For the week of January 22 - 28, 2003

Elkhorn Hotel demolition permit appealed

SV City Council to review decision Monday

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"There is a whole group of people in the village who are interested in seeing the hotel stay," he said.

— FRED ROGERS, Elkhorn Village Condominiums board member

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By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

An Elkhorn property owner has filed an appeal with the Sun Valley City Council requesting it overturn a decision by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission to permit the demolition of the Elkhorn Hotel and several adjacent commercial buildings.

Sun Valley City Council members will convene in a special meeting Monday, Jan. 27, at 8:30 a.m. to hear the appeal.

Michael G. Simmonds, a Boise resident who owns property in the Elkhorn Village Condominiums, on Jan. 15 filed a formal appeal of the Jan. 7 decision by the P&Z to approve a phased demolition of several buildings owned by developer CG-Elkhorn.

The appeal lists nine points of contention to the decision by the city to allow CG-Elkhorn to proceed with demolishing the 132-unit Elkhorn Hotel early next month.

First and foremost, Simmonds contends that a plan to reconstruct the Elkhorn Hotel site should be approved before any part of Elkhorn Village is destroyed. "The decision (by the P&Z) is arbitrary and unreasonable," he stated. "It approves destruction of the commercial center of Elkhorn without requiring any plan for replacing the improvements and structures that will be demolished and without providing for continuation of the commercial use."

Simmonds also argues that the decision was beyond the authority of the P&Z, and asked council members to consider the potentially broad impact the demolition project could have on local property owners. "Many of the property owners in Elkhorn purchased their property in reliance on maintenance of the commercial center in good condition," he said.

The Jan. 7 decision by the P&Z approved a two-phase plan for CG-Elkhorn contractors to demolish the Elkhorn Hotel, River Rock Steak House building and Treat Haus building this winter, and to raze the Sun Valley Elkhorn Resort Realtors building and the resort’s former golf pro shop in early 2005.

Most of the demolition operations for the first phase are scheduled to occur from Feb. 6 through March 5.

Fred Rogers, a member of the Elkhorn Village Condominiums board of directors, said Tuesday that the appeal has earned the support of numerous Elkhorn residents. "There is a whole group of people in the village who are interested in seeing the hotel stay," he said.

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