V2N15: Ketchum Residents Score A Win Against Their Own Government
But it's just one battle in the larger "War for Ketchum"
At the joint meeting of KURA and the Ketchum Council on February 24th, the overwhelming opposition of Ketchum residents to a LID tax to pay for KURA’s housing project + garage led the combined KURA/Council to concede defeat. None of them sounded happy about it.
The Council and the KURA members (appointed by the Mayor) were bummed out that the residents of Ketchum didn’t want them to do what THEY wanted to do. The ONLY thing that stopped them from this building was their inability to extract enough money from Ketchum taxpayers. The opposition from the community was not the relevant factor.
Think about that for a moment.
Whose interests do these people represent if they don’t represent the interests of the people they are supposed to represent?
City Hall Has Gone Rogue
Should a City Council keep trying to get their way, hoping residents don’t notice what they are doing? Ms. Breen fondly reminisced about the days when no one attended a KURA meeting—as if that was a good thing.
Ms. Breen complained about the “organized opposition” to this project, as if grassroots activism is a bad thing. There was indeed an organized group that opposed this project—KBAC. However, they only opposed the loss of parking; they supported one of the options KURA was pursuing (Option 6) and the LID concept. Blaming them for her loss here is misleading.
More importantly, Ms. Breen failed to recognize the groundswell of unorganized opposition to the project from the people she is supposed to represent. The petition against this project received over 2,000 signatures, while KBAC has maybe 30 people. Ignoring that petition while demonizing KBAC is a classic political technique: find an “other” to rally support against.
KURA Chair Scoville scolded Ketchum residents. She noted that this decision took eight years, which could have happened years earlier if people had shown up to KURA meetings. Talk about blaming the victim. How many people in Ketchum even knew KURA existed before this debacle? Have you tried to figure out how when they meet? Good luck with that. The bigger problem with KURA is that she, as chair, and the rest of the membership are not representative of the downtown business community.
Indeed, I think they were handpicked by the Mayor precisely because they are NOT representative of the business community. How else do you explain Ms. Scoville as chair, one member who doesn’t live in Ketchum, two members of the City Council on KURA, as well as the refusal of the Mayor, despite his promise, to appoint a business community member when a seat was up? He rigged the deck to build housing on this site—he even shifted his agent for Bluebird to KURA as its Executive Director. He only gave up when he saw that proceeding would lead to a revolt.
KURA was originally a contrivance to keep downtown property tax money within Ketchum rather than share it with the County. Then, the Troika hijacked it for a social agenda rather than a fiscal one. The Washington Lot debacle might have been avoided if the Mayor, instead of stuffing KURA with his housing project allies and using it as a piggy bank for off-budget spending, had appointed people from the commercial district who, I believe, would have used the KURA funds to invest in infrastructure.
They Still Don’t “Get It”
I don’t think the Council has learned anything from this defeat.
In his closing comments, the Mayor reiterated that housing remains the #1 priority for Ketchum's elected and appointed officials. Therein lies the problem. They see housing as the end game, not a means to an end. Shouldn’t our government have the welfare of its citizens as its #1 priority? Housing should not be the tail wagging the quality-of-life dog. Most people who protested in favor of housing four years ago could not hold their breath long enough for the Council to act—they are gone, as their rentals went to Airbnb. Hundreds of people were lost to Ketchum while the mayor and council pursued their tourists-over-locals agenda. And most of the departed would not have qualified for Bluebird.
Even Mr. Cordovano and Mr. Hutchinson seem to have lost the thread. They, too, have housing as their #1 issue. Both of them see Bluebird as a success. They would support imposing a LID without a referendum if it were for the “right project.” I offered them the opportunity to share their reasoning with readers of The Ketchum Sun, and I hope they will take me up on it.
Insanity: Repeating Behavior Hoping for Different Outcome (e.g., Ketchum Council)
Ms. Breen challenged the community to come up with something positive. She said there is “no magic place for housing.” She hasn’t looked very hard. She approved proceeding with two more Bluebird-style low-income housing projects, the Y and LTL, which I think are doomed.
