Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Thunder Springs deal is wrong

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It is so refreshing to see that the Mountain Express is actually questioning Mayor Randy Hall and the City Council regarding the deal struck with Thunder Springs. The city accepted "a $1.3 million payment and a lease on four acres of property with clouded development rights in lieu of construction of workforce housing by the Thunder Spring development." This deal will satisfy a commitment of public benefits that were agreed upon in 1998 by Thunder Springs in a PUD conditional-use permit and phased development agreement that were never completed.

The fact that the city has agreed to accept this deal is very questionable. One question I have is if any legal fees were paid to clarify development rights on this piece of land. After all, no government agency should accept such a deal unless it knows the land can actually be developed. And if legal fees were paid, shouldn't Ketchum citizens be informed of what was determined? Can the land be used?

Further, if the $1.3 million is paid now (which doesn't seem likely since it is being tied into Thunder Springs' being able to build on their new permit), workforce housing should be purchased now with the housing market at a historic low and a surplus of vacant properties available.

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Phyllis Shafran

Ketchum