Introducing The Ketchum Sun (thoughts on Parking and Housing)

A weekly take on what's happening in City Hall | "Sunlight is the Best Disinfectant"

Neighbors,

Are you interested in receiving a weekly email with my take on what is happening with the Ketchum City Council, KURA, BCHA, FSVA, etc.? The first “issue” follows this introduction. If so, let me know, and I will add you to my distribution list.  If not, I apologize for the spam and won’t bug you again.

A lot is going on in Ketchum: 

• Planning: Ketchum has embarked on a once-in-a-decade Comprehensive Plan rewrite.  This will determine things like land use, the zoning code, and prioritization for spending of public funds.

• Development (two new hotels, significant changes to zoning code), 

• Parking (the permanent elimination of 25 spots on Main Street, another 65 spots at Washington/1st, and more at 6th Leadville, potential for parking meters)

• Housing (Bluebird 1 to open this summer, Bluebird 2 slated to start later this year, Bluebird 3 slated for Lift Tower Lodge, Bluebird 4 next to 511 building, Bluebird 5 for Y parking lot, City purchases of condos at Parkview, Lease to Locals)

• Traffic (new light coming for Serenade at 75, Main Street rebuild project)

• Airport (doubling of private jet capacity, millions of LOT taxes sitting unspent in a bank account)

• Sustainability (new cardboard machine, but not much else that I can see)

I am not a journalist or a politician.  I am a resident of Ketchum who spent three decades on Wall Street. I now help run an NGO in Africa (BOMA.ngo) and have just started a defense technology accelerator in Ukraine (MITS.capital).  I married into Ketchum over 30 years ago; like you, I treasure this paradisical place and worry about its future.

I am concerned not only with the Aspenization program I perceive being pursued by the majority of City Council members, but also with Ketchum’s lack of governance, lack of transparency, and lack of analysis. I recognize that many people disagree with me on important issues; I welcome dialog. 

Below is a first attempt at a weekly newsletter.  Feedback is welcome.  All opinions are my own, and most of the numbers are my best guesses based on publicly available information.

Let me know what you think and what concerns you have for the community. If there are other people you think should be on this distribution, please share this with them (there is a button at the bottom for that) and have them email me to be added.

Thank you,

Perry

___________________________

“Sunlight is the Best Disinfectant”

In this Edition…

• Burning Issue: Parking — whose interests do our elected officials represent?

• Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency meeting 3/18 — the Washington lot developed is “game on.”

• City Council Meeting 3/18—be sure to read the “New Business” section

• Sun Valley Roundabout Plans — it’s only going to cost $1mm!

• A letter to the editor of IME—will they print it?

• Public Comment to the Council on the Comprehensive Plan—will they demand the information they need to make informed decisions?

Burning Issue:  Parking

People are waking up to the City’s parking plan and don’t seem to like it.  I can only make sense of the parking program if I reconcile it to all the other actions they take.  They are re-making Ketchum into an Aspen.  When you view parking (and every other decision) through that lens, it makes a lot more sense.

The City has concluded that Ketchum has plenty of parking.  Based on a consultant study, they say we don’t approach the 85% parking utilization in the core that warrants concern.  They also say we have more parking per capita than similar resort cities.  I think they are misreading things.

• The utilization study was not conducted during peak demand periods.

• The per capita study ignored other communities' massive private parking lots.

But regardless of this, parking came out as #3 in the community concern survey (#1 among people >65).  Almost every comment about parking at every public meeting has been frustration that the City is not listening to the community.  At the Comp Plan listening session last Tuesday, parking concerns dominated the meeting.

If the residents want parking as a priority, and their elected representatives are making parking a problem, it begs the question:

Whose interests are the Mayor and Council representing? On the parking issue, it is not the people who live, work, and own businesses in Ketchum. So, whose interests are they bowing to?  

What is the City planning to do?

INCREASE DEMAND for parking.

• more tourism promotion (you are being taxed for it via the LOT)

• almost 200 more hotel rooms, with the two new ones at the entrance of Ketchum

• more short-term rentals via the ADU loophole

• 400 or more new residents living in the core via the series of Bluebirds in the works

• 50 cars on the street from Bluebird 1, beginning this summer

• >50 cars from Bluebird 2 (the 66 units on the Washington site)

• Bluebird 3 (50+ units at Lift Tower Lodge) 

• >30 cars from Bluebird 4 (whatever they put up at 6th/Leadville)

• Bluebird 5 (50+ units on a YMCA parking lot)

• more overall development of Ketchum 

Then, there is all the other new building activity going on in Sun Valley and down valley.

One would think that if demand goes up, supply might rise. Nope. The City plans to REDUCE the SUPPLY of parking.

