Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Hailey sets height add for buildings


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

New buildings in Hailey's downtown core may soon stretch up to 40 feet high in places, due to the City Council's approval Monday of an amendment to the city zoning code.

The amendment approved by council members increases from 35 feet to 40 feet the maximum height allowed for buildings in the business district of central Hailey. The increase doesn't allow builders to add additional levels to the three-story limit already in place.

In its approval of the amendment, the council agreed to a request by the Hailey Planning and Zoning Commission to only allow developers to take full advantage of the maximum 40-foot height if they provide at least one residential unit in their building plans.

The amendment was originally proposed by Andy Erstad, of Boise-based Erstad Architects, at a P&Z meeting in November 2005.

From the beginning, Erstad has described the increase as a way to equalize the developmental opportunities for all lots in the business district. He said the sloping nature of certain lots in the district makes it difficult for developers to build three-story buildings that take full advantage of the city's maximum 35-foot height limit.

Hailey city code requires a building's maximum height to be calculated from the lowest measurable grade anywhere within a building's footprint. This creates a problem, some architects and developers say, when a lot slopes away from the main street level. Erstad said the requirement creates undesirable situations where a portion of the bottom retail level is located below the sidewalk grade.

Because Erstad was unable attend the meeting on Monday, Cheryl Pearse of Erstad Architects spoke in his place.

Pearse said one of the primary benefits of the height increase would be the creation of taller and more aesthetically pleasing first-floor retail spaces.

Pearse also addressed the previous concerns by some that the increase would create a "canyonizing" effect in Hailey's downtown core. Hailey won't experience the effect, she said, because even with the increase, buildings on the east side of Main Street will still be taller than their counterparts on the west side, where lots slope.

City Council President Rick Davis said the increase is an excellent conduit for revitalizing the city's downtown area with a mix of retail and residential spaces.

"I like the mix," Davis said.

In approving the zoning ordinance change on Monday, the council voted to proceed only with the first of three readings on the amendment. Only after two conditions of the amendment's approval have taken place will the mayor proceed with the final two readings.

Those conditions are the creation of new design-review guidelines for buildings above 35 feet in height and a required revision to a section of the municipal code pertaining to the Fire Department.




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