Hailey and Bellevue approach area-of-impact agreement
By PETER BOLTZ
Express Staff Writer
Bellevue and Hailey have come closer to an agreement on dividing up
authority over how land between the two towns will be developed.
That is, if the spirit of cooperation between their city planners carries
over to their respective city councils.
During a Bellevue City Council meeting Thursday, Hailey city planner Kathy
Grotto presented the Bellevue City Council with a map she and Bellevue city planner Diane
Shay had drawn to designate area-of-impact boundaries between the two cities.
The issue had arisen during a meeting of the Bellevue City Council on June
8 after Utah banker Spencer Eccles had requested that the city of Hailey annex his
property on the east side of Highway 75.
Under Idaho law, a city can annex land only when it is within its area of
impact.
The Bellevue council objected to Eccles’ application because it would
butt Hailey’s city limit up against Bellevue’s along Spruce Street.
To avoid that, the Bellevue council directed Shay to start negotiating
area-of-impact boundaries with Grotto.
The two came up with a proposal that would split the 228 acres on the east
side of Highway 75 so that Bellevue’s area of impact would include 134 acres and
Hailey’s would include the remaining 94.
On the west side of the highway, Hailey’s area of impact would extend
to the southern boundary of Flying Hat Ranch,, also owned by Eccles. The city’s
wastewater effluent line runs along that boundary.
South along that line is the tip of Bellevue’s northern city limit
and county land.
Grotto said Hailey would probably extend its urban services boundary up to
the proposed area-of-impact boundary.
Hailey officials have said the city intends to annex all that property
over a period of 20 years.
The two planners did not say where they thought their urban services
boundary should be drawn on the east side of Highway 75, but they proposed 30 to 50 acres
of open space to run on either side of their shared area of impact boundary.
"This is much more acceptable," said Bellevue City Councilwoman
Joanna Ehrmantraut, and the rest of the council agreed.
