Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Seiller retires from Hailey P&Z


By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer

John Seiller

Hailey Planning and Zoning Commissioner John Seiller will complete his three-year term with two final 2004 meetings this month. Seiller and commission Chairman Pat Cooley are both retiring at the end of the year.

"It's been an incredible experience to be involved in the community, to be involved in the intricacies of how to run the community," Seiller said.

A Hailey resident with law offices in Ketchum, Seiller has worked in the Wood River Valley since he graduated from law school at Ohio State in 1992. He began his public service in 2002.

He said that in a small community like Hailey it is easier for people to get involved in public policy. He recommends the experience.

"City government is very accessible to the general public," he said. "Anybody can show up and have an impact."

Seiller specializes in ironing out the details of various applications and regulatory language. He is a master of formulating complex motions in a single breath.

"He will be missed on the commission," Cooley said.

Seiller's advice to people interested in the future of Hailey is to get involved in public discourse, not only because something is happening in their own backyard.

"The truth is every application impacts the entire community," he said. "The distance from one side of the city to the other is not very great."

Seiller said as hard as it is to disappoint any member of the public or a development applicant, even if someone is angry, the challenge is to make decisions without knuckling to pressure.

"What I think may be different," he said. But people who serve the city have a responsibility to stick to their values when making decisions and devoting their time serves the public good.

"I'm the person willing to stand up there and put my stamp on it. I'm the volunteer," he said. "It's empowering, but not a power I really enjoy. It's hard to disappoint."

When Seiller thinks about the growth and development trends in Hailey and why property is becoming less affordable over time, he said it is about supply and demand and Hailey being a desirable place to live.

"I think Tom Monge (a real estate broker) said once at a meeting. 'They're not making any more of it,' " Seiller said.

"I don't know how you restrict growth in a free market," he said. But, his contention is that like the M.A.S.H. character, Hawkeye Pierce, he may not be able to help make the whole world a better place, but he can help with his own corner of it.

Seiller said he thinks Hailey needs to emphasize development with higher density.

"Government can only do so much to relieve the pressure valve on quantity supply," he said, thinking about the value of annexing property and community housing. "More important is to encourage people to adjust their living situations."

As Seiller ends his tenure on the commission, he hopes to help develop Hailey's vision of the future, particularly with townsite overlay issues.

"Old Hailey is an incredible resource," he said, pointing out a trend he would like to help stave off in the near term. Seiller's take on growth and development in Hailey is that it should not simply become a haven of large second homes that are not used to capacity.

"People come to old Hailey to hang out because it is quaint and cute," he said. "Ketchum had a lot of quaint old houses at one time. Where are they now? People miss that."

The goal, he said, is to make smaller homes attractive living spaces. He hopes people can learn to design homes using an architect to build something that is an efficient use of resources.

"The alternative is to try to change people's attitude about what they need," he said. "It starts with zoning. Don't just max out space because you can. Think about an efficient use of space."

In a concrete way Seiller said the city can help shape the community in the townsite overlay district by setting some guidelines for new homes that bring back the cottage style bungalow of the 1930s, some examples of which still exist in old Hailey.

"They were incredibly efficient structures," he said. Seiller's final bit of advice about how citizens can help develop a sustainable Hailey is by shopping locally.

"Yes, it's more expensive," he said. "I think there's something to be said for developing a community that is financially sustainable. What people need to realize is that when you spend money in Hailey it comes back here more quickly."

Seiller said he appreciated how commissioners are not afraid to disagree, express dissent and do it in a respectful way. He congratulated his fellow commissioners and Kathy Grotto, Diane Shay and Tara Hyde of the Hailey planning staff.

"Kathy, Di and Tara do a great job. They spend a lot of time in advance of the Wednesday meetings preparing packets to make the job easier," he said. "(They) are forward looking in terms of what the city needs and in how the community grows."




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.