Hailey officials expect a surge in population by as many as 10,000 new residents in the next 17 years. As Hailey's Planning & Zoning Commission considers annexing Quigley Canyon into the city limits, they are in a position to shape where and how that growth will occur.
"People will come here whether they build out there or not," said Commissioner Geoffrey Moore. "The west has been discovered. This is paradise."
The commission has been nearly unanimous in praising the developer's approach to working with city officials, and grateful for the amenities offered to the city, which include an 18-hole golf course, extensive trail systems and a year-round clubhouse and Nordic ski center.
On Wednesday afternoon, development representative David Hennessy gave the P&Z and about 20 members of the public a tour of Quigley Canyon, pointing out sights along the way for proposed neighborhoods, golf course fairways, and the clubhouse and Nordic center high above the canyon floor.
"There is a balance between providing these amenities and developing those lots in the upper canyon," he said. "We've invested a lot of money out there. This is our much-preferred method (working with the city through annexation). We have no county plan. But if this doesn't work out, we will make one."
The development plans calls for 380 single-family homes on about 1,100 acres. A final decision on the proposed annexation plan will be made by the Hailey City Council.
The P&Z's job is to measure the impacts in terms of the 2025 Hailey Comprehensive Plan, which encompasses environmental impacts, "walkability" and "connectivity," and the control or limiting of expansion within a general push toward increased density, rather than sprawl.
Commissioner Owen Scanlon described the amenities offered by Hennessy as "magnanimous," saying, "Obviously something is going to be built out there. There will be impacts. A compromise will have to be made."
Those impacts will be felt in both the city and the county.
The city's library, transportation, public safety and fire departments would be stressed, offset in part by the nearly $1 million in development impact fees over the projected 30-year build-out period for the development.
Impacts would also be felt by the county's school district, which recently asked the developer for nearly $3.8 million for construction of a new elementary school, which school district officials said would be required to accommodate growth associated with the project.
Depending upon one's perspective and interests, Hennessy's proposal can be viewed as either a burden to the city or a gift horse. The Blaine County Recreation District and many Wood River Valley residents are eager to acquire extensive trail systems and an Audubon-approved golf course. BCRD Executive Director Jim Keating said the proposed development would also bring a world class "Nordic destination resort" to Quigley Canyon.
In any case, the Quigley development proposal would only provide housing for 10 percent of the city's estimated population increase of 10,000 by 2025. The rest would have to be provided by in-fill development and increased density within city limits.
P&Z Chairwoman Stefanie Marvel said the city succeeded three years ago in increasing density requirements, which would have provided a complement to municipal expansion through annexations. Annexations are considered to be major contributors to suburban sprawl.
"Three years ago the city agreed to allow smaller, 4,500-square-foot lots in Old Hailey. People got upset with this and felt that the lot sizes were too small." Marvel said. "After a series of public workshops, the city arrived back at the 6,000-square-foot lot size. Density is the only alternative to expansion through annexation. There is no other magical third way. People don't seem to want either, and that puts us in a pretty tough place."
Citizens for Smart Growth Executive Director Vanessa Fry has attended several of the Quigley annexation meetings.
"We see this as an awesome opportunity to work with the developers to make Quigley Canyon an asset to the city," she said.
Blaine County Regional Planner Jeff Adams and Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tim Graves attended the public hearing on the Quigley annexation request Tuesday. They attended as Hailey citizens rather than as county officials.
"I grew up a golfer," said Adams. "But I question every day if we need another golf course in this valley. And I question if we need an 18-hole golf course. I worry because I know how little land we have left around here.
Adams said that the proposed development extends beyond area of city impact (ACI) lines agreed upon between the city and the county in the 1990s.
"Why do we go through all the trouble of establishing ACIs? I think they should abide by it."
The main area in question is at the upper reaches of Quigley Canyon, where wildlife officials, fire department officials and city staff have also questioned the appropriateness of housing development.
Graves spoke out in favor of the annexation, primarily in response to the amenities offered by the developer. As a board member of the Sawtooth United Football Club, he joined Hailey Parks Coordinator Becky Keefer's earlier request for a sports playing field within the development.
"Has a developer ever offered this much to the city?" asked Graves, who lives in the nearby Deerfield subdivision. He suggested the developer could provide an off-site playing field elsewhere in the city.
Several area residents have formed a citizens committee to meet with the developer to study road and sign improvements in Deerfield subdivision. The group hopes to increase trail and road connectivity between Quigley Canyon and downtown Hailey, while reducing traffic impacts to Deerfield.
Quigley Canyon developer David Hennessy points toward a proposed driving range from the proposed site of a Nordic center and golf course clubhouse. Hennessy took the P&Z Commission and about 20 Hailey citizens on a tour of his group’s proposed development Wednesday afternoon. Photo by David N. Seelig