• Permanent elimination of 25 spots on Main Street

• Permanent elimination of 4 spots on 2d just off Main

• Permanent loss of the 10 spots that were at Formula Sports

• Permanent elimination of the 64 spots at Washington/1st Lot

But wait…there’s more!

• Potential loss of all spots at 6th/Leadville when it is developed for Bluebird 4 (this lot is used for parking during plowing operations in the winter).

How will the City handle parking? 

What they are talking about:

• Parking meters in the core

• Parking permits for the new downtown residents who don’t get parking in the Bluebirds

• Restrictions on employee parking to areas outside of the commercial core

• Reduced time limits on parking spots

These are all things a big city does to manage its parking congestion. It will push commercial and employee parking into residential areas. It will also lead to more bureaucracy, as the City must hire people to administer all this.  This is consistent with Aspenization, but is it consistent with the quality of life concerns of the residents of Ketchum?

Some of our elected officials have politicized parking as a choice between parking and people.  People who think parking should be a community priority are demonized.  That is, in my opinion, ridiculous.  Why do we have to make that choice?  We can have both; we need to apply some common sense about where we put people and where we put parking.

What can you do to impact what the City does? 

• There is a petition you can sign at Nourish Me (please do!).

• You can go to City Hall meetings and state your case

• meet with the City Council members

• Write letters to the IME (letters@mtexpress.com)

• vote out the “gang of three” in 2025

Who will decide what happens?  Three People

Given the City Council's current makeup, three members are pushing Aspenization, one is for Ketchum preservation, and one leans toward preservation.  The gang of three usually prevails.  That’s right, just three people make the decisions.  (One of them said during the Marriott vote something to the effect that it’s not important what people want—they got elected). 

What is On for Next Week?  Bluebird 2, the Budget and A Roundabout….

Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency Meeting to Advance Bluebird 2

March 18, 2 pm, Ketchum City Hall

I get a lot of questions like, “Is it too late to stop the low-income housing project at the Washington lot?” Some people don’t like that it will permanently eliminate 64 downtown parking spots while increasing demand for parking (see above). Some people don’t like that Bluebird 2 has a 4-story lot-line-to-lot-line box design, which does not fit the character of Ketchum.

Former Council Member Jim Slanetz posted a great analysis of how KURA is exceeding its brief with this project in an IME comment on KURA’s $8mm commitment to this development (click for link).

I think it's probably too late. Here is the agenda. All “action items” concern moving forward with this development. (Note that there is no public comment at this meeting.) KURA will commit itself to this project at its next meeting on March 25.

• ITEM 8: ACTION ITEM: Update on First and Washington Project and Recommendation to Establish a KURA Subcommittee to Review and Provide Direction on Project Design and Plans and Authorize the Executive Director to Initiate and Fund Idaho Power Engineering Study

• ITEM 9: ACTION ITEM: Recommendation to Adopt Resolution 24-URA06 Approving the Funding Methodology for First and Washington Project

• ITEM 10: ACTION ITEM: Approval of a Special Meeting on Monday March 25, 2024 at 2:00 PM to review and approve funding for the Main Street Improvement Project.

I estimate this project will consume up to $20mm in Ketchum taxpayer resources. KURA’s $8mm is just the start. There is the free land, which has to be worth at least $5mm. Then there are the millions of $$ in lost property taxes to the City over the life of this project, as it is a tax-exempt project. This project seems to defy how KURA is supposed to finance itself (with the incremental property tax in its district from the value of its improvements).

This is a good project in a terrible location. I like that the Wood River Housing Trust is doing it using its novel tax-exempt financing structure. This means it can target housing for non-profit and municipal workers. It has a sliding rent scale based on 30% of income, and it encourages employer participation in addressing the workforce housing challenge. It would make a lot more sense if it was built on City-owned land to the south of Ketchum. It could have tenant parking there.

KURA is a way to get around transparency

I think KURA is a travesty of City governance. It has been used for some of the least transparent property transfers in Ketchum government history. KURA is supposed to be “independent” of the City Council. The two City Council members on the Aspenization program are voting members, while its staff support comes from the City, making a mockery of “independence.” The rest of its members are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council. The executive director is the person who honchoed Bluebird 1.

The City has used KURA as a piggy bank to pay for consultants that a URA is not designed to do. URAs are supposed to rebuild infrastructure in depressed urban communities, yet ours is spending the vast majority of its resources on low-income housing within the commercial core.

Meanwhile, our roads and sidewalks are crumbling.

Ketchum City Council Meeting to Start the Budget

March 18, 4 pm, Ketchum City Hall

Here is the agenda, which includes links to Zoom into it. Here is my take on the agenda items. Skip to New Business if you are short on time….that’s where the money is.

