A proposed 378-home development in Quigley Canyon is expected to double the number of vehicles entering and exiting the canyon on Fox Acres and Quigley roads. Yet there is some debate on how much traffic is coming out of the mouth of Quigley Canyon already.
One couple in downtown Hailey has challenged a traffic study conducted recently to judge the impact of the proposed Quigley Canyon Development on Hailey.
Daralene and John Finnell live on Bullion Street, which is used by drivers exiting Deerfield subdivision at the mouth of Quigley Canyon, and by dog walkers and hikers heading west into Quigley Canyon on Quigley Road.
The city's original study counted traffic only on Fox Acres and Quigley roads.
"I attended Planning and Zoning meetings on the Quigley annexation and found out that the traffic studies did not include traffic impacts on Croy and Bullion Streets," said Mrs. Finnell, who moved with her husband to Hailey three and a half years ago from the San Francisco Bay area.
After the Finnells insisted that traffic flows on those streets be included, the city measured traffic flows on Bullion Street during the peak afternoon driving hour, counting 46 autos.
Mrs. Finnell challenged the city's number by making a tally of her own during a one-hour period, from 7:40 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. on Jan. 13, counting 97 autos, twice the number that the city counted.
She thought she should try again just to make sure and counted 87 more on Jan. 15, the day she took her numbers to the Hailey City Council, where a public hearing was held to consider the annexation request.
"Before making any decision about traffic impacts on our neighborhood, it's important to make sure base traffic flows are accurate," she said at the meeting. "This development is going to turn my street into a highway."
In an interview, the Finnells said traffic on Bullion Street already keeps them from walking to town in winter. The city has plans to build sidewalks on Bullion Street if Quigley is developed, but has not agreed to keep them clear in winter.
"We had the option of buying a large lot in Croy Canyon with geothermal water on it when we came here," said John Finnell. "But we decided to build in town instead. We believe in developing the in-fill in town and leaving the country in the canyons for everyone."
If Quigley is annexed, 378 homes and an 18-hole golf course will be built in the canyon. If not, developer David Hennessy said he will put an end the nordic ski trails and hiking trails on land he owns in the canyon.
Traffic-counting citizen Daralene Finnell is challenging the city of Hailey’s traffic-flow study on Bullion Street, which is being used to estimate the impact of a proposed 378-home development in Quigley Canyon. Express Photo by Willy Cook Photo by Willy Cook
