‘Sun Valley
has bright future’
Council president says
land-use issues loom large
By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer
Ann Agnew
Sun Valley City Council
President Ann Agnew moved to Sun Valley in 1996 with her husband Jim
Agnew, a retired advertising executive. She was elected to a seat on the
council in 2001. An architect at Boss & Agnew Architects in Ketchum, she
lived previously in Los Angeles and New York City. She has served on the
St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center Community Board since its
inception, in 2000.
Sun Valley City Council President
Ann Agnew said this week that she believes the city is at a critical
juncture in shaping its future.
Agnew said the city in the next
four years will be faced with making a series of land-use decisions that
could ultimately determine how the resort community is developed over
the next five decades.
Ann Agnew, president of the Sun
Valley City Council, on Monday discussed major issues facing the
city. Express photo by Willy Cook
Agnew, 64, took the reins as
council president in January. In an interview with the Idaho Mountain
Express Monday, March 8, Agnew said she will encourage the four members
of the legislative panel to cooperate with the city’s new mayor, Jon
Thorson, to ensure the city properly plans for an anticipated steady
stream of development applications.
"We’re all going to work really
hard to make this city successful," she said. "We’re determined to go
forward."
Without question, Sun Valley is in
a unique position to determine its future.
Sun Valley Co., which owns
approximately 2,600 acres of land in and around the resort town, is
preparing to ask the city to endorse a 50-year master plan for all of
its property holdings. At the same time, the city is updating its
comprehensive plan to more effectively guide land-use decisions and
establish a vision for the city that blends with the Sun Valley plan.
Thorson, the City Council and the
Sun Valley Planning and Zoning Commission will all have roles in
negotiating with Sun Valley Co. to agree on the elements of the
company’s 50-year master plan.
Preservation of open spaces eyed
"This is our chance," Agnew said.
The councilwoman said she believes
the city should ultimately review all of its existing zoning and
determine if any changes should be pursued.
"In the case of Sun Valley
Company, this could involve determining if density trades, or other
negotiations, could open up open-space corridors," she noted.
One area that could be critical to
the negotiations is Penny Hill, Agnew said, a prized, highly visible
open-space area near Sun Valley Village that is currently zoned for
development of multi-family residential buildings.
"I just hope we can keep (Sun
Valley Company owner) Earl Holding around and Disney doesn’t take over,"
Agnew said, clearly appreciative of the company’s slow pace of land
development.
Although Agnew pledged support for
Thorson’s competitor, Latham Williams, in the November 2003 mayoral
election, she said she will cooperate with Thorson to protect the
interests of the city.
"My goal is to make sure there is
communication," she said.
Agnew has been a member of the Sun
Valley City Council since 2002, after she narrowly defeated incumbent
Councilwoman Linda O’Shea in the November 2001 city election. O’Shea is
married to Thorson and now uses the mayor’s last name.
Williams, the former council
president who was often praised by his colleagues for his leadership,
opted to run for mayor instead of seeking re-election.
P&Z can do its job
In assessing the city’s processing
in recent years of several high-profile development applications, three
of which resulted in lawsuits, Agnew said she believes the city has
acted fairly.
"I think Triumph Springs was a
triumph," she said, referring to progress the city has made in defeating
a $10 million lawsuit challenging its decision to not allow a new
Triumph Springs subdivision on a hillside north of Lane Ranch.
"I think the new P&Z is great,"
she added, offering support for a commission that includes three new
members appointed by Thorson in January.
Agnew said observing the skills of
the city’s employees leaves her confident that the administration of
city affairs and management of the city budget will not require
day-to-day scrutiny.
As for the city’s much-debated
plan to use its five-acre open-space parcel along Sun Valley Road for
occasional short-term events and the display of artistic sculptures,
Agnew said she is satisfied.
"I would like to see if it works
as an unstructured park, perhaps with just a few picnic tables."
Agnew said city-funded
improvements to the lawn covering the site should ultimately make the
public parcel more "user friendly" during the coming summer.