Ketchum's development consultant recently charged that the city has spent so many years saying "No" that the word has become a knee-jerk response to change—good or bad.
That's a shame. Ketchum once had a chance to develop differently than other places, to retain its vibrant population and its charm. It had a chance to develop densely in order to reduce suburban sprawl outside its borders.
It had a chance to show its respect for the spectacular mountain lands that surround it by minimizing its impact on those lands by reining in sprawl. It had a chance to develop a sustainable tourist economy that lay relatively lightly on the land.
But slowly and almost imperceptibly, this vision stalled in the face of unregulated market pressures that flooded the town with unoccupied residential units useful primarily as part of investment portfolios owned by people in other states. It was a phenomenon that drove out the middle class—its artists, actors, firefighters, teachers and resort workers—along with the services and businesses they needed and supported.
The same objections that put Ketchum in the fix it's in now are still repeated ad nauseam by its stagnant population every time change is afoot. Almost any proposed change is guaranteed to elicit the comment that it will create too much traffic or noise, or make parking difficult.
While it's true that bringing real people into empty neighborhoods will create both traffic and noise, it's fair to wonder why total silence should be preferred.
As for parking, it's also fair to wonder why the city should guarantee employees an all-day parking space by the front door of the businesses where they work—instead of in more distant lots.
It's time Ketchum turned away from saying "No" and turned to "Yes."
The City Council is leading the way by saying yes to a pilot beautification project on Fourth Street and by purchasing the Mountain West Bank building and an adjoining lot to create a community centerpiece. It's also leading the way with its Urban Renewal Agency and new community housing rules that give it a chance to repopulate the town's middle class. And despite rocky early starts, it is still considering development of new hotels on Main Street.
Naysayers in Ketchum have held sway for decades. The resulting ill effects are widespread. Unstopped, they will be lethal.
Certainly, Ketchum must beware of unintended negative consequences of its new initiatives, but it's time for citizens to follow the leads of Mayor Randy Hall and the City Council by learning the art of saying "Yes" to beneficial change and revitalization.
