Friday, March 7, 2008

Out with the old, in with the new

Facelift begins on Ketchum block


By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

The Teal Building, on First Avenue in Ketchum, was reduced to rubble Wednesday in order to make room for the new Gallery 260 building. Also planned is the removal of the neighboring building, which used to be home to the Sun Valley Heli Ski Guides. That building will find new use as the base lodge at Rotarun ski area. Photo by David N. Seelig

The sound of heavy machinery and splintering wood on First Avenue signaled the beginning of another significant modern building development in Ketchum.

The Teal Building, located between the old Sun Valley Helicopter Ski Guides building and H-G's gourmet catering shop, was demolished on Wednesday, March 5, as the first step toward creation of Gallery 260, a mixed-use building that will span three-quarters of the city block.

The evening before it was torn down, project developers Justen Co., based in Seattle, allowed the Ketchum Fire Department to hold a practice session in the Teal Building. Evan Lawler, a member of both the Ketchum Fire Department and Okland Construction, which is working on the project, said firefighters simulated emergency situations such as filling a room with smoke and searching for victims, as well as practicing pulling water hose lines up several flights of stairs.

As a further benefit to the community, the developer has donated the old Sun Valley Helicopter Ski Guides building to the Rotarun Ski Club, where it will find a second life as a day lodge at the ski area west of Hailey in Croy Canyon.

Courtesy graphic The modern-looking Gallery 260 building, which will be located at 260 First Ave. N. in Ketchum, will house an art gallery, retail shops, 22 market-rate condominiums and seven deed-restricted residential units.

Scott Roberts, a partner with 260 First LLC., which owns the development, said he was especially pleased that the building will be put to use at Rotarun, as he's a former member of the Hailey Ski Team and grew up skiing and racing there.

Roberts said transportation of the building is scheduled for Monday, March 10, and groundbreaking for the new building the following Monday.

The 60,000-square-foot building, located at 260 First Ave. N., just west of the Copper Ridge Building, will likely house an art gallery and other retail space on the ground floor and contain 22 market-rate condominiums and seven deed-restricted residential units.

Roberts said gallery owner Anne Reed has right of first refusal to purchase the designated gallery space.

The proposed design has a flat roof, cedar siding, long vertical expanses of glass and balconies with horizontal steel members. The building would gain a story beyond that normally allowed by purchasing transferred development rights.

This use of TDRs has been a matter of serious concern for the owner of the Copper Ridge Building, KGF Development, which has filed a court action against the city of Ketchum, claiming the municipality's TDR ordinance is illegal. If the litigation is successful, KGF could prevent the Justen Co. from building its fourth floor, which could block views of Bald Mountain from the high-end Copper Ridge condominiums.

Ketchum City Attorney Ben Worst said the Justen Co. has so far been issued a foundation-only permit, which allows for the construction of the floor of the ground level.

Worst said he didn't know when the KGF Development filing would be resolved.

"It's possible that (the lawsuit) could affect our building schedule," Roberts said. "But we've really been as accommodating as possible."

Roberts said they designed the height of the building 12 inches lower than permitted and increased setbacks in order to mitigate some of the visual impact on the Copper Ridge condominiums.

While it may take some time for the courts to settle the dispute, there's no question that the face of Ketchum continues to change.




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