Last week, the Council decided to issue RFPs for Bluebird-style housing on top of the YMCA parking lot and the equivalent of three Bluebirds on the site of Lift Tower Lodge. Both sites will lead to a fractious process based on their intended size and the nature of those locations.
Worse, the City plans to pay for them, in part, with federal money, meaning they can’t be reserved for essential Ketchum workforce housing. The strings on that money mean that the only criteria that can be employed are US citizenship and income caps. That’s how Bluebird works and why half the tenants don’t work in Ketchum. Few, maybe none, meet my definition of an essential worker. Tenants in these projects cannot be required to work (Bluebird has a preference for retirees).
A Better Place AND A Better Way Forward for Housing
Would it not be less fractious to work with St. Luke’s to put housing on their parking lot? They could have covered parking. The City’s contribution could come from selling Lift Tower Lodge. If the developer were the WRCHT or ARCH, the units could be allocated to essential Ketchum workers rather than chronically underpaid tourism industry workers (like Bluebird). That would include hospital workers. It’s on the bike and bus lines. It is between Ketchum and Hailey so that families could have more work options, and it would be easier for their kids to get to school.
This seems obvious, yet I have never heard it discussed at City Hall.
Instead, the Mayor said twice when I was present that every City-owned lot would eventually be developed into housing. That indicates a mayor is at odds with his city, which is also evident from his upzoning plan that came out of nowhere in the Comp Plan, which the council is working to jam down our throats.
The Washington Lot Saga Isn’t Over
The best line of this week’s meeting goes to Gary Lipton: “Let’s get rid of this canker sore.” He said he was sick of it. I think that is true for most of us in Ketchum.
But it’s not over. While the housing project is dead, the question remains: “What will KURA do with the Washington Lot?” I see three options:
Keep it as is: I think this is what most people currently think will happen, but that is not a done deal. Preserving parking has been roundly endorsed by Ketchum businesses and residents, but that’s not KURA’s priority.
Develop it for a public purpose: while KURA has said it won’t build a housing project on this lot, nothing holds them to that commitment, and they still have five years left in their mandate. They could still build something there.
Sell it back to the City: The City owned this lot and sold it to KURA for money to move to the new City Hall, freeing up the old City Hall to develop into Bluebird. This increased KURA’s debt balance. If the City bought it back, KURA could use the proceeds for infrastructure improvements in the commercial core, raising the value of core commercial real estate (and the overall tax base).
Sell it to the private market: If they choose this path, they will probably get a higher price than selling it to the City and can use the funds for infrastructure. However, they and the City will lose control of the parcel. It could be developed in any manner consistent with the zoning code.
Three of these four scenarios return the plot to the City of Ketchum in 2030 when KURA’s mandate expires.
Rogue Council Needs To Be Replaced in November
What more evidence than the Battle of Washington Lot do voters need to see that we are ruled by a Council that does not care about us? We need a new Council.
We deserve a Council that puts their interests above the Council member’s personal agendas. One that prioritizes transparency and inclusion. One that is committed to the residents’ vision for Ketchum.
Have You Seen the New “Paper?” 5b Gazette
One of the things that negatively distinguishes the Mountain Express is its lack of inclusivity of local opinion and commentary. Most local papers include local columnists — not the IME.
Starting next month, I will write a monthly column for the new kid in town, the 5b Gazette. Other columnists are also welcome; I know they would welcome ideas and input from the community.
More competition in local media should broaden the range of views and, hopefully, improve news coverage.
When you look at the amount of traffic that comes from Carey, Fairfield and further south it is hard to believe that most of them would give up a house with a yard and move into an apartment in Ketchum. There are apartments being built in Hailey constantly and many of those people work in Ketchum which is a short drive. We really don't need more housing in the core of Ketchum.
Everyone in Ketchum government needs to get a one way bus ticket out of the valley never to return!
The mayor, all four council members, all P&Z members, and the whole planning department. Tar and feathers for these hacks!