I've lived in Ketchum for a very long time and have seen so many changes. Lately things are not making much sense to me. This slack seems like the ones I remember from the '70s, which is lovely for me, but not so wonderful for the restaurants and merchants. I would love the "old days" to return but the reality is that isn't possible.
With that in mind, I wonder what the City Council and the P&Z are thinking when they continue to block the kind of development that will create tourism. Tourists will not come to town because Fourth Street is nicer. It's very nice for us residents. Thanks a bunch. It will not help fill restaurants or stores.
I continue to see the town die a slow death. Nothing is being done to bring people here. Banks and condos ... banks and condos. That's enough already.
I believe residents are anti-growth because they aren't thinking about how this town needs to grow in order to keep what we love alive. Ketchum is tiny as towns go. We love the open space, we love the views, we love the recreation all around us. We're going to have to make that available to more bodies if we want this town to continue to have heart and soul.
How do we do this? The town needs a real core. It needs density so that we don't end up with ugly spill-over farther and farther down the valley. We need some larger buildings to fill that core and contain live bodies who will eat, shop and enjoy town as well as hike, bike and sight-see our beautiful countryside. If we think growth with a new larger hotel, that will save us from building on more of the land that we now view as open-space.
We need to grow smart. We can't continue to stop every development. We need to think about what is going to be beneficial for this "new town" to keep it lively. It's not 1970 anymore and we can't continue to fight every building because it might block some view. Trail Creek is for views. Adams Gulch, Fox Creek, etc. That's where the views belong. Main Street should look like a real street in a real town. It's not a park. It's the middle of town.
I read the ad about "shadows" last week. That's just nuts. Preserve what is most important. Density in town is just what we need to stay alive. That hotel is necessary to infuse some life on that Main Street, which is now more and more a bunch of boring banks. Think a beautiful hotel, some nice shops and restaurants. Think about that budget deficit vs. more tourism. Think smart. Growth is not what we want—it's what we need.
Karen Fazio Taylor
Ketchum
