Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Mayor calls SV
master plan a ‘gift’

Thorson calls for action to lock in proposals

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Public meeting

Sun Valley City Council members will convene in a special meeting today at 6 p.m. in the Continental Room of the Sun Valley Inn to hear public comments about a forthcoming update to the city’s comprehensive plan. The update was planned to coincide with the release of Sun Valley Co.’s 50-year master plan.

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By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

Sun Valley Mayor Jon Thorson is praising a 50-year master development plan put forth by Sun Valley Co. last week, saying the submission by company owner Earl Holding is a "gift" that should be readily accepted.

"I think it was wonderful," Thorson said Monday, April 12, six days after Sun Valley Co. presented a plan to develop some 2,800 acres of company land at densities less than those allowed by existing zoning regulations.

"Fundamentally, it’s a gift," he said.

In a commentary published in today’s Idaho Mountain Express, Thorson elaborated on his reaction to the conceptual plan.

"It’s a plan we can live with … Hopefully, we will squash the tendency to criticize its every detail."

In his commentary, Thorson called on Sun Valley citizens and City Council members to support the plan by ensuring its various aspects are included in a forthcoming update of the Sun Valley Comprehensive Plan. The comprehensive plan serves as the primary guiding document for city planners to review specific development projects proposed in the city.

"What are we to do with such a gracious act of stewardship?" Thorson noted. "After expressing our gratitude to (Holding), we can get to the task of diligently incorporating the elements of the (master plan) into the city’s comprehensive plan. Then we should develop zoning and building ordinances to secure that vision for generations to come."

In what is certainly the most ambitious development proposal ever put forth in the Wood River Valley, Sun Valley Co. on April 6 presented a 50-year master plan that calls for three new luxury hotels, hundreds of private residences and a new 9-hole golf course.

Sun Valley Co. General Manager Wally Huffman presented specific plans to develop areas of Sun Valley Village, the Sun Valley Gun Club property, areas around Penny Mountain, and the so-called Prospector property behind city hall. In addition, approximately 160 acres of land surrounding River Run Lodge at the base of Bald Mountain, west of Ketchum, will be developed

All told, the master plan calls for maximum development of approximately 2,200 hotel and residential units on lands zoned to accommodate more than 3,400 units.

The most ambitious plans are for Sun Valley Village, where approximately 520,000 square feet of new development is planned. Plans for the village core include a new 120- to 200-room spa hotel immediately north of the Sun Valley Lodge, a new 200- to 250-room hotel immediately southeast of the Sun Valley Lodge and several clusters of townhouses and cottages.

One potentially controversial aspect of the master plan calls for 72 townhouse units around the base of Penny Mountain, the popular sledding hill at the corner of Sun Valley and Saddle roads. The approximately 15-acre Penny Mountain parcel is zoned to accommodate 108 units.

Thorson on Monday said he believes the plan will allow Sun Valley to "remain an outstanding mountain village with non-cluttered hillsides."

However, because the city does not have a formal process for broadly approving master plans for private land developments, it is unclear what aspects of the master plan will actually be linked to future development.

Thorson said he believes amending the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning code to reflect the proposals in the master plan would likely be the most effective means for the city to ensure different developments—possibly with greater densities—do not supersede those put forth by Holding.

"If I had that master plan, and I could do something to approve it and tie it to the real estate … I’d do it," he said.

Sun Valley Co. officials have said numerous factors—most importantly market forces—will determine exactly what elements of the plan are ultimately proposed in the next 50 years.

As for Sun Valley Co.’s proposal to develop its 160 acres of Blaine County land surrounding River Run Lodge after annexing the area into Ketchum, Ketchum Mayor Ed Simon said he is taking a wait-and-see approach.

"Until we see an actual plan it’s hard to say (what I think)," Simon said, noting that traffic, parking and the phasing of developments could be matters of concern.

Huffman has said annexing the land into Ketchum is a top priority that will be pursued later this year.

(For a closer look at the master plan proposal for the River Run area, see the Idaho Mountain Express Friday edition on April 16.)

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.