The city of Sun Valley imposed a yearlong moratorium on commercial development last week to provide time to amend the city's comprehensive plan.
The Sun Valley City Council unanimously approved an interim ordinance and moratorium in the city's Commercial Core zoning district. The council passed the ordinance Thursday, May 25, to impose a moratorium on the processing of applications for subdivisions, land-use permits and exterior remodels in the CC zone, which includes Sun Valley Village and Elkhorn Village.
The moratorium provides time to revise the 2005 Comprehensive Plan Update, which the city adopted last fall. The specific revisions include addressing special site descriptions, planned unit developments, mass and scale guidelines, the Gateway Land Use Planning Area (at the entrance to the city) and natural resources.
"That is what this moratorium is supposed to do. It is supposed to allow a city and staff good review and analysis time," Rand Peebles, the city's attorney, said.
The effort arrives in light of a proposed master development plan put forth by Sun Valley Co. in 2004, which includes new development in the Sun Valley Village. The moratorium also applies to development of the high-profile Sunshine Parcel in Elkhorn.
"We feel this moratorium does stop our progress," Craig Knight, CG-Elkhorn development associate, said. The owners of the property, New York City-based Blackacre Capital Management and Greenfield Partners, a Connecticut and Chicago-based investment group have submitted an application to the city to develop the property. The application is incomplete, has not been processed by the city and will not be processed until the moratorium ends.
To proceed with development, the developer could request a rezone of the parcel from commercial to residential zoning. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Sun Valley resident Paul Connolly petitioned the council to initiate such a rezone.
In the meantime, efforts are underway to establish definitive criteria in relation to the mass, scale, setbacks and height in the CC district. In January, the council approved an emergency moratorium on the filing and processing of applications for any new subdivisions and land-use permits in the commercial center to revise the city's development code. The 182-day emergency moratorium would have expired July 5. The city's action last week repealed the emergency moratorium and enacted the interim moratorium.
In February, the city hired Winston Associates, a Colorado-based land planning firm, for $48,350, to work on design regulations for Sun Valley's commercial districts. Egger said the consultant encouraged the city to consider the historical significance of Sun Valley resort when writing the guidelines. Specifically, the city will consider the relationship of special sites and new development within and in proximity to Sun Valley Village.
The city also retained the consultant to complete amendments to the comprehensive plan. The amendments include the configuration of development within the Gateway Land Use Planning Area, the "gateway" to the city along Sun Valley Road. The gateway is critically linked to the Sun Valley Village commercial core because of potential for a density transfer from the gateway to the village.
All of the areas under evaluation contain or are adjacent to sensitive natural resource areas. The planning will establish guidelines for development sensitive to steep hillsides, riparian areas, view corridors and existing vegetation.
The city has one year to review and revise the comprehensive plan. The city could repeal the ordinance before its one-year duration. Egger said the city would likely evaluate lifting the moratorium before the yearlong time allowance.
