Ketchum Mayor Ed Simon is slowly advancing a plan to build affordable housing on the city's Park and Ride lot, north of downtown.
After bringing his plan to the City Council for the second time Monday, Dec. 20, Simon earned support for a request to have private-sector developers issue proposals for building a complex of deed-restricted housing on the parcel's north end.
Council members voted 3-0 to pass a resolution authorizing the mayor to issue a request for proposals for the project, with no obligation that the city act on or accept any proposals that might come in.
"I'm just trying to spur something that I think is very important on that parcel," Simon said.
In October, Simon proposed that the city pursue a plan to have some 30 affordable-housing units developed on the 5.8-acre Park and Ride site, located at the corner of Warm Springs and Saddle roads.
This week, the mayor said the purpose of issuing the requests for proposals is to start the process of determining exactly what type of housing project should be built on the site and how much it would cost.
"At least we're taking that first step," he said.
Simon has said he ultimately envisions a development that would include housing for a variety of public employees on approximately 1.5 acres of the Park and Ride lot, north of the proposed Wood River Community YMCA building.
Space on the Park and Ride parcel will certainly be limited if the 84,000-square-foot YMCA is built. The facility and its surrounding landscaping would occupy much of the south end. At the same time, the city is also considering developing a large-scale parking facility on the lot.
The city acquired the lot with a goal of using it for recreation- and transportation-related facilities. In an effort to link the housing proposal with one of the long-intended uses for the site—public transit—some city officials have suggested that housing on the Park and Ride lot could be built above a partially submerged parking structure.
In-lieu fees—funds received by the city from developers who pay cash in lieu of providing required affordable housing—could be used to pay for some of the units, the mayor has noted.
Michael David, executive director of the Blaine-Ketchum Housing Authority, told the council that the Park and Ride site "is an ideal location for community housing."
The Housing Authority has estimated that the Wood River Valley needs more than 600 affordable housing units to meet regional demand.
Councilwoman Terry Tracy showed some resistance to Simon's plan, saying she wants the city to consider other uses for the north end of the Park and Ride lot.
"I'm not opposed to the whole lot being recreation," she said.
Before supporting the mayor's request, Council President Randy Hall inferred that any decision to build housing on the site could be hard fought.
"There is a lot of support for affordable housing," he said. "However, that lot was not purchased for housing."
