At those rates the Munger plan comes to about $2.76 million to $3.31 million.
- Soft costs: The same builder says the all-in project cost typically runs about 30% above the construction figure.
- County housing mitigation: Planning Director Chris Neubecker told the News&Guide that building the Munger Home would mean $15,092 in housing mitigation fees owed to Teton County.
Add up just the lot, the construction and the mitigation fee, and the total runs from about $3.47 million to $4.52 million before the soft costs in item 3. Those costs put a new 2,756-square-foot home in Porter Ranch in luxury territory, even on what the listing broker calls the county's least expensive vacant land. A finished home in an established neighborhood like Melody Ranch should be compared against that full total, not against the lot price.
The project was well underway this spring. In a News&Guide report that ShelterJH linked in its May 2026 newsletter, roads and infrastructure were in, three homes were under construction, and 62 of the 79 lots were still for sale. McPeak said most of the new owners were existing community members who planned to live there, along with a handful of spec builders.
A Permit Gate That Paces the Larger Project
Porter Ranch is the small, early piece. The 557-home plan next to it comes with a rule that limits how fast it can grow. In the county's approval order, the conditions the planning director recommended to the Planning Commission on July 27, 2026, say that once 83 new market-rate homes in Area 1 of the Northern South Park overlay have approved building permits, no more market-rate permits will be issued until at least 17 deed-restricted homes have a certificate of occupancy. The same conditions require the land for the restricted blocks to go to the nonprofit builders before any market-rate building permits are submitted. They also require the gate to be recorded against every market lot "to inform future buyers" until it is satisfied.
That ties the pace of the market-rate homes to the nonprofits' construction schedule. Habitat has said it plans to build its 193 homes over about 10 years, and the News&Guide reported that the whole project could take longer. As of Buckrail's Oct. 7 report, the Gills still had to apply for a grading and erosion-control permit, and work on roads and utilities could start only after that permit is approved. For a buyer, that means the south end will be under construction for years. It also means market-rate homes in the new neighborhood can only be built as quickly as the affordable blocks are finished.
The Road Money Comes on a Schedule. The Road Work Doesn't.
Traffic was the main point of debate in the vote. County officials first wanted $3.5 million in High School Road improvements paid and built up front. The Gill team argued that requiring the money up front made the project financially "unviable." The final order sets the total cost at $3,506,055, to be covered by cash payments plus easements granted to Teton County. The cash portion, $3,463,255, is spread out over time:
| Who pays | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Gill family, for the market-rate blocks | $1,314,995 | Up front, before the first initial plat permit |
| Nonprofit that receives blocks A, B, F, H, J and P | $1,119,704 | Ten annual payments of $111,970.40 |
| Nonprofit that receives blocks D, E and I | $1,028,556 | Nine payments of $114,284, three per block, starting with that block's first building permit |
Payments made after Jan. 1, 2031, will be adjusted for inflation. The county can withhold permits for any block whose payments fall behind. The order also says the money will go toward "transportation improvements in West Jackson, at the discretion of the Board of County Commissioners." The fees have a payment schedule, but the order sets no construction date for road work.
The planning director's earlier recommendation was more specific. It would have required the developer to build a single-lane roundabout at South Park Loop and High School Road, frontage improvements and a pathway on the south side of High School Road within five years of the first plat. Under the final deal, the developer and nonprofits pay the fees and the county manages construction. County Engineer Amy Ramage said a "minimum viable project" would cost $2.2 million. A News&Guide editorial put the full cost of upgrading the High School Road corridor at about $31 million, which makes $3.5 million roughly 11% of it.
Where the Construction Trucks Go Instead
The fee schedule leaves the timing of road improvements open. The construction rules decide which roads carry the building traffic. The construction traffic management plan approved with the project bars vehicles over 26,000 pounds from High School Road during the school year. Lighter construction vehicles must stay off the road within 30 minutes of first-period bell times at Colter Elementary, Jackson Hole Middle School and Jackson Hole High School, and all construction vehicles are limited to 15 mph in the school zone.
Commission Vice Chair Wes Gardner called the school-year ban on heavy trucks "overly restrictive." He told the News&Guide that "South Park Loop is going to get hit hard, really hard," while "High School Road is going to be sitting there empty." South Park Loop Road meets South Highway 89 near Melody Ranch, according to a Teton County project brief on the county parcel at that intersection. The plan also notes that the Gill property has room on site to store building materials and vehicles.
The News&Guide noted that other projects could add to construction activity on the west side of Jackson: a planned Jackson Hole High School expansion and a possible Tribal Trail connector tied to WYDOT's Highway 22 expansion.
Weighing Melody Ranch Against What's Being Built
A Porter Ranch lot is a clean start in a new subdivision. It also comes with a total cost in the millions and the waits that come with building a custom home. The larger neighborhood next to it will grow at whatever pace the permit gate and the nonprofits' schedules allow. Its road improvements will come when the commissioners decide where the fee money goes, and the school-year truck rule will push heavy construction traffic onto South Park Loop Road in the meantime.
Melody Ranch's own infrastructure work is already funded. Minutes from the Melody Ranch Improvement and Service District's Aug. 10, 2026 meeting report funding for its water system project, with completion estimated for May 2027. In September 2025 the district had planned temporary lines to keep water service running during construction. A buyer looking south of town in the next few years will see two neighborhoods at very different stages: one maintaining what it has, and one only beginning to build.
A Few Specific Questions
Has construction started on the 557-home project? As of Buckrail's Oct. 7 report, the grading and erosion-control permit was still ahead. Family attorney Amberley Baker said groundbreaking could follow once the county approves it.
Is Porter Ranch part of the affordable housing plan? No. Commissioners reviewed Porter Ranch separately, and it does not include affordable homes.
Who enforces the truck rules? Neubecker said they are planning regulations enforced by county code compliance officers, and the county can withhold building permits if builders don't comply.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Before acting on a fee, a covenant or a recorded condition, confirm how it applies to your property with an attorney or the appropriate professional.
If you're comparing an established home in Melody Ranch with a new build up South Park Loop Road, JH Property Group can help you compare the full cost of each and how the south end's construction schedule may affect the area.
