Sun Valley debates affordable housing
for commercial areas
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
The concept of affordable housing in Sun
Valley’s commercially zoned districts is getting thorough review by the Sun
Valley City Council as the body weighs amendments to the city’s commercial
zoning rules.
At a regular city council meeting
Thursday, April 17, Sun Valley leaders debated the merits of offering density or
height bonuses to developers who build deed-restricted affordable housing or
market rate "compact" units less than 1,200 square feet in size.
The only firm conclusion the lawmakers
arrived at was to pare out a section of the draft amendments that would have
allowed buildings containing one deed-restricted housing unit to be 64 feet
tall.
As written, the draft ordinance proposes
to cap building heights at 44 feet with a three-foot increase permitted for the
screening of mechanical equipment. However, exceptions up to 64 feet would be
permitted for hotels, mixed-use buildings containing at least 4,000 square feet
of commercial space, or residential buildings containing at least 20 percent
affordable housing.
In addition, density bonuses would be
given for developments including "compact" or deed-restricted housing units.
Council chairman Latham Williams said he
doesn’t believe developers will ever get past the commercial space incentive.
"I think we’ll never get a hotel or
affordable housing if we’ve got (the 4,000 square feet of commercial space
incentive)," he said. "Should we really be giving them an incentive to put it on
the ground floor over community housing? If I was a developer, I’d love you for
doing it, but you’re never going to get community housing."
Of the commercially zoned areas in Sun
Valley, there are 60 acres in the Sun Valley Village and 25 acres at Elkhorn
Village. The former Elkhorn Hotel property, now owned by C.G. Elkhorn, could be
soonest to redevelop, and C.G. Elkhorn representatives were most vocal at the
meeting.
Attorney Ned Williamson said his clients
are concerned that requiring commercial space in Elkhorn could result in empty
commercial space.
But Mayor Dave Wilson believes modest
amounts of commercial space can continue to work.
"Remember, this is not just Elkhorn. This
is Sun Valley," he said.
The council approved an 120-day extension
of a moratorium on the processing of new applications for development projects
in Elkhorn Village and Sun Valley Village. The moratorium proposal was put forth
by city staff last December in response to a potential surge in development
applications for commercial-zoned lands that propose only residential uses.
The moratorium will be repealed upon
adoption of a new commercial core ordinance.