The Consent Agenda is full of spending decisions that warrant discussion (and one that should be denied)

• Item 6: $90k for chip seal asphalt. We need this, but the motion is improperly worded, as there is no cap on the expenditure.

• Item 8 $500k for dewatering equipment at the Water Treatment Facility (the WTF—couldn’t resist).  This is an excellent thing to do.  However, a $500k expenditure with no evidence of a competitive bid?  Hmm.  Let’s see if any Council Member picks up on that.

• Item 10:  relocation of the water main line on Main Street is required for the Main Street rebuild.  This will delay other water projects—which ones?  For how long?  Let’s see if any Council Member asks.

• Item 11: The City reverses the Planning Department’s decision to apply a new ordinance to a development. The Planning Department whiffed on this. The Council should ask why the Planning Department made the error and what is being done to prevent this in the future. 

• Item 13: contract for design services. The Council should vote “NO” on this. It is presented to them as a cost savings. It is not. The City hired two in-house full-time employees who should be able to provide this service (or else we hired the wrong people).  In my opinion, this is more bureaucratic bloat.  As far as I know, they have never been presented with the costs of the new community engagement department, any business plan around it, or metrics to judge its effectiveness.

Public Comment

This is only for a lot-line shift, which is a waste of time. The Council is not allowed to ask the reason for the shift or to deny it if it conforms with the City code; the planning department assures conformity.  Apparently, public comment is a legal requirement.

New Business (getting a start on the budget)

• Item 15: Treasurer Report.  This is the first time I’ve seen this in New Business.  Usually, it is a consent agenda item.  I think it is on here because Ketchum is swimming in money from last year, and the budget process is starting up.  The Treasurer’s commentary is notable for its total lack of insight.

  • We ended last year with a $4.8mm surplus, and we are tracking ahead of last year’s revenues.  

  • The city will have $2.7mm for housing from the LOT—for what?

  • Administrative expenses are up 24% from last year. That is a massive jump in bureaucracy, and the Council should examine it.  

  • Rooms only generate 17% of the LOT; Retail is 58%—not just tourists—that’s from you whenever you buy local or go to a restaurant/bar.  

  • We have spent almost $1mm on community housing YTD.  It looks like more is going to staff and administration than to housing people.  Am I wrong?  More bureaucracy. Compare this with Hailey’s approach.

  • Now I know why Daryl Fauth is so nasty to me in the IME online comments.  His company is getting over $768k from the City of Ketchum for Bluebird 1. 

• Item 16: Capital Improvement Plan update. This is an important initiative, as we have operated without a capital budget for years (one of my governance concerns). No materials are provided as part of the packet, and no public comment is slated for this significant expenditure. 

Executive Session

Based on this item's wording, I guess they are planning to buy another condo, once again, in secret.  Or maybe they are selling one they purchased or giving one to BCHA.  While it is perfectly legal to do this in secret, is this the Mayor’s definition of transparency?

Roundabout for Saddle Rd/Sun Valley Rd — Open House

March 21, 4-7 pm  | Sun Valley City Hall

My view:  the flasher is great when traffic is light, but it isn’t great around big events at Sun Valley when traffic is heavy.  The options include:

• do nothing (cheapest approach) 

• repair the light (also cheap; I prefer the flasher)

• place a cop at the intersection during peak traffic periods (more expensive than the above, but a lot cheaper than a roundabout; not as efficient)

• replace the intersection with a roundabout

$4mm for a traffic circle is a lot of Sun Valley taxpayer money.  Sun Valley may get the state to pay for $3mm of it (smart!).  Perhaps they could get Sun Valley Co to chip in, as it is the entrance to their resort. It would look a lot nicer and be the smoothest option for traffic. However, it would be slightly more inconvenient for bikers and pedestrians (it would take a longer distance to cross).

Comprehensive Plan — Listening Sessions

Please attend one if you haven’t; this is a rare opportunity to be heard.

• Tues., March 19 | 11:30 AM Ketchum City Hall (online participation will be available)

• Tues., March 19 | 4:00 PM Wood River Community YMCA

• Wed., March 20 | 10:30 AM Community Library

LETTER TO EDITOR on Parking

I submitted this letter to the IME.  My point in this one is that before we make irrevocable changes to Ketchum, when can we test their impact before we commit to them?  In my experience, major changes are made based on narratives rather than analysis.

Can We Try Less Parking Before We Commit to Less Parking?

The City of Ketchum plans to permanently eliminate 25 parking spots on Main Street during the road project and another 64 parking spots when KURA develops the Washington parking lot into a four-story, 66-unit low-income housing building.  However, in the recent community values survey, parking was the #3 concern from the community.  It was of particular concern for our less mobile neighbors over 65.  At the first listening session on the Comprehensive Plan, parking was the #1 concern for the attendees.  There seems to be a substantial disconnect between the City Council’s agenda and what the Ketchum community wants.

