For the cities of Hailey and Bellevue, growth and the way it's changing the face of the two communities is a great concern to elected officials, residents, activists and business people alike. How the two communities confront that growth will likely shape what they look like in the years to come.
The following are just a few of the hot-button issues in Hailey and Bellevue and how some of the key players there view them:
Managing growth
Both municipalities will likely annex new neighborhoods into their city, most seem to agree. How to do this without hurting Hailey and Bellevue's existing infrastructure, as well as their residents and businesses, is where the difficulty lies.
Bellevue is currently looking at two proposals for large annexations in Slaughterhouse Canyon northeast of town and on a large parcel of ground south of town and east of the Gannett-Picabo Road. Combined, the two annexations could more than double the size of Bellevue.
Before the annexation proposals can proceed, though, the city will be taking a hard look at their likely impacts on the city, Bellevue City Administrator Tom Blanchard said. "It's a major issue," he said.
In Hailey, a number of annexations have been proposed in recent years, but the primary focus has remained with the annexation proposal for Quigley Canyon on the east side of town.
Hailey Mayor Susan McBryant doesn't think Hailey will double in size in the coming years. "It won't look significantly different," McBryant said.
Annexations are likely in Hailey's future, she said. In terms of what particular Hailey neighborhoods will look like 10 years from now, McBryant predicted that "Woodside will not be filled out."
"I don't see the town fully in-filled," she said.
Increased density, quality of life and a strong business community all go hand in hand, said Christopher Simms, executive director of Hailey-based Citizens for Smart Growth.
Simms said people need to get away from a no-growth mentality in the Wood River Valley. Growth is inevitable, he said.
The real question is where the growth should take place, Simms said.
Cities like Hailey and Bellevue need to take a fresh look at the ways they manage growth, he said, specifically in terms of promoting density near the city core.
"The higher the density, the lower the resource use," Simms said. "That's going to save hundreds of acres in the county."
He said increasing density will also make towns more of a happening place where people walk to work and businesses. Density creates community, Simms said.
"We need to develop around those values," he said.
Attracting new businesses
Frank Halverson, chief operating officer of Power Engineers in Hailey, said the city has a very narrow window of opportunity to get things right in terms of keeping and attracting new businesses to the community.
Halverson highlighted two issues he said are critical to keeping Hailey's business community strong and vibrant: affordable housing and the way Hailey deals with businesses.
While the shortage of affordable housing has already made it tough for Hailey businesses to retain employees, Halverson predicts it will become an even more difficult problem in the years to come if something isn't done right away to properly address it. Failing that, "the cost of housing is going to get too expensive," he said.
Halverson doesn't shy away from talking about what it's like doing business with the Hailey government. "They (the Hailey government) get sort of wrapped up in thinking they're dealing with developers," he said. "Right away the business goes, 'They're not helping me at all."
Rather than providing what he said are "counter-incentives," Halverson believes Hailey needs to take a more friendly approach with businesses looking to expand or move to Hailey. The high cost of land and lack of affordable housing makes doing business in Hailey a tough proposition, he said. "The businesses can't make the numbers work," Halverson said.
Hailey should provide strong incentives for businesses looking to locate here, he said. "Make them want to move to a high-cost area," Halverson said.
In the case of Power Engineers, Halverson said the high cost of doing business in Hailey is leading to a slow migration of their employees away from the Wood River Valley. He predicts the company's growth will continue to migrate to its Boise offices.
Hailey Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jim Spinelli said the city of Hailey has begun to work on the way it welcomes businesses. Spinelli said Hailey elected officials and city staffers are currently swamped by the number of growth-related issues.
Despite being overworked, though, Spinelli said the city has made great strides on how they work with businesses. "The city has been made aware of Frank's concerns," he said. "We are going to look at making it easier to do business with Hailey."
Spinelli said one way of doing that would be to expedite the approval process for good businesses looking to locate or expand in Hailey.
"We should be looking at the model companies with a little more zest and a little more support," he said.
Ensuring city services
In Bellevue, the city has had a difficult time retaining city employees in departments such as the Marshal's Office and the Planning and Zoning Department, Blanchard said.
In the past year the city has seen a 100 percent turnover rate in the Marshal's Office, while it recently lost its P&Z administrator, only to hire another person for the same job less than two months later.
Blanchard said the main culprit is Bellevue's less-than-competitive wages as compared to its nearby municipal counterparts.
The City Council recently approved an adjustment of the pay scale and benefits package for employees to make the city more competitive, he said. "We're still not competitive with Hailey or Blaine County," Blanchard said. "We're just closer."
Bellevue will likely require those wishing to annex into the city provide significant funds to help solve the problem, he said.
"We're asking them to buy into the system."
