Matthew Luck is a resident of the Lower Board Ranch near Ketchum. He submitted this letter to the Blaine County Board of Commissioners.
By MATTHEW LUCK
I have lived in the Wood River Valley for 16 years. I presently reside on the Lower Board Ranch. Over the past seven years I have been part of the real estate industry in the Wood River Valley. While I certainly have done my fair share of retail, residential and commercial sales and marketing, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on a consulting basis in the due diligence and administration of a few of the larger real estate transactions and developments in recent years. During this time I have also had the opportunity to work directly with the Wood River Land Trust and to play a key role in the creation of two major conservation easements: Colorado Gulch and the North Fork of Hyndman.
Beginning in 2001 and continuing until the sale in the summer of 2004, I worked with the Spaulding family as their representative in the listing of Cove Ranch. During those three years, I became intimately familiar with the natural history, geography, farming operation and, perhaps most important, the sense of place that defines "The Cove." I spent months during those three years on foot and horseback and in the farm truck with the ranch manager, Doug Gunderson, irrigating, pushing cattle, plowing and hunting. It truly is a very special place. Over the past six years, I have had hours and hours of conversations, brainstorming with potential buyers, the present owners, Idaho Department of Fish and Game managers, the Wood River Land Trust and Blaine County planners trying to get a sense of what would be a responsible direction for the development of such an important component of the south Wood River Valley.
Upon the release of the original development plan for Cove Ranch, the owners asked that I review the draft and join a group of supporters that would be advocates for the projects during the P&Z review process. Upon reviewing the original proposal, I felt that there were components of the plan that needed work. Without addressing those concerns, I felt that I simply couldn't support the project.
The proposed residential density, the location of home sites adjacent to wintering wildlife, the location of equestrian facilities and trails and mountain overlay impacts all represented issues that I strongly felt needed work. I was disappointed that the development team chose to proceed into and through the P&Z process without addressing these concerns. There has been much conjecture as to why the developers chose this path in the P&Z process.
Personally, I believe it is likely that the development team became so passionate about their own vision that they were operating in a bit of a vacuum. I believe they lost sight of the collateral impact of their vision upon the established goals and priorities of Blaine County already established in the comprehensive planning process.
With all of this said, I sincerely hope that the Blaine County planning staff and commissioners will evaluate the latest proposal objectively and on its own merit. I truly believe that the latest iteration of the Cove Springs development plan displays a spirit of understanding and compromise that succeeds in bridging the gap between proposed ideas and existing planning standards.
The changes to the previous proposal are very significant. The residential development in Cove, Chukar and Barrel Springs has been pulled back from the upper reaches of these drainages. Mountain overlay and wildlife concerns have been specifically addressed. There are substantial financial considerations proposed to provide funding for TDR purchase, wildlife monitoring and mitigation. There is a component for recreation and road and transportation infrastructure and funding as well as a community housing component that will provide much needed housing to the school district.
I believe that Blaine County has separated itself from the vast majority of Western resorts by maintaining an extremely high standard in its vision for responsible development. While at times this may seem exclusionary or even arbitrary, the result has been a quality of life for the residents that has been and hopefully continues to be incomparable in so many ways. I applaud the Cove Springs development team for reconciling that they needed to precipitate a change in their plan and for having the vision to make those changes within and in support of our community and the process that makes Blaine County the place it is for all of us to live.
