Planners of hotel development in Ketchum's Tourist zone may be able to design projects through a planned unit development, even if their lots are smaller than what's currently allowed for such development applications.
The Ketchum Planning & Zoning Commission on Monday voted to recommend amending the city's PUD ordinance.
PUDs allow more flexibility in design by not forcing compliance with all planning requirements. The trade-off is additional requests from the city and greater benefits to the community.
"This would allow hotel development within the Tourist zone to come in and apply for a waiver to the three-acre minimum lot size," said City Planner Beth Robrahn. Currently, only hotels in the Community Core zoning district can apply for such waivers, but several potential hotel sites are located in the Tourist zone. The amendment, if approved by the City Council, would extend waivers to the Tourist zone.
Warm Springs Ranch, Warm Springs Village, the Bald Mountain Hotel site on Main Street, the Simplot lot on Second Avenue, Thunder Spring and Knob Hill all fall within the Tourist zone.
The city has stated repeatedly over the past year that it wants to make changes to its zoning codes to be more accommodating to hotels. Allowing for a waiver to the minimum lot size in the Tourist zone is considered one such accommodation.
Commissioner Anne Corrock cast the lone vote against the change.
"I find this another quick Band-Aid because we have a couple hotels breathing down our (necks)," she said. "I'd like to see us look at it a little closer before we go there."
City Attorney Ben Worst described the amendment as a "clean-up project" left over from code amendments debated and enacted last fall.
"This isn't a quick fix," he said.
Commissioner Deborah "Burnsie" Burns agreed.
"I don't look at it as a Band-Aid," she said. "I think it's a necessary implementation tool for what we're asking for, which is hotels."
Planning Director Harold Moniz said there is so much variety to the Tourist zone, there needs to be a flexible way to deal with development there.
"It's difficult to come up with clear, concrete standards when you have property with extremely different site characteristics," he said. "(This allows) evaluations based on merits of the site and context of the surrounding area ... rather than coming up with a one-size-fits-all criteria."
