Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Super stern on regional, cooperative planning


By STEVE BENSON
Express Staff Writer

James B. Super doesn't want Blaine County to lose what he cherishes?open space, wildlife, and a community that's accessible to all economic classes. Photo by David N. Seelig

Growing up in Idaho, James R. Super remembers when the streams flowing out of Redfish Lake ran red with spawning sockeye salmon.

"When I was a little kid, you could walk across their backs," he said.

Now it's considered a good year if a handful of sockeye return to the lake in the Sawtooth Valley south of Stanley to the spawn.

"Are we going to get those days back? No." Super said. "But we should try to preserve what we have.

"If we don't act now, it's going to be tough."

The owner of Super Outfitter Adventures of Sun Valley, the District 1 Blaine County Commission candidate grew up in Emmett, Idaho, where he served on the city council for over six years. He moved to Bellevue with his wife and two daughters on July 4, 1997. His company, which recently applied for a 10-year permit extension, guides trail rides, hunting and fishing trips in the area. He's a former board member of the Sun Valley- Ketchum Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to his conservation standards, Super is a staunch supporter of affordable housing.

"There has to be a bunch of tools in place for affordable housing," he said.

But he doesn't think the problem can be solved without true regional planning. He believes in the 2025 planning process, but doesn't think the ordinances as proposed will solve the problems—skyrocketing cost of living, sprawl, threats to open space and wildlife—that face the county.

The Transfer of Development Rights program, a component of the 2025 planning proposal that is designed to limit development in environmentally sensitive areas in the Bellevue Triangle while focusing growth closer to the cities, needs work, Super said.

He believes the TDR receiving area needs to be broader and focused in and near the cities. Currently, the receiving area is proposed for the upper portion of the Bellevue Triangle north of Pero Road. He also thinks TDR credits should be applied to affordable housing.

But more than anything, Super believes that the county commissioners have an obligation to work closely with leaders from all five cities in the county. Without an open and productive relationship between the county and the cities, regional planning goals can not be achieved, he said.

"We have to move to a more regional approach to planning," Super said. "The basis to get started is to sit down and have a dialogue.

He believes that "everything is connected," from zoning to transportation to affordable housing. One action or inaction in Ketchum and Sun Valley will have an effect on Hailey, Bellevue and Carey.

Super, who has a B.S. in economics from Boise State University, ran in 2002 for the District 1 seat against Dennis Wright, who is not running for re-election.

"I had a vision for this county, what it can and can't be," Super said in February.




 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.