Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Is an end in sight for Cove Springs issue?

Ongoing mediation talks seek to resolve county’s rejection of 306-lot subdivision

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By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

Participants in ongoing mediation talks between the county and the developers of Cove Ranch are hoping to arrive at a solution to the dispute over the rejected development plan. One of the main objectives of the talks is to find a way to resolve the planned development’s likely impacts from new drivers on Gannett-Picabo Road, which for now is used as a primary transportation route by local farmers and ranchers. Photo by David N. Seelig

Meeting in Hailey, representatives from Blaine County and the owners of Cove Ranch have spent the past week and a half discussing solutions to a protracted legal battle over proposed development there.

Both sides agreed to enter into mediation in late August to discuss the commission's rejection of a massive development plan for the 4,630-acre property late last year.

Reporting back to the rest of the Blaine County Commission on Tuesday, Commissioner Larry Schoen said the talks have been fruitful. He said the Cove Springs developers hope to wrap the talks up as early as the end of today.

"I do believe we're making progress," he said.

As the commission's representative during the talks, Schoen declined to say in detail what has been discussed so far. He said the two sides have been attempting to find "shared values" that will allow them to come to agreement.

Last October, the three-member county commission unanimously rejected the massive 307-lot Cove Springs subdivision project proposed for rural farmland five miles south of Bellevue. The commissioners cited the development's large size, scope and rural location, as well as potential impacts on wildlife and local agriculture.

The mediation request, first presented to the county on Aug. 15 by Cove Springs' attorney Martin Flannes, follows a Jan. 8 lawsuit filed in 5th District Court in Hailey by the developers. If successful, the mediation would mean the developers would drop the costly lawsuit in favor of a negotiated compromise.

"We are prepared to dismiss that litigation entirely," Flannes told the commission in August.

A copy of the mediation agreement provided to the public last month states that initial topics include revised lot configurations, street pattern, accessory uses, amenities and public access. Additional topics include impacts of the project on vehicular traffic on the Gannett-Picabo Road and on neighboring agricultural and residential uses.

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