New Broadford
subdivision approved
by Blaine P&Z
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
The Blaine County Commission
Monday gave unanimous approval for the Bend of the River Ranch
subdivision, an 11-lot, 65-acre subdivision planned about a mile south
of Hailey along Broadford Road. Bend of the River Ranch subdivision is
the latest in a string of new subdivisions planned along the scenic road
paralleling the Big Wood River.
Commissioner Sarah Michael was
absent from the meeting.
In approving the development,
Commissioner Dennis Wright said the proposal had "evolved into one of
the better subdivisions."
The 11 lots to be developed are
all larger than 5 acres. Two additional lots include 337 acres that are
not planned for additional development. Also, 11 acres will be given to
a conservation organization in the form of a conservation easement.
The project was not without its
opponents, however.
The ongoing subdivision of the
rural land along Broadford Road has upset the area’s residents, who wish
to preserve the area’s rural flair.
"If you want to talk about
precedent, precedent is a natural Broadford Road," said Mary Anderson, a
Broadford Road resident who lives adjacent to Bend of the River. "Let’s
go back to precedent and not have subdivisions."
As part of the approval, county
commissioners had considered requiring affordable housing from the
project’s developer, Nick Vanoff Presents Inc. However, the developer’s
attorney, Barry Luboviski, flat-out declined in a hearing two weeks ago
to go down that road.
"If you want to require that we
build community housing, we can settle this in the courts," he said.
Without an affordable housing
ordinance to back them up, commissioners settled on a $70,000 housing
impact fee to be paid in $6,500 disbursements when building permits are
issued for each of the 11 lots.
Luboviski agreed to the fee, and
commissioners said they would hold the money in trust for
housing-related projects, rather than transfer it to the Blaine-Kethchum
Housing Authority.
Both Wright and Commissioner Mary
Ann Mix said they have concerns about giving money to the housing
authority.
The Blaine County Planning and
Zoning Commission on Thursday, Feb. 12 weighed in for the first time on
the concept of affordable housing legislation that could require housing
as part of new subdivisions or limit house sizes to lessen the number of
employees needed to build and care for them.
P&Z members didn’t agree on all
the details, but generally said they believed the underlying
concept—that large new homes require more support and generate more
local jobs that need to be accommodated—was a valid one.