Friday, January 6, 2006

Sun Valley implements moratorium

Action taken after new council convened


By MEGAN THOMAS
Express Staff Writer

Nils Ribi & Ann Agnew Photo by David N. Seelig

The newly reconfigured Sun Valley City Council wasted little time to take action in 2006.

Sun Valley Mayor Jon Thorson swore into office Councilman Nils Ribi and Councilwoman Ann Agnew Wednesday, Jan. 4, during the council's first meeting of the new year.

Agnew, 66, a Ketchum-based architect with Boss and Agnew Architects, assumed a second term on the council. Ribi, 50, the former chairman of the Sun Valley Planning and Zoning Commission, replaced long-time Councilman Kevin Laird.

The council quickly voted unanimously to elect Councilman Lud Renick as council president.

Promptly thereafter, the mayor asked the council to approve an emergency moratorium on the filing and processing of applications for any new subdivisions and land-use permits in the city's Commercial Center zoning district. The moratorium became effective directly thereafter.

"The city feels it is an emergency because there are ordinances that need to be done and updated," Thorson said.

The council voted unanimously to impose the emergency moratorium not to exceed 182 days in the CC zoning district, which includes Sun Valley Village and Elkhorn Village areas.

"There is no anticipated construction during the moratorium ... so we will not be interfering with anybody's plans or forcing a hardship on anyone in the community," Thorson said.

The ordinance declares a need for a moratorium based on land-use regulations that do not provide sufficient definitive criteria in relation to the mass, scale, setbacks and height in the district.

Ribi emphasized the need to address mass and scale in the residential districts.

"It would be a lot to look at mass and scale in every single zone in 182 days," City Administrator Virginia Egger said.

The moratorium will also allow the city to review and analyze the feasibility of adopting a comprehensive planned unit development process consistent with the 2005 Comprehensive Plan Update.

City officials stressed that rezoning proposed in the comprehensive plan is not part of the moratorium, but could be addressed concurrently.




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.