Next Wednesday the Blaine County Board of Commissioners will unveil a preferred growth alternative proposal for the community to consider. The effort is a stab at regional planning. It will include a look at how to further protect environmentally sensitive lands and promote density in urban cores of the county's five existing cities.
Consultants Chris Duerksen and Ben Herman, of Colorado-based Clarion Associates, in a meeting at the High School Distance Learning Center in Hailey 6 p.m. Feb. 1 will summarize some tools and mechanisms they believe are most appropriate for implementing the concepts reflected in Scenario C (town-focused development), one of four scenarios considered. Through the county's "Blaine County 2025" outreach campaign Scenario C emerged as the preferred alternative for guiding future growth in the county. Another alternative, Scenario D, which considers the option for a new town, has been put on the back burner.
Clarion Associates will present possible governing tools categorized under growth areas specified in the scenarios, including remote hills, agricultural areas, canyons, and town annexation areas.
At the community meeting Feb. 1, the county will look at a number of alternatives for land management.
Remote hills are areas in the west and east reaches of the county zoned A10 and subject to the mountain overlay restrictions. Steep slopes that are unbuildable without significant site work and potential environmental damage characterize much of the land, according to a Clarion Associates memo sent to the Board of Commissioners reviewing the subjects to be covered at the meeting. The memo written by Duerksen and Herman cites increasing development pressure on remote hills, especially in the western part of the county on parcels that have both steep and flat portions. County regulations allow transfer of the steep slope density to the flatter sites.
Possible tools for managing growth in the remote hills include locational density restrictions, downsizing, natural resource-based regulations and a method for acquiring open space in lieu of development, a recommendation Clarion has made since they entered into the current planning cycle with the county.
A10 density could remain as a maximum with density decreasing on a sliding scale depending on distance from essential fire and EMS services. Also, potential impact on county services such as road plowing and maintenance could be considered as limitations to development.
"Transfer of density to flatter portions of the site would be allowed after application of the locational criteria (and resulting reduction in density)," according to the memo.
Clarion has evaluated the complexity of developing new rules, and on the whole recommends simplicity when it comes to establishing density restrictions and down zoning. This could include such changes as one unit per 60 acres or one unit per 160 acres on some land that is currently zoned A10.
"The advantage of a downzoning is that it is a very simple and clear-cut method to implement Scenario C as well as effective, " according to Duerksen and Herman. "The downside is that it will likely be controversial and may generate lawsuits claiming a taking, especially if there is not a safety valve to allow some development potential for existing smaller properties that would not otherwise meet the new minimum size threshold."
Duerksen and Herman explain the plusses and minuses of natural resource-based regulations and the benefits of instituting a land acquisition program.
"As we have recommended from the outset, the county should consider creating a significant open space acquisition fund to purchase key parcels and development rights and to deal with hardship cases, thus complementing the regulatory approaches," they wrote in their memo. "This might take the form of a county-wide open space sales tax or property tax increment—an issue that needs further research."
They will also address possible changes to agricultural zoning, particularly in the "Bellevue Triangle" near Picabo and Carey. Similar down zoning and acquisition proposals will be discussed. An additional transfer of development rights program is also expected to be a subject open for review. Finally, canyons and possible annexation areas near each of the cities in the county will be reviewed.
Duerksen and Herman noted in their memo "an increasing number of counties in the West are offering financial aid to towns to upgrade infrastructure (like sewage treatment plants), so that cities can accept additional growth and will approve annexations. The advantage to the county is that it is cheaper to assist the towns through grants than to approve new development that inevitably demands more county services than it produces revenues to fund."
Community meeting
A county growth scenario review is scheduled 6 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Wood River High School Distance Learning Center in Hailey.
