Driving down Trail Creek Road to Sun Valley, travelers can't help but notice the large scars across the hillsides.
Noticeable from Trail Creek Road is a new residence in the city's Fairway neighborhood—located at the end of Fairway Road, adjacent to the Proctor Mountain trailhead—which required a major cut into the hillside for excavation.
Also, there is construction of a new nine-hole golf course, called the Gun Club Nine, starting on the west side of Trail Creek Road and climbing onto the site's ridgelines. Massive excavation work is under way.
A little further into the city, visible trenches have been made for a new permanent snowmaking system on Dollar Mountain.
Recent construction concentrated across the hillsides in Sun Valley begs the question: Is the city's hillside development ordinance working?
"The hillside ordinance is really good at protecting against structures ... It doesn't have much teeth in uses of the land," said Mark Hofman, the city of Sun Valley's community development department director.
The city adopted the hillside development ordinance in 2003 to regulate development on steep hillsides. Generally, the legislation restricts the height and design of buildings planned for hillside properties. The legislation bans construction of buildings on hillsides with slopes greater than 25 percent.
Although many of the city's land-use regulations are currently under review in light of Proposition 2, the statewide private property rights-oriented initiative, the city is not considering any changes to the hillside ordinance.
But recent residential and recreational construction has been a wakeup call for some Sun Valley residents as to what is permissible there.
"My expectation of the Hillside Ordinance is that the cut (on Fairway Road) should never have happened. I think we need to tighten the ordinance, so those kind of cuts do not happen," said Ribi. He said road cuts and fills should be evaluated.
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the residential project through the city's design review process in September 2005.
"In the end, that is going to be a less substantial house because it is cut in (to the hillside.) But, right now, it is horrifying," said Councilwoman Ann Agnew, a licensed architect.
As for the other hillside projects, Sun Valley Co. is responsible for restoring the natural contours of the hillside and restoring the road used to access the project on Dollar Mountain. The city has photos on record to document the condition of the land prior to development.
"The hope is, you won't see any of the cuts at all. It will be as if it never happened," Hofman said.
Those who pass by the new golf course site will continue to see construction for some time. When the project is completed in the spring of 2008, the fairways will be located on the tops of the ridge, with shoulders on each fairway for erosion control. The plans align with the city's hillside regulations.
The construction road, although temporary, will likely be the location for a future road, pending approval by the city.
Construction projects throughout Sun Valley are raising questions about the city's hillside development regulations. Photo by Willy Cook
