A billionaire's request to expedite the construction of a luxury resort in Wyoming by lifting seasonal restrictions has failed after county officials voted 3-2 to deny the proposal.
According to WyoFile, TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts petitioned Sublette County commissioners in June to fast-track his high-end development on Upper Hoback Road in Bondurant by exempting it from a protective wildlife stipulation.
The state's Game and Fish Department bans exterior work from Nov. 15 to April 30 to minimize disruptions for wintering moose and elk. The agency initiated the bylaws in 2022 as part of the county's approval of Ricketts' rezone request for this project.
Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs, broke ground on the resort this spring. He presented it as a conservation effort designed to protect natural resources and the corridor that serves as a migratory route for wildlife.
His agent, Steve Christensen, projected the 64-unit building with eight additional cabins to take as many as six years to complete instead of three with the constraints in place.
Christensen offered to limit work to daylight hours, establish a 25 mph speed limit on Upper Hoback Road, and open a migration path across the ranch while allowing officials to assess a cement batching plant in return for year-round construction, per WyoFile.
"Given all the mitigation the Jackson Fork Ranch is offering and the shorter duration of the disturbance … I think the overall net impact to wildlife would be reduced," Pinedale regional wildlife coordinator for Wyoming Game and Fish Brandon Scurlock said to the board in support of the reworked proposal.
Meanwhile, WyoFile noted that every resident who spoke at the public hearing before the vote expressed their displeasure with Ricketts' attempt to bypass the restrictive construction clause.
"You are engaged in a process of enabling deception and dishonesty," seasonal Upper Hoback Road resident Lisa Krall said to the commissioners. "This has been nothing … except a process [of] applying for something and giving approval, and then coming back and changing things and then getting approval for the changes. That's what the process has been all along."
Sublette County Commissioner Doug Vickrey, who has opposed the resort from the start and vetoed the proposal, shared a similar sentiment regarding Ricketts' "piecemeal" approach to negotiations.
"These folks agreed to what this original resolution was," Vickrey said. "Why would we want to change it? I don't — and I won't, with my vote — I can tell you that right now."
It's not the first time the wealthy have tried to alter or harm habitats for personal gain.
Luckily, some billionaires have committed to a greener future, such as Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest, who has already invested $1.8 billion in clean energy projects. Additionally, Elisabeth DeLuca allocated $850 million for preservation and education initiatives and donated land that is home to several endangered species to the University of Florida.
As a result of the voting, construction crews can only work on Ricketts' luxury retreat this year until Nov. 14.
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