Sun Valley plan seeks building in OR-1 recreation zones
Wants to make a few deals with city

By SUSAN BAILEY
The Wood River Journal ~ Sun Valley

Conversations throughout the Wood River Valley continue to revolve around future development of Sun Valley in the wake of an April 6 presentation unveiling plans for Sun Valley Resort's 2,805 acres.
"We're not going to wake up tomorrow morning and see all that done," said Sun Valley General Manager Wally Huffman last week. "But you must understand the ski industry is a boutique industry. Ski areas exist so resorts can develop land. That's the unfortunate climate in which we live."
Sun Valley expects to construct homes on 45 acres at Warm Springs lift, a new hotel, underground parking and employee housing on 160 acres at River Run lifts and a new golf course, grocery store, two new hotels and residential developments on 2,600 acres in Sun Valley Village and surrounding areas.
The resort owns property extending to Boundary Campground on Trail Creek Road, past Dollar Mountain on Elkhorn Road and on each side of Sun Valley Road to the boundary with Ketchum.
During the slide presentation on April 6, Sun Valley showed photographs of several other resort hotels in areas such as Whistler Mountain in British Columbia and Steamboat Springs and Vail in Colorado. In those areas, hotels and condominiums are tall, massive structures.
"We don't like the pictures that you saw on the slides of Whistler and Steamboat any more than you do," said Huffman. "We'd like to maintain the human scale."
The crowd applauded his comments vigorously.
But Sun Valley wants the city of Sun Valley to reward their attempts at keeping high density development at bay with residential development on three parcels currently zoned OR-1, Outdoor Recreation.
"Obviously, we're not a philanthropic organization," Huffman said in an interview last week. "We could have a total of 3,405 development units and Mr. Holding has agreed to 2,200 development units but we want something back."
Sun Valley has its eye on trading its overall lower density for development rights on three OR-1 parcels, if city officials approve.
In its Master Plan, Sun Valley seeks rezoning to enable sales of residential lots across from Dollar Mountain on the slope of Prospector Peak behind Sun Valley City Hall as well as condominium property behind the tree line of the Sun Valley Road horse pasture between Penny Mountain and Val d'Sol condominiums and behind the red barn on Sun Valley Road at Bitterroot Road.
City officials have not scheduled the Sun Valley Master Plan for any public hearings or other action at this time. The Master Plan will likely be affected by an update in the Comprehensive Plan started this month.
During the presentation, Huffman admitted the concept of gondolas cars whisking skiers from two new hotels in Sun Valley Village to stations at the beginner ski slopes of Dollar Mountain and the new hotel at the River Run side of Bald Mountain was his favorite project in the Master Plan.
Gondola stations outside Sun Valley Lodge, at Dollar Mountain and the new River Run hotel would be available only to Sun Valley guests, Huffman said. As part of the proposal, Huffman also pitched extending the gondola to a station on the empty lot at Fourth Street and Second Avenue in Ketchum across from the Ketchum Post Office.
Huffman and Design Workshop of Denver, Colo., said River Run development would not compete with Ketchum and its businesses.
"River Run is not there to be its own village but to support the recreation that is there," said Huffman. "Ketchum is the town. It is the place. People today do much more than ski in what used to be called ski resort and are now called mountain resorts."
The parking lot at River Run would become a four-story building with three levels of underground parking for 1,500 vehicles hidden behind a retail faŤade surrounded by a new 200-bed hotel and condominium development with housing for Sun Valley employees.
In Sun Valley Village, a 195,000-square-foot new hotel southeast of Sun Valley Lodge on the present parking lot would include underground parking, 150-200 rooms, a spa, restaurant, and health center. Huffman said building this hotel would be the first project started under the Master Plan.
Moving the Sun Valley Post Office closer to Trail Creek Road and building an adjacent grocery store is also in the plan along with a new conference facility immediately west of Sun Valley Inn.
A new 250-room hotel at the end of the soccer field by Dollar Road will not affect the Sun Valley Summer Symphony concerts held in the tent, according to Huffman.
"This will be the home for Sun Valley Summer Symphony in perpetuity," said Huffman to loud applause.
In the Sun Valley Village, employee dorms will be removed along with the former Moritz Community Hospital to allow new residential development along the Sun Valley Golf Course by Wildflower condominiums. Huffman said employee housing and service and maintenance buildings would be moved out of the village across Trail Creek Road.
Around Sun Valley Gun Club will be a new 9-hole golf course with home sites and condominium development. Huffman said shooting will move to a new Sun Valley Gun Club site in a canyon across from Trail Creek Cabin.
A rendering by Ruscitto/Latham/Blanton for a new ski lodge at Dollar Mountain was included in the presentation last week. In time for Christmas, Dollar Cabin will be replaced by Dollar Mountain Lodge, a 24,000-square-foot mountain lodge resembling those at Warm Springs, Seattle Ridge and River Run.
Sun Valley plans to burn the present Dollar Cabin with help from Sun Valley Fire Department later this month.