In my observation, we can have both parking and workforce housing, but only in a way consistent with community values if parking is prioritized for the commercial core. In contrast, housing goes in the LI zone or on City-owned or acquired property at the south end of town rather than in the middle of the commercial core.

The Council may indeed be smarter than the people they represent.   Let’s test that out.  Why don't we do a trial run before they permanently eliminate 89 parking spots from the commercial core?  For two weeks (not in Slack), let’s ban parking at the Washington lot and the spots on Main Street slated for elimination.  Then, let’s see the impact on residents and businesses with a statistically valid survey shared with the public.  

That way, we can determine whether the City is correct in its policy that we don’t need that parking before we commit to permanently eliminating it. This seems like basic common sense.  

Sent to the Council regarding the COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Process

Having attended the City Council meeting and first listening session on the Comprehensive Plan, many thoughts come to mind about this process.  At Monday’s Council meeting, one P&Z member asked the Mayor who the Comp Plan is for. He didn’t get a clear answer. The Comp Plan is for the people of the community to hold their elected and appointed officials accountable for implementing the community’s vision for its development. The Mayor should have been able to state that.

The explicit goal of the Planning Department, as directed by the Council, is to mark up the 2014 Plan rather than create a new one. Why? You don’t need to make our plan fit an arbitrary format if that doesn’t serve our needs.  Given the considerable turnover and growth in population over the past decade, why is the old plan a suitable basis for the new plan?  Ketchum is unique and deserves a unique plan.  An essential best practice to remember:  Whenever you use the word “and” in a value, you muddy it and make it much harder to achieve deliverables around it.  The consultant has littered the values in a compound manner that, if adopted, will make this plan as challenging to accomplish as the past one.  

While the community survey is statistically valid, it is still biased based on what it asked and what it didn’t ask.  For example, there were no questions about values around public subsidization of private business via housing subsidies, LOT subsidies, etc.  This survey was, in my opinion, biased toward how to accommodate more tourism.  

One of the reasons for the failure of the last plan is that the City has no process or criteria against which to allocate its scarce resources.  Thus, the City is stuck reacting to the issue of the day or accomplishing only what a small number of people who control the Council want to see happen.  There is currently no plan to include this in the new Comp Plan.  The survey did not even ask about good stewardship of city resources as a core value.  Yet clearly, people are dissatisfied with the Administration for its poor planning process (#2 concern in the survey.).  We can address this in the new Plan if the Council demands it.

Perhaps this wasn’t stated because that is not how the Ketchum government has worked for the past six years.  The Comp Plan has been honored in the breach.  Where can the public find a report on the City’s progress on the 2014 Plan?  Why was progress never reported?  What is the point if we don’t track progress against a plan?  Why does nothing in the plan outline cover how the City will be held accountable for achieving the new plan?    

There was a lot of confusion about public expectations at the Council meeting this week. There were many different interpretations of specific words. What does “variety” of housing mean? Why are people unhappy with regional coordination? What does “sustainable” mean? “Vibrant? “  Given that the council doesn’t know the answers to the questions pertinent to the Comp Plan, why not ask the community? For housing, why not ask residents and businesses what kind of housing, where, how it should be paid for, etc?  What kind of occupations should be prioritized for housing? What is the expectation for employers to support workforce housing?  We could ask people what aspects of history, arts, and culture they value and what warrants more public investment.  Does the 5% for art still make sense?  Should it be more or less?   What do they like or not like about the LOT?  FSVA. VSV.  BCHA. Etc.  (Community Engagement is supposed to be a core value).  

Based on community feedback at the first listening session, the interpretation of the Housing responses appears biased to say the consensus is that we need more.  That’s not really what the results said. It said people are unhappy with what the City is doing about housing.  It could be that there is not enough, or that it is the wrong format (massive four-story blocks), or in the wrong place (in the retail core), or for the wrong people (retirees rather than workers).  Despite the Mayor’s assertion of transparency, few people know the plan for more Bluebirds at the Lift Tower Lodge site, the 6th St parking lot, or the Y parking lot.  Why isn’t this being shared with the public?  These projects will eliminate even more parking in commercial areas while increasing demand for parking.  It is also telling that the Housing plan, which will have the most significant impact of any decision about Ketchum, for decades, is being implemented before the new Comprehensive Plan takes effect.   

This Comp Plan is supposed to guide us for the next decade.  Let’s do the work to do it right.  The people of Ketchum deserve that.

Thank you,

Perry Boyle

Ketchum