{"id":7916,"date":"2016-06-17T18:28:29","date_gmt":"2016-06-17T18:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idsunmedia.com\/?p=7916"},"modified":"2016-06-17T18:28:29","modified_gmt":"2016-06-17T18:28:29","slug":"emotions-fueled-by-proposed-ketchum-gas-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2016\/06\/17\/emotions-fueled-by-proposed-ketchum-gas-station\/","title":{"rendered":"EMOTIONS FUELED BY PROPOSED KETCHUM GAS STATION"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bracken Station decision postponed after lengthy comment to P&Z<\/i><\/span><\/h2>\n

BY DANA DUGAN<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

A\u00a0<\/span>proposed gas station and convenience store at 911 North Main Street in Ketchum has residents scratching their heads, and activists researching the effects such a facility would have on the neighborhood. Currently, the Ketchum Planning and Zoning Commission has postponed a decision on the matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project, known as Bracken Station, was considered for a conditional use permit at the Ketchum P&Z meeting Monday evening, following a site tour. The property, known now as Northtown Center, is owned by Nick and Kathy Gyurkey of Ketchum. Bracken Station owners are attempting to have the project approved prior to purchase of the property.<\/span><\/p>\n

Architect Steve Cook presented the proposal to the P&Z commission at Monday\u2019s meeting. Cook, who is also chair of the P&Z commission, recused himself from deliberations regarding the project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to beautify\u201d this area, Cook said. \u201cIt will bring tremendous value.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the proposal, the station would have a 17-foot-high canopy over the four gas pumps, electric charging stations, three garages, 1,400 feet of retail space and a 208-foot deli area. Outside, there will be an outdoor eating area.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an improvement to the north gateway to the city of Ketchum,\u201d Cook said.<\/span><\/p>\n

But not everyone is convinced of that. Ketchum\u2019s own Comprehensive Plan states: \u201cWe want to minimize the negative effects of development such as car pollution, roadway congestion and undesirable environmental impacts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Many Ketchum residents pointed out environmental, traffic and safety factors associated with the proposal, along with need, since Ketchum is already served by three other gas stations and several convenience stores.<\/span><\/p>\n

Traffic is also a main concern. The proposed project would physically change 10th Street\u2019s right turn onto Main Street, due to Bracken Station\u2019s boulevard entrance required by the Idaho Transportation Department, which had input on the project because of State Highway 75.<\/span><\/p>\n

The plan calls for a new crosswalk on 10th Street and two new crosswalks on Main Street. At least one of those would have a blinking light when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Tenth Street is also a feeder to Hemingway Elementary School and so has active traffic during drop-off and pick-up times as well as kids walking or biking into town.<\/span><\/p>\n

About 13 people commented on the proposal Monday night. Most were not in favor of the proposal, though there were at least two who supported it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Liz Roquet has looked out over both 10th Street and the Northtown Center parking area for the past eight years, as her business, Lizzy\u2019s Coffee, occupies the corner office of Northtown Center.<\/span><\/p>\n

Roquet said she has a \u201ckeen and unique view\u201d because of her location. She said the highway traffic coming into town from the north and leaving from the south is chronically speeding. There have been three recent traffic collisions at the location. <\/span><\/p>\n

Barbi Reed, who is having a house constructed near the location, said a convenience store is what\u2019s known as an \u201cattractive nuisance\u201d in that it attracts people \u2013 customers \u2013 to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the convenience-store-and-gas combo,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the location. These are high-traffic-dependent businesses. The kind of vehicles that would be using the station are not just passenger cars but all manner of\u00a0 <\/span>trucks, semis, RVs, construction vehicles and trailers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy concerns are safety,\u201d Reed said. \u201cI\u2019m focusing on things that are irreparable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The owners of Knob Hill Inn, which is across Highway 75 from the proposed station, question the need for another gas station in Ketchum.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Knob Hill owners and other neighbors hired Community & Environmental Defense Services to conduct a need analysis. The analysis CEDS presented was drawn from Ketchum\u2019s own 2012 Economic Profile, which showed that Ketchum is oversupplied with gas stations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew Wall, manager of Knob Hill Inn, asked for denial based on the fact that the applicant hasn\u2019t demonstrated that the project isn\u2019t dangerous to health and safety, traffic, neighbors, pedestrian or environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the Bracken Station project will have a long-term impact on the city of Ketchum that the commission may not be aware of today,\u201d Wall said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Dusty Wendland, who owns the nearby Base Camp gas station and convenience store on Warm Springs Road, said: \u201cThere is no need for more fuel. We mostly service our locals and fuel volume is steady. Ninety-five percent of tourists enter through the southern end of town, and exit the same way. If you agree on this conditional usage, there\u2019s no controlling that. Once the permit is given, it can be scooped up by large chains such as Mavericks or Jacksons with fast-food chains inside.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An operator for the station has not been chosen but Cook said many name brands have expressed interest, including Chevron.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gary Lipton, an adjacent Ketchum property owner, said he has no problem with developers, but \u201cwith this property, I do have a problem. It is out of code in a number of areas,\u201d including the Dark Sky Ordinance \u2013 which limits light pollution in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy objective is to have it done pursuant to relevant Idaho and Ketchum zoning codes and no compromises,\u201d Lipton said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian Emerick, of Hailey, whose parents own the property, commented that he thought it was a \u201cperfect place for a gas station.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s on the edge of town,\u201d Emerick said, pointing out the many places at the north end of town that he found unappealing. He said the gas station would be an improvement in the neighborhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKetchum has been developing nice pockets of use,\u201d said Ruth Leider, a Ketchum resident and former Sun Valley mayor, adding, \u201cKeep compatibility in mind. It\u2019s very important.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of the meeting, P&Z Commissioners Jeff Lamoureux, Betsy Mizell and Erin Smith felt that while development criteria had been met, there are still questions about traffic at 10th Street and Highway 75. They also requested a pedestrian study. However, it\u2019s slack season, and school is out for the summer. New numbers will need to be adjusted to reflect the reality of many months out of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next P&Z meeting to discuss the Bracken Station permit is scheduled for Monday, June 27.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bracken Station decision postponed after lengthy comment to P&Z BY DANA DUGAN A\u00a0proposed gas station and convenience store at 911 North Main Street in Ketchum has residents scratching their heads, and activists researching the effects such a facility would have on the neighborhood. Currently, the Ketchum Planning and Zoning Commission has postponed a decision on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[90,18,49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7916","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-municipal","8":"category-news","9":"category-top-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}