Business owners in the two long, parallel buildings at 231 Northwood Way in Ketchum, the site of High Altitude Fitness, want to add a second floor for 18 apartments.
Designers showed preliminary plans of the one-story additions to the Ketchum Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday, outlining only what the 30-foot-tall exterior might look like.
Exteriors and interiors of each of the 1,000-square-foot apartments could differ because they would sit over light-industrial condominiums currently used for businesses or storage. And a single owner doesn't own the two, long buildings. The units are separately owned, with all owners belonging to the Northwood Center Condo Owners Association.
Owners of the first-floor units would own the apartments above. Therefore, each owner would have the say on how the above apartment would look, and if they are wanted at all.
Designer Scott Corkery said the condo association came to the architectural firm with the idea and, so far, all owners are on board for the second-floor addition.
"And the owners agree that there's no point to do one unit at a time," Corkery said. "Do all of them at the same time."
But, Corkery admitted, an owner or two might back out because he or she doesn't have the money or just doesn't want the unit.
"If someone doesn't want an apartment, we'll just not build over that spot," Corkery said.
That would mean a 1,000-square-foot gap on the second floor.
Corkery said he doesn't yet know how much the apartments would cost to build because each owner will have options to pick from. He said the minimum cost would be about $200 per square foot.
Even though the apartments would be an extension of the equally sized light-industrial units below, developers plan to have stairs installed in breezeways so tenants don't have to enter the businesses to access their apartments.
Commissioner Steve Cook excluded himself from the discussion since his architectural firm has been hired to work on it. However, Cook said the building is "incredibly set up" for the addition.
Commissioner Michael Doty agreed.
"I've looked over there many times and thought, 'This would be a terrific place for housing,'" Doty said.
But Commissioner Rich Fabiano worried that the combination of housing and businesses could cause conflict. He said businesses might be running a table saw at 7 in the morning or 7 at night, and dwellers couldn't complain because the land is zoned Light Industrial.
Designers said the owners understand that, but Fabiano said dwellers might not be as sympathetic when they're living there.
"Home is your castle," Fabiano said. "And in your castle you're king."
But that wouldn't be true here. Rights of businesses would trump dwellers.
The discussion was part of pre-application design review and the P&Z didn't make any decisions. Commissioners just offered words of advice for the designers.
Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com
Courtesy graphic
Conceptual plans for new housing on Northwood Way in Ketchum were presented to the city Monday.
