For the week of August 29 - September 4, 2001

Triumph Springs 
development plan 
denied

Sun Valley P&Z votes to 
preserve open space

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By PETER BOLTZ
Express Staff Writer

The Triumph Springs developers’ third time before the Sun Valley Planning and Zoning Commission was not a charm Tuesday, nor were their three applications for a proposed seven-home subdivision that would have allowed large-scale homes on hills above the south entrance to Sun Valley.

Peter O’Neill, left, Evan Robertson, middle, and Doug Clemens listen during public comment Tuesday before the Sun Valley Planning and Zoning Commission. O’Neill is one of the development partners of Triumph Springs, Robertson is the attorney for the developers, and Clemens is the designer/planner for the proposed development. Express photo by David N. Seelig

Commissioner Nils Ribi made the motions to deny Lane Ranch Partnership’s application to amend the comprehensive plan, to deny its application for a rezone, and to deny its application for a preliminary subdivision plat.

With each of the three motions to deny, there came three unanimous votes by the commission to deny—except for Commissioner Mark Pynn, who recused himself.

The rezone request for the land in question, in the hillsides of a small drainage above Weyakkin to the west and the Lane Ranch to the south, was tabled in previous hearings before the commission on July 10 and Aug. 14.

But, even before the first meeting, Sun Valley and Ketchum residents were preparing to battle the developers’ proposal to rezone their property from Outdoor Recreational to Rural Estate, then to build seven homes on it.

Elkhorn resident William Hardy, for one, hired attorney Doug Werth to oppose the project.

Werth placed newspaper advertising and circulated flyers that presented the following reasons to oppose the project.

• The lots would mar the scenic entrance to Sun Valley.
  
  

• The land included avalanche zones.
  
  

• A valuable recreational asset would be destroyed.
  
  

• The property owners had agreed in 1989 that the property remain as open space.

Sun Valley residents Michael and Ruthann Saphier submitted a guest editorial to the Idaho Mountain Express before the July 10 P&Z meeting.

Among other things, they said, "The developers’ application is a blatant attempt to irrevocably scar a highly visible, centrally located, priceless parcel of magnificent mountain and hillside land, so that multimillion dollar homes may be enjoyed by a very small minority of the population.

"We will all suffer from the loss of one of the few important remaining parcels of open space land that constitutes the mountainous ambiance that so many of us moved here to enjoy."

At the July 10 meeting, Karen Reinheimer made an impassioned speech against the development.

"In 1976, my grandmother donated 114 acres to be kept in its natural state forever," she said, referring to the farmland at the southern entrance to Ketchum.

"We have to fight to preserve and protect the scenic and pastoral character of the land at the entrance to Ketchum and Sun Valley," she said.

Then she turned in the direction of one of the Lane Ranch Partners, Peter O’Neill, and his attorney, Evan Robertson, were sitting.

"They want to change the rules to make more off this property they said would be open space," she said.

"I find it shocking they are here to change the rules in the middle of the game, at our cost."

Werth, Saphier and Reinheimer were present at the P&Z Commission meeting Tuesday, and all three voiced their objections again.

Werth told the commissioners that "the current land use designation of Outdoor Recreational was correct, and the developer hasn’t shown any reason to change it."

He called Triumph Springs "an ill-advised development."

Saphier testified that the development proposal was "emotionally charged because of the bold-faced appearance that the developer can destroy our hillsides."

"There are endless reasons why this project should be denied," he said. "The developers shouldn’t even be here and asking to develop this parcel."

Reinheimer said that after she had recently walked the proposed subdivision, she was struck by how dangerous the hillsides would likely be for children and adults at night.

Peter O’Neill, one of the partners in the Lane Ranch Partnership, spoke last before P&Z chairman Jim McLaughlin closed public comment.

"This is our third hearing, and there has been little testimony presented that is relevant to what we’ve presented."

He said that he had heard a lot of "misinformation, disinformation and revisionist history" during the meetings.

"We hold a strong belief that we have a right, if not an obligation, to submit a development plan," he said.

Discussion by the commissioners presaged how they were going to vote on the three applications.

David Brown said, "This project flies in the face of the goals of the comprehensive plan."

Blair Boand said, "I see no compelling reason for this proposal to go forward."

Ribi said he couldn’t reconcile the goals of the comprehensive plan with what the developers wanted to do with the property.

Ken Herich said, "It was open space then, it is open space now. This was appropriate then, it is appropriate now."

He added that it was clear to him that residents do not see the proposed development either as an asset or a benefit.

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