SNRA reveals proposal to tighten building standards
"We’re trying to bring some common sense into
it. These large homes clearly don’t protect the historic and scenic
values."
Sawtooth National Forest supervisor Bill LeVere
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
The Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) was
established in 1972 primarily to check unbridled private land development
in the Sawtooth Valley. The SNRA’s managers are now proposing to tighten
those rules.
The Sawtooth National Forest, which oversees management of
the SNRA, has released for public review its revised building standards,
in the form of an environmental assessment (EA. The original standards
were adopted in 1974, and the current revision process began in 1996.
Sawtooth National Forest supervisor Bill LeVere said the
proposal is significantly different than the initial proposal made five
years ago.
"The primary reason for the changes is the input we
have received from the public," he said. "We sincerely listened,
took to heart the many ideas and suggestions, and made appropriate
changes."
The types of standards and guidelines under review include
landscaping, building size, building location, architectural style, color,
materials and fencing. The standards are similar to municipal planning and
zoning design-review guidelines, LeVere said.
"A shift in the size, type and design of buildings
being proposed and constructed within the SNRA is occurring," the
proposal states in a need-for-action statement. "Proposals are
discussed or [are] being submitted for certification for house sizes
double, triple or even four times the average house found within the SNRA
today.
"These house proposals are comparable to the estate
homes found in resort areas in the West. Many of the proposals have modern
elements and/or designs, which are insensitive to the visual setting and
the history that helped lead to the creation of the Sawtooth National
Recreation Area."
The Forest Service drafted five alternatives for the
public’s consideration, ranging from "no action," meaning the
existing regulations would remain, to high restrictions, including a
proposed 1,580-square-foot cap on building sizes.
The Forest Service’s preferred alternative is
alternative four, which provides "more detailed standards and
guidelines related to use and development on private land," according
to the proposal.
"We’re trying to bring some common sense into
it," LeVere said. "These large homes clearly don’t protect the
historic and scenic values."
Under alternative four, allowable building sizes would be
based on a site’s proximity to a public corridor and the site’s
terrain. A maximum of 5,000 square feet would be allowed for a non-visible
lot that’s more than two miles from the nearest public corridor. A
maximum of 1,800 square feet would be allowed for a lot in open sage or
grassland that’s less than a quarter mile from a public corridor.
Alternative four requires that facades visible to the
public must be built in an architectural style compatible with the
historic and scenic qualities on the SNRA, but allows non-visible facades
to be designed with more leniency.
"For example, on a non-visible portion of the
structure…modern style architecture such as round towers, Gothic arches
or Grecian columns may be certifiable," states the alternative.
Colors and materials allowed on publicly visible facades
must include logs, shakes, native stone, rough lumber or other
contextually appropriate materials.
According to the draft proposal, about 45 percent of the
residences and outbuildings that could legally be built on the SNRA have
been built.
LeVere said the building standards are important because
taxpayers have invested "tens of millions of dollars purchasing
public rights" in the form of conservation easements in the SNRA.
"Given these public rights, it is incumbent upon the
Forest Service to appropriately and properly manage these rights for the
American public."
The Forest Service will hold open house meetings on the
proposed building standards at SNRA headquarters, north of Ketchum, on
Feb. 13 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; at Sawtooth National Forest headquarters in
Twin Falls on Feb. 12 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and at the Stanley Ranger
Station on Feb. 14 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
