Rick Rutkowski is a resident of Sun Valley.
To Mayor Jon Thorson and the Sun Valley City Council:
I want to thank all of you for the effort that has gone into the research and development of the 2005 Sun Valley Comprehensive Plan. I support the plan in general, but have issues with the Gateway Land Use Planning Area. The west side of Sun Valley Road has been designed so that development is behind (to the west of) the current tree line that exists close to the toe of the hill. This allows for a large, open pasture between the development and the road. The "gateway feeling" will be preserved on the west side with this plan.
My concern is the east side of Sun Valley Road, which has been designated as "medium density," which is up to 14 units per acre. This area includes the approximately seven acres behind the "red barn," which lies on the south side of Bitterroot Road, and the larger parcel to the north of Bitterroot Road, which is most likely over 14 acres. Since none of the new comp maps have parcel sizes designated, it is impossible to obtain an accurate count of the number of units allowed in each area in order to make informed comment.
The setbacks on the east side have been limited to a narrow area to facilitate the developer. Comment has been made by public officials at public meetings that they wanted to maintain the view corridor on the west side, while placing most of the density on the east side of Sun Valley Road. Please do a site visit and stand on Bitterroot Road. Visualize 85 to 95 units in that southern section alone. Now look to the north and imagine 14 units per acre. The setbacks from Sun Valley Road, on the east, are too little to keep the open feeling that we want within the Gateway LUPA.
Neither the P&Z commissioners nor the steering committee has addressed the traffic problems that will occur with this plan. I have been told that a traffic study will be done—this should already have been completed. The houses/units on the west side will enter on the natural extension of Bitterroot Road. The traffic from both parcels on either side of Bitterroot will enter this road and flow onto Sun Valley Road. I hope that the city of Sun Valley will not place a traffic light at this intersection. I was told by a city official that a four-way stop would work since Ketchum has a workable four-way stop on Sun Valley Road. I informed him that drivers have four side streets to use when coming from the north before they come to the four-way stop in Ketchum. This would not be the case with a four-way stop at Sun Valley Road and Bitterroot Road.
The view corridor on the east side of the Gateway LUPA will be forever lost under the current plan. The cottonwood trees will disappear and we will be looking at swing sets, clotheslines and above-ground pools.
On Sun Valley's Web site there is a notice for a special City Council meeting on Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. It states that the purpose of the meeting is to "review and adopt the 2005 Comprehensive Plan." Has the City Council already decided that the plan is complete and is one that the people of Sun Valley want? If so, when was the public comment?
May I suggest that the steering committee and the P&Z revisit the Gateway LUPA, consider the issues to which I have spoken, and since densities may have to shift, not adopt any part of the plan until the entire plan is workable for both the city of Sun Valley and Sun Valley Co.
