A portion of the undeveloped 10.68-acre lot bordering Hailey's McKercher Boulevard and River Street could become the future site of the Hailey Life Church if an annexation application for the property is approved.
The L-shaped property is owned by the Life Church in Hailey and is zoned residential in Blaine County.
At a Hailey Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Monday, commissioners discussed the pros and cons of the annexation proposal. The owners of the property wish to build a new 6,000-square-foot church to replace the Life Church's existing home at 406 North Main St.
Conceptual plans show a three-lot subdivision. The church would be located in the property's northwest corner, while potential uses for the rest of the property remain unclear.
The Life Church's existing location has apparently become too cramped for its growing body of 150-some members.
Janine Bear, of Sotheby's International Realty in Ketchum, is representing the Life Church during its annexation application process.
On Monday, Bear told commissioners that the church would be a good neighbor to surrounding businesses and those living next to the land proposed for annexation.
"We've been wanting to build this church for quite some time," she said. "We've had this property for about 10 years."
Asked by a commission member if they have any preliminary design plans for the future church building, Bear said no.
The outcome of the annexation process will influence how the church is designed, she explained.
Regardless of the outcome, the property will become the future site of the new church building.
Having the property within the city would give Hailey more control over how the property is developed.
"Which we don't mind," Bear said.
In general, the P&Z seemed agreeable to the idea of annexing the property.
Still, several issues were brought up.
Most controversial was the application's proposed splitting of the 10.68-acre property into three separate lots and zoning it Transitional.
The possibility that the lot next to Main Street would be developed was the most worrisome for the commissioners.
As an alternative, the commissioners suggested eliminating the proposed lot line between the Main Street lot and another, where the church would be built. Commissioners further suggested zoning the area General Residential.
Both the annexation applicants and the entire commission seemed generally receptive to the idea.
"I'd be good with that," Commissioner Nancy Linscott said. "As long as that strip is going to be a church and not further subdivided."
In the end, commissioners voted to continue their discussion and instructed the applicants to come back to their next meeting on Feb. 20 with a revised plan reflecting the P&Z's desire to merge the two lots and have a church be the only use allowed there.
The Hailey Planning and Zoning Commission is considering an annexation application for 10.68 acres north of Hailey. The property, shown here, is proposed as the future home for Hailey?s Life Church. The church?s existing location is at 406 North Main St. in Hailey. Photo by Willy Cook
