Downtown retailer Debbie "Burnsie" Burns has a theory on why Ketchum's coffee houses do so well: Tourists and newcomers are exhausted from trying to find downtown destinations, and they need a place to rest and get their bearings.
From her boutique clothing store in the commercial core, Burns often finds herself coming to the aid of the lost and confused.
"I see people (on the street) looking around," she said. "They ask, Where am I? Where's the post office? Who comes to live here in all these condos?"
Burns, who serves on the Ketchum Planning & Zoning Commission, offered her tongue-in-cheek assessment of café patronage during a joint session with P&Z commissioners and the Ketchum City Council, hosted by downtown economic development consultant Tom Hudson, on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
In an effort to reinvigorate downtown, the City Council contracted with Hudson to help officials and residents define what they want the city's core to be.
"There's a tendency for the Ketchum public to say it's too late," said Council President Randy Hall. "I don't believe that."
The city is working to formulate a downtown master plan in conjunction with a 182-day moratorium on some residential building applications in the commercial core.
"The comprehensive plan is a conceptual framework," Hudson said. "The downtown master plan is going to provide you with the who, what, where, when and how."
Hudson agreed that Ketchum's downtown is not easily navigable and lacks signs and visual "rewards" that help visitors linger longer.
"A lot of places have become cold and disconnected," Hudson said. "You're bleeding out."
Councilman Ron Parsons voiced support for the nuts and bolts of the master plan, such as improvements to sidewalks and street lighting and establishing building densities.
"I think the other things will be smooth sailing in comparison," he said.
Councilwoman Terry Tracy threw her support behind Hudson and the master plan effort. But she wondered why the city needed help and asked whether future council members would be able to continue to work independent of outside assistance in the future.
"There are extraordinary circumstances," Hudson replied. "The kinds of growth challenges you have are unlike any other place. The magnitude, the consequences of your decisions, it makes it more difficult and dangerous to act."
He floated the idea of the city forming a nonprofit Main Street Association with a full-time Main Street manager. The Main Street concept, promoted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, combines historic preservation and community-based economic development.
"You have a rich heritage in this community," Hudson said. "There's a great sense of place, a strong heart and a connection between people and place. But many of us see a transition ... that's not quite clear. It's a transition with substantial economic pressures and a bleed out of the sense of community. People are moving away and (others) don't feel so connected.
"These are things that are easily fixed if we think strategically," he said.
Hudson met Thursday with local architects to get their perspectives.
"It seems there was a conscious decision to go from a tourist economy to a second-home economy," said architect David Hertel. "There have been no allowances or bonuses put in to make it financially viable for hotels to come in and bring tourists to ... support businesses."
Kristin Anderson, chairwoman of Hailey's Planning & Zoning Commission, said property had gotten so expensive in Ketchum that the affordable housing concept might have to be applied to retailers.
Landscape architect Ben Young cautioned the city against over-planning.
"You don't want to eviscerate and sanitize the town," he said. "There's a rough and tumble aspect in Ketchum. (We need to) keep that mystery."
