With the county commissioners launching their review of four 2025 ordinances Thursday night, some city officials are expressing irritation over their limited consultation in the process, especially since a major component of the plan depends on the cities' willingness to accept increased density.
"It's kind of a mess right now," said Ketchum City Councilman Baird Gourlay. "I feel like the cities haven't been very involved in it."
Hailey Mayor Susan McBryant feels that the county is trying to force its will on the cities.
"We have already planned for our growth," McBryant said. "If that growth is being displaced by county growth, then they're trying to make a determination on what we should become."
McBryant and Gourlay are referring mostly to the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program, a key component in the 2025 planning process that is designed to discourage growth in environmentally sensitive areas of the southern Bellevue Triangle while focusing it closer to the cities.
As initially proposed, the TDR program would allow landowners in the southern triangle to send their development rights to a receiving area north of Pero Road in the tip of the triangle.
But the county's planning and zoning commission, which approved the ordinances on April 27 with a series of revisions, decided that the TDR receiving area was inappropriate because it was too limited, would fracture a wildlife migration corridor and contradict the county's comprehensive plan.
The P&Z commissioners said they were supportive of the overall goal of the TDR program, but that further study should be conducted and the receiving area broadened to include the cities and adjacent areas.
Earlier this month Blaine County Commissioner Tom Bowman and County Planner Jeff Adams met with Bellevue city officials to get a feel for their take on the TDR program. The meeting was hailed a success with Bellevue Mayor Jon Anderson stating that the city "agreed to work with the county" on the 2025 planning process.
Bellevue City Councilman Chris Koch stressed that Bellevue could guide the county's other four cities down a similar path.
"I think we're the ones that have to lead," Koch said. "We're the one's that are going to be impacted."
But both Gourlay and McBryant said they had not been contacted by the county about the TDR program.
"They haven't talked to us about receiving areas and we are the receiving areas," Gourlay said. "Without proper planning that would impact us greatly."
Gourlay added that Ketchum would not benefit from a TDR receiving area anyway, and that the county could not force the city to participate.
"I don't see the advantage for us, frankly," he said.
County commissioner Tom Bowman said the county is planning on talking to Hailey and Ketchum soon.
"We have not yet (contacted) Hailey and Ketchum and it is up to us to make those first moves," he said. "With the flooding right now, we are juggling a lot of balls."
The P&Z commission has stated that they want Carey to develop its own TDR program.
Sun Valley Mayor Jon Thorsen could not be reached for comment.
A coalition of farmers, ranchers and non-profits, including the Wood River Land Trust, Nature Conservancy and Citizens for Smart Growth also believes that the cities are key to the success of the TDR program and the 2025 planning process. The coalition has been meeting for months to discuss the 2025 plan and issue recommendations to the county.
"We've got to work with the cities," said Kate Giese, of the Wood River Land Trust. "We support the proposed designated receiving area only with the assurance that additional receiving areas be added as soon as possible."
Several members of the coalition, which includes ranchers and farmers like John and Elizabeth Stevenson, John and Diane Peavey, Pete and Linda Van Der Meulen, and citizens Mike Stevens, Trent Jones, and Stoney Burke, said they're happier with the TDR program after the P&Z issued its recommendations.
"I would have liked to have seen more sending areas designated," Van Der Muelen said. "But this is a start."
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Hearing schedule
The county commissioners 2025 hearing schedule:
Thursday, May 25, 6:30 p.m. Liberty Theater, Hailey
Friday, May 26, 8 a.m. Old County Courthouse, Hailey
Tuesday, May 30, TBD Old County Courthouse
Wednesday, May 31, TBD Old County Courthouse
Thursday, June 1, TBD Old County Courthouse
Additional hearings may be scheduled.
