For the week of April 2 - 8, 2003

Singular urban plan looks for a Blaine site

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By PAT MURPHY
Express Staff Writer

A unique demonstration project that links smart growth land-use to transportation needs, water use and the environment will be considered for somewhere in Blaine County at a 1:30 p.m. April 22 meeting at the old Blaine County Courthouse in Hailey.

The concept might resemble a project just completed in Caldwell, population 18,000, located between Boise and the Oregon border.

In the Caldwell project, a five-square mile area was designated for master planning, requiring participation of dozens of public and private sector representatives coordinated by the University of Idaho’s Idaho Urban Research and Design Center and led by Todd Maguire of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

Maguire will outline the Caldwell project during the April 22 meeting as a possible model for a site in Blaine County.

The city of Hailey has expressed an interest in such a master plan concept, possibly for undeveloped area east of Highway 75 across from the new Albertson’s store.

Blaine County Commissioner Sarah Michael, who invited Maguire to make a presentation here after being briefed by Maguire on the Caldwell project, has mentioned the so-called large, undeveloped Eccles property south of Friedman Memorial Airport between Hailey and Bellevue as another candidate for master planning.

Key to the workability of master planning an impact area is a "charrette"—a compressed, limited time conference of participants with a stake in a designated area to produce a design embodying the best land-use, drainage, transportation, commercial and environmental ideas.

The French word "charrette" means a handcart that was used to collect students’ papers quickly.

In Caldwell, participants were divided into three teams in the design: one devoted to focusing on economic issues in the master planned area, one to community interests and the third to ecological issues.

The U.S. Environmental Projection Agency through the state DEQ provides funds for such a project. The Caldwell project cost about $90,000, Maguire said, and the results are now being prepared in a book.

However, some information is available at a Web site (www.AA.Uidaho.edu/iurdc/sci).

In her invitation to city officials of Hailey, Ketchum, Bellevue and Sun Valley as well as several civic groups to attend the April meeting, Commissioner Michael indicated that a draft proposal for master planning a Blaine County project could be pulled together by late May, finalized and submitted for funding in June and work begun in September.

 

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