It's been a decade-long process, but the final of seven phases of development at Thunder Spring in Ketchum may soon arrive at Ketchum City Hall for design review consideration.
The seventh and final phase, according to a press release, will be called The Residences at Thunder Spring. The plan contemplates up to 25 high-end fractional ownership units in a mix of three- and four-bedroom configurations.
If approved, it would be built on the final development parcel in the original Thunder Spring planned unit development, as well as on an adjacent lot in the Saddleview subdivision. The property measures slightly more than an acre.
Originally scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2002, Thunder Spring boasts about 70 high-end condominiums, indoor clay tennis courts, a massive fitness center, ponds, a waterfall, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and Nordic skiing. The sixth and most recent phase was approved in May 2003, said former Ketchum Planning Administrator Lisa Horowitz.
Groundbreaking occurred in 1997 after the Ketchum City Council approved the massive project as a planned unit development, in which city leaders negotiated for certain community benefits in exchange for increased building density and height. Early on, Thuder Spring was the largest construction project in the state of Idaho.
In exchange for larger buildings, the city was slated to get not-for-profit office space, employee housing and recreation benefits. Thunder Spring has also provided community swimming time slots, which are among the project's most successful community benefits.
"All six of the first phases are completed, though there were some loose ends involved," said Ketchum Planning Director Harold Moniz. "My expectation is that we're going to take care of that through this final phase."
Originally a Holiday Inn from the mid-1970s through the early-1980s, an old hotel on the Thunder Spring property was renamed "The Alpenrose" by the owner, who was unable to complete redevelopment before the property was taken over by the Idaho Bankruptcy Courts. The land and old hotel were purchased by Developer Rich Robbins in 1996 through the courts, and Robbins initiated the entitlement process in September 1996. The Alpenrose, a longtime Ketchum landmark, has since been torn down.
Robbins and his team of architects, lawyers and construction managers participated in more than 45 public meetings at Ketchum City Hall to "ensure that the development responded fully to city and community issues and ordinances, as well as addressing all environmental concerns," according to a 2001 Thunder Spring advertisement.
Even so, valley residents were skeptical about the project's size and potential impacts.
In this most recent phase, the project's publicist is touting the development team's experience working in sophisticated downtown Aspen, Colo.
"The development team is comprised of TS, LLC, the current owner of Thunder Spring; VPI, a real estate development, management and marketing company based in Ketchum; and Aspen Blue Sky Holdings, LLC, an Aspen-based group currently co-developing arguably the most successful high-end fractional development in the country, The Residences at Little Nell," according to the press release. "...The Residences at Thunder Spring will provide community benefit by fostering a returning group of owners that support the local tourism economy."
The Residences at Thunder Spring would be located adjacent to the existing Thunder Spring development in Ketchum. Graphic courtesy Thunder Spring.
