A three-story building has been approved for an open site northwest of the Main Street-Sun Valley Road intersection, despite the absence of a few design details.
The Ketchum Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the design of a 5,013-square-foot building at 231 Sun Valley Road, which would include ground floor retail space and two floors of residential space, with the understanding that a couple of problems would be addressed in updated plans.
Commissioner Steve Cook plainly stated that the awning, a dominant architectural touch of the exterior, needs to change.
"The building is rectangular," he said, "and you have this nun's cornet out there."
Cook said that may seem insignificant, but the building would be close to Ketchum's most vital intersection.
Doug Burdge, project architect, agreed to make it flat, as Cook suggested.
The only other problem was that Burdge based the building's height on a skewed plane matching the land's slope, whereas the commission did not. Translating the plans to the commission's standards would put the building an inch or two over the 40-foot height limit for mixed-use buildings. Burdge said that if that's the case, the extra height would be skimmed.
That small adjustment would be nothing in comparison to the change this building has undergone in the past year. The commission approved a design for an almost 11,000-square-foot building on the lot in April 2008, twice the size of the current project.
Burdge said the downsizing occurred because the building was originally to be on two parcels. That changed to one parcel 75 feet long along Sun Valley Road and 55 feet wide along the alley.
"I guess you could also say we're downsizing," Burdge said, "as everything is these days."
Commissioners Cook and Deborah Burns said that's been to the building's benefit. Cook commented that the building has improved but noticed that previously planned solar panels have been scrapped.
Burdge said an original goal was to be LEED certified, meaning that a building uses resources more efficiently than conventional buildings, which are simply built to code.
"But with the economy, we're just trying to get this done," he said.
Since the building has been downsized, Burdge said, he's had to be more efficient with each square foot.
"Small is green," he said.
The 2,679-square-foot first floor retail space will include two garage parking spots. Two open-air parking spots will also be available. The second floor residential area will be 1,780 square feet, and the third floor will have 1,089 square feet.
Plans are available at www.ketchumidaho.org. Type "231 S-V plans" in the search area.
Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com
The Ketchum P&Z this week approved plans for a new building near the corner of Main Street and Sun Valley Road.
Courtesy graphic
