Impromptu statements from the Ketchum City Council altered the course of the Warm Springs Ranch project's public hearing last week, revealing council members' opinions on and recommendations for the $200 million resort project.
Two hours of public comment at the outset of Thursday's meeting were followed not by scheduled presentations from the Wood River Land Trust and Environmental Resource Center but by a round of comments from the council.
"What they're trying to do with riparian stream restoration and trail access is good," said Councilman Baird Gourlay. But, "There's a real transportation issue. The entrance to the property, the effects on pedestrians ... need to be studied. I'd like to have staff do a peer review with an independent licensed civil engineer and come with suggestions to us."
It was the first time council members spoke out on aspects of the plan, which seeks to redevelop the Warm Springs Ranch property northwest of downtown Ketchum.
Project director Henry Dean expressed surprise at the meeting's turn of events, saying an applicant usually presents the whole case before council members weigh in.
"I was surprised," he said Monday. "I think it was out of order."
Property owner Sun Valley Ventures is proposing a boutique hotel with cabins, condominiums, a large parking structure and a new Warm Springs Ranch Restaurant. In exchange for permission to annex most of the property into Ketchum, developers offered a 37-acre parcel of land as a nature preserve, a public hiking trail connecting Warm Springs to River Run, affordable housing units, and the restoration of Warm Springs Creek.
Developers also want to decommission the privately held Warm Springs Golf Course, a proposal that has generated a strong backlash from golf advocates.
Gourlay elaborated on the wish list.
"The (parking) structure is obviously too big and too high," he said. "The housing is all in one place. It needs parking near the tennis courts and restaurant. The hotel is another place we need to have a peer review (on) location, viability, effects on downtown and Warm Springs (Village). There were eight tennis courts and you're giving us six. I want eight, and I want parking for it."
Locals should get a special rate and time slots at the tennis courts, and a peer review should be done to study the possibility of having a nine-hole golf course, he said.
A plan should be in place if the project fails, he continued, adding that some of the hotel cabins and condominium units should revert to the Blaine-Ketchum Housing Authority for affordable housing units if they don't sell.
Council President Randy Hall said after the meeting that the concepts proposed by Gourlay were among ideas generated by himself, Gourlay and city staff last month.
An exchange between Councilwoman Terry Tracy and Dean led to one agreement: that if there was no room for compromise on either end, both entities should cut their losses and move on.
"I don't want to waste your time, my time or the community's time," Tracy said. "I'm not sure this project is right for this community. I do want to debate the issues. I don't want to spend time if we find out at the beginning we can't work out a compromise."
She counted as "stumbling blocks" recreation, transportation, parking, community housing and hotel issues.
Dean said Monday that requiring owners to turn over the golf course to the city is an unreasonable demand and would cause them to pull the applications.
"I want to know if we're at an impasse," he said. Other aspects, however, could provide ground for negotiation.
"I hope that we will find (a compromise)," he said. "There's always, absolutely always, room for compromise."
Hall said he wants developers to rethink what recreational amenities they will offer.
"I thought we made it fairly clear there was to be no net loss of recreation," he said. "I would like to suggest a recreation study to honor the comprehensive plan with regard to no net loss of recreation."
He also wants an independent study of the economic impacts of the proposed project.
Fewer people attended last week's meeting with the City Council than the first one, in July. Still, approximately 75 sat in stifling heat at the American Legion Hall.
The topic of recreation elicited the most comments, but many speakers saw a bigger issue at stake.
"Without recreation, the city and county will certainly alienate the work force," John Kearney Jr. said. "Ketchum and Blaine County face a very empty existence with multi-millionaires living in multi-million dollar homes without anyone to maintain their homes. Warm Springs Golf Course remains the sole surviving golf course to working class families. It's the last remaining and most treasured recreational opportunity."
Ketchum resident David Hurd echoed his sentiments.
"We are not opposed to affordable housing, bike paths or the restoration of streams," he said. But, "we are a dying community. Without people living here to take care of (homes) we will have no economy. Community assets ... are the people here who build the homes and wash the cars."
Members of the public who support the project invoked jobs and affordable housing in their statements.
"We're in a fight with other resort communities," said Joey Petelle. "We are not keeping pace. I know that everyone wants to close the door behind them once they are here. That's understandable. I hear a lot of people saying we need to keep the activities to keep (locals and workers here) but we also need the jobs. A spa hotel ... will open new doors and help us keep pace."
Pat Higgins of Ketchum elicited applause for a musical presentation.
To underscore her opposition, she turned on a cassette player and let folk artist Joni Mitchell speak for her in "Big Yellow Taxi," a song that bemoans the paving of land to put up parking lots.
The project has outdoor enthusiasts on both sides of the debate, however.
The Wood River Land Trust and Environmental Resource Center have entered into a contract with the developers, and the Hemingway chapter of Trout Unlimited also supports the plan.
"We don't usually support developers but we really do support this proposal," said Carmen Northen, president of the regional TU chapter.
Mayor Ed Simon said he sees the applications as a launching pad to negotiation.
"I've always looked at this project as a starting point—as a negotiated agreement after we weigh the (drawbacks) and the benefits," he said.
The next meeting about the plan is Aug. 9.
John Kearney Jr. speaks to the Ketchum City Council Thursday at the American Legion Hall during a public hearing on the Warm Springs Ranch redevelopment project. In the background, Craig Barry, executive director of Environmental Resource Center, listens. Scheduled presentations from Barry and representatives of the Wood River Land Trust were postponed until the next meeting. Photo by David N. Seelig
