Since Ketchum's downtown master plan was adopted by the City Council in 2006, a number of major successes have been accomplished and more are on the way.
At a Ketchum Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Monday, Community and Economic Department Director Lisa Horowitz, along with city planners Stefanie Webster and Mark Goodman, described the results of the hard work that has gone on for the past two year and what's planned for the near future.
Horowitz said the master plan, designed to help guide development in downtown Ketchum, has been the catalyst for numerous developments. The most prominent result to date has been the completion of the first two phases of the Fourth Street Heritage Corridor, which has widened sidewalks adorned with art and benches between Walnut and Washington avenues.
Other important, but less obvious, projects include the creation of the Community Development Corp., a nonprofit organization with goals ranging from affordable housing construction to revitalization of the economy. The Urban Renewal Agency was also created, giving the city a vehicle to raise revenue through increasing property assessments for improved infrastructure developments.
Horowitz said recent conditional-use permit approval for the proposed 73-room Hotel Ketchum fits within the plans for the intersection of Main and River streets, also known as the Southern Gateway. The vision for the area is to create a lively introduction as cars into the city.
In addition, the city is putting the finishing touches on a new Festival Overlay District that will set new fees depending on the size and scope of an event, as well as give local business owners greater notice for upcoming events.
While the third phase of the Fourth Street project has been put on hold to give business owners a reprieve from the construction next summer, Horowitz said the city is looking to work instead on sign improvements to help tourists find their way around the community.
Horowitz said public involvement in the process is highly encouraged and, therefore, two work sessions will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., to gain input from residents.
More public brainstorming sessions will be held to discuss plans for the Town Plaza, the site of the former Mountain West Bank building. Interim uses include a new home for the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau, Mountain Rides and the Ketchum Community Development Corp.
The most prominent result of the Ketchum master plan has been the Fourth Street Heritage Corridor, which has widened sidewalks with art and benches between Walnut and Washington avenues.
