The Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency (KURA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the redevelopment of the 1st Street and Washington Avenue property currently owned by the KURA. The undeveloped land is approximately 0.5 acres, four lots, located at 211 East 1st Street in the downtown core of Ketchum.
Specifically, KURA is seeking experienced, creative and community-focused development teams to partner with as they seek to develop a mixed-use downtown project that includes market-rate and income-restricted workforce housing, active ground-floor and shared public/private parking. The KURA has owned two of the four lots since 2006 and purchased the other two lots in 2018 from the City of Ketchum.
The property is currently a public pay-to-park surface parking lot leased to the City of Ketchum, but the long-term vision of both entities for the property is development for workforce housing. According to KURA Executive Director Suzanne Frick, since the property’s original purchase in 2006 and expansion in 2018, it has been targeted for development of workforce housing. In June 2021, the KURA conducted an annual work plan discussion as part of the budget cycle, concluding that the 1st and Washington redevelopment project should be their top priority for the coming year.
“We have to be 100% focused on this project,” said Susan Scovell, chair of the KURA board. “Right now, our existing businesses are barely surviving. We have no workers because there is no housing. Until there are people living at 1st and Washington, this is our top priority project.”
The KURA conducted community outreach through a series of one-on-one interviews and a community open house in April. There is strong support for a project that meets the following three goals:
- Provide local, affordable workforce housing downtown, particularly for professionals and those essential to a strong, diverse downtown economy.
- Provide structured public parking in anticipation of long-term downtown growth and development.
- Provide active ground-floor opportunities to maintain vibrancy of downtown.
The deadline for RFP submittals is Aug. 26, 2022, at 4 p.m. MT. The RFP, media photos, and all supporting information can be found at www.ketchumura.org.