A wide variety of concerns were raised Monday night when the Hailey Planning and Zoning Commission held the first of several public hearings on an annexation request that would add 379 homes, an 18-hole golf course and a Nordic skiing facility to Quigley Canyon east of Hailey.
City officials and Hailey residents at the packed-house meeting raised questions regarding the potential impact the development could have on the city's water supply and transportation system, and the possibility that the homes would remain unsold and empty in a slumping real estate market.
Quigley Green Owners LLC, led by Hailey developer David Hennessy, presented an overview of a proposal to annex into Hailey and develop 1,109 acres of ranch land. Annexation would allow three times the number of homes permitted under the site's current zoning in Blaine County.
Tom Kopf, of DTJ design firm in Boulder, Colo., outlined a five-phase, 15-year construction plan that includes three distinct neighborhoods in Quigley Canyon: a down-valley, high-density neighborhood bordering the Deerfield subdivision; a less-dense, mid-canyon neighborhood oriented toward the golf course; and an up-canyon, up-scale, rural neighborhood built on lots from one-half acre to four acres in size.
Portions of each of the three neighborhoods would be built during each of the five phases under the current plan. The golf course would be built during Phase 1.
Kopf described plans for a "low-impact," walkable community with nine miles of trails, Energy Star homes, parks, a community garden and recycling center. His plans include an 18-hole golf course surrounded by solar-oriented homes built of sustainable materials and leading along a restored Quigley Creek to a fishing pier at Quigley Pond. A golf course clubhouse would be converted to a Nordic skiing center during winter.
"I appreciate all the green architectural designs in the plan, but its pretty hard to build greener than the green land that is out there right now," P&Z Commissioner Owen Scanlon said.
Hailey resident Richard Stopol said the developers should be held to the 150- to 160-home limit imposed on the canyon by county zoning standards.
"That is what the neighboring homeowners thought they were getting into here," Stopol said.
Stopol's wife, Mary Ellen O'Leary, suggested the developers sell lots as they are needed rather than building out in phases, which she said could lead to "empty-bed syndrome," referring to other housing developments in Woodside subdivision that are vacant and unsold.
The proposed development would cover mostly agricultural land along 1.5 miles of Quigley Creek, and include a 200-acre Audubon golf course financed by the developer and deeded to the Blaine County Recreation District.
Hailey Parks Coordinator Becki Keefer said she was concerned with the lack of a recreation field within the plan, but that there were "enough recreation benefits to the people of Hailey to offset the potential impacts the development might have on the city."
P&Z Commissioner Stefanie Marvel asked Hennessy why the golf course was being deeded to the Blaine County Recreation District rather than the city of Hailey. He responded that when he began annexation discussions during the administration of former Mayor Susan McBryant, "she said the city was not interested in owning the golf course."
City Engineer Tom Hellen said the development may require drilling an additional well and pumping station to supply water pressure for homes built in the mid-valley and up-valley neighborhoods.
Fire Chief Mike Chapman said the lack of interconnectivity within the plan's street designs could threaten the viability of the project from the perspective of emergency access to neighborhoods.
"The devil is in the details," he said.
City officials are still waiting for studies from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game on impacts to wildlife in the canyon. City Planning Director Beth Robrahn said she spoke with David Parrish, the department's Magic Valley regional supervisor, on Monday afternoon and he said reviewing the Quigley annexation request was a "high priority" for the department.
Nathan Welch, planning coordinator the Wood River Land Trust, suggested the commission consider the future of 400 acres of property to the north of the proposed annexation, also owned by Hennessy and his partners at Quigley Green. He suggested that that property, which includes beaver ponds, be considered under the city's transfer-of-development rights program for preservation to offset development on the site requested for annexation.
Robrahn said she will continue to take written comment on the annexation request before the next public hearings and forward them to the commission.
"Between now and June we will do a lot of work to refine the information we have from the applicant," she said.
Two open houses will be held on April 30 and May 7 for city staff to hear further comment and questions on the proposed annexation. The open houses will take place from 12-2 p.m. and from 5:30-7 p.m. on both days.
Six public hearings will then be held with the City Council present on June 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 and 30. All those meetings will take place in the Hailey City Council chambers from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Further information on the Quigley Canyon annexation request and development plans for Quigley Canyon can be found at www.haileycityhall.org/planning. Robrahn can be reached for more information at 788-9815, ext. 13.
Tom Kopf, of DTJ design firm in Boulder, Colo., outlines a five-phase, 15-year construction plan to the Hailey Planning and Zoning Commission. The plan calls for three distinct neighborhoods in Quigley Canyon. Photo by Willy Cook
