Proposed amendments to the Sun Valley Comprehensive Plan & Future Land Use Map will roll back zoning restrictions that act to the benefit of the greater Sun Valley and Wood River Valley communities and that ultimately work to the benefit of the Sun Valley Co.
What makes the Sun Valley area unique among the best luxury ski resorts in the country is its remote location in the middle of an enormous wilderness area, its unspoiled beauty and ever-present wildlife, and its vivid Western history as a frontier mining and sheep-herding town. Many ski areas (such as Vail) are easier to get to, with an interstate running through town. Others (Park City) have sprawling but accessible development. And others (Aspen) have more glitz. But no place can begin to compete with the natural and historic beauty of Sun Valley.
Permitting more condos or other development along Sun Valley Road or higher in the hills will make the resort easier to unload to the next owner, who can look forward to income from development. But it will diminish Sun Valley's prime attribute, to the detriment of the community and, in the end, to the resort itself.
Earl Holding has established a track record as a protector of what makes Sun Valley special. Don't think that the Sun Valley Co. in the hands of a different owner will do the same. Strong regulation is what insures that all future owners will do what is best for Sun Valley.
Robert S. Johnson
Houston, Texas
