Construction dig sparks concerns
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
Excessive excavation at a hillside
construction project on Sage Road in Warm Springs canyon has triggered
immediate action from Ketchum City Hall.
The size of the excavation at the site
sparked concern among area residents and city leaders about slope
stability, avalanche danger, the acceptable limits of disturbance in the
city’s mountain overlay zone and excavation and stockpiling practices,
Ketchum planner Harold Moniz said during a visit to the site Tuesday.
One of the purposes of the city’s
mountain overlay zone, according to the city’s zoning code, is "to
protect hillsides in Ketchum, which are physically and topographically
unique…"
When it was approved, the duplex project’s
developers, Hillside Ventures, told the city’s planning and zoning
commission that approximately 2,000 yards of material would be removed
from the hillside to make way for a large retaining wall at the rear
foundation of the building, Moniz said.
"We have reason to believe they’ve
gone beyond that," he said.
Sage Road resident Scott Curtis, also a
local developer, said in a conversation Monday night that he estimates
10,000 to 20,000 yards of material have been removed.
The city requires developers to obtain a
permit if more than 5,000 yards of material are to be removed.
The material is being stored on a vacant
lot across Sage Road, covering most of the lot 15 to 20 feet deep. Moniz
said the pile was 35 to 40 feet tall before the city’s building
inspector asked that it be taken down a bit.
Hillside Ventures representatives were not
immediately available for comment to answer why so much dirt has been
moved, but the problem for Sage Road residents remains.
"It’s disruptive and rude and
dirty," said Sage Road resident Catherine Fischer at the P&Z
meeting Monday night. "It’s like having a movie set nearby, like Close
Encounters of the Third Kind."
During a meeting Tuesday morning, Ketchum
city staff met to discuss steps they can take concerning the matter.
Moniz said the city will undertake a soil
and avalanche analysis of the site, and do a survey to determine just how
much excavation has occurred. All three studies are expected to be
completed by Jan. 16.
The studies should elaborate on the
potential dangers associated with the site and give the city better
direction in dealing with potential problems.
Additionally, at the city council’s
direction, city staff are working on city-wide guidelines that will help
mitigate effects of construction projects on the city’s neighborhoods,
including mitigating truck traffic, storing excavated materials and
storing construction materials.
Such guidelines would have been helpful in
this case, Moniz said.
"This is a learning process for
us," Moniz said. "There are a lot of things we could have
done."
He said that under ideal circumstances the
project’s developers would have waited until spring to break ground,
lessening potential avalanche and soil stability hazards.
"I don’t think we’ll be approving
projects of this nature in the fall again," P&Z chairman Peter
Ripsom said at Monday’s meeting.
Commission members Monday made clear their
distress concerning the seemingly excessive excavation after a throng of
Sage Road residents voiced complaints.
"We’re all distressed by the current
situation. We think they’ve done more than they ever applied for,"
Ripsom said. "These people are doing a disservice to the whole
construction industry as far as I’m concerned."
Ketchum planning administrator Lisa
Horowitz said the city doesn’t have the authority to issue a stop-work
order on the project. Zoning infractions require taking the builder to
court.
She said, however, that the city’s
attorney would have to issue the final opinion on a stop-work order, and
the attorney is on vacation for the week.
Moniz said stopping the work at this point
would probably be futile anyway.
"The real solution is going to be to
get that wall built."
