Comprehensive Plan and Code Update

• Gretchen Gorham
• Carol Gullstad
• Tim Negrey
• Matt Gorby
• Susan Scovell
• Nani Stoick
• Amy Anderson
• Cory Smith
• Chris Helgeson
• Mattie Mead
• Andy Cooley
• Annie Gilbert
• Kristian Witaker
• Adelaide Smithmaso
• Paige Kethbridge
• Sarah Seppa
• John Sofro

• Susan Passovoy, Planning & Zoning Commissioner
• Alex Nelson, Civil Engineer
• Michael Doty, Architect & TAG Representative
• Lucas Winter, Architect
• Rob King, Landscape Architect
• Nicole Ramey, Architect 
• Hunter Todd, Architect
• Jolyon Sawrey, Architect
• Kathryn Rixon, Real Estate Agent
• Paige Nied, City Department Representative

• Mike Doty, Michael Doty Associates
• Gretchen Wagner, Scape Design Studio
• Rachel Aanestad, Draw Architecture + Design
• Caleb Spangenberger, Williams Partners Architects

• Kurt Eggers, Eggers Associates
• Ben Young, BYLA

• Matt Smithman, Galena Engineering
• Dave Patrie, Benchmark Associates

• Robin Story, KMV Builders
• Adam Elias, Elias Construction  
• Tim Carter, Idaho Mountain Builders

• Reid Sanborn, Engel and Volkers   
• Dave Wilson, Wilson Construction
• Dave Hutchinson, VP Companies

• Harry Griffith, Sun Valley Economic Development (SVED)
• Bob Crosby, Sun Valley Board of Realtors

The Comprehensive Plan is a visionary document that details the community’s vision for the future and provides goals and policies to achieve this future vision. It is intended to create a high-level policy framework that guides and informs the development of the built environment and acts as a foundation for more detailed planning for housing, mobility, sustainability, and the provision of municipal services such as utilities, parks, and emergency services. The plan provides a basis for updating zoning and subdivision regulations and determining whether the regulations support the community’s desired future.    

The city’s current Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2014. When the drafting of the plan began in 2011, Ketchum was experiencing the impacts of the Great Recession locally, with a decrease in employment, construction activity, property values, and city revenue. While the overarching vision established by the 2014 plan still reflects the prevailing sentiment of the community, Ketchum has undergone significant change over the past decade marked by a substantial increase in its population and new development. These trends have escalated issues identified in the 2014 Comprehensive Plan, spurring community discussions around:  

• the ongoing workforce housing crisis;
• concerns about long-term downtown vibrancy; and
• worries surrounding the city’s long-term vitality and viability.  

The Comprehensive Plan is the leading policy document that the City of Ketchum uses to guide future growth and day-to-day decision-making. It provides a strategy to achieve the community’s vision for the future of Ketchum, establishes goals and policies for long-term growth, and is actively used as a guide for land use decisions within the city. The plan provides a basis for updating zoning and subdivision regulations and determining whether the regulations support the community’s desired future.

The Local Land Use Planning Act (LLUPA) requires that the Comprehensive Plan address:

• property rights;
• population;  
• school facilities and transportation; 
• economic development;
• land use (including a land use map);
• natural resources;
• hazardous areas;
• public services, facilities, and utilities;
• transportation;
• recreation;
• special areas or sites;
• housing;
• community design; and  
• implementation.

Ketchum’s 2014 Comprehensive Plan establishes policies and goals related to a range of topics, including:

• arts and culture;
• community design and neighborhoods;
• community health and wellness;
• economic vitality;
• growth and development;
• housing;
• land use;
• mobility;
• natural resource stewardship;  
• parks, recreation, and open space; and
• public safety and utilities.

“We aspire to be an authentic mountain community with world-class character, yet small-town feel. We see our community as one with a high quality of life for a local, year-round population and a visiting population. We will be successful by creating, marketing, and delivering distinctive choices for jobs, learning, health, outdoor adventure, and arts and culture. We value a strong sense of community. Furthermore, we wish to be a place with a strong economy, a vibrant downtown, diverse options for housing, and a varied demographic of people who live, work, and visit here. We will be responsible stewards of our environment, work for a dynamic economy, and maintain our special way of life for generations to come.”  

Ketchum has undergone significant change over the past decade, marked by a substantial increase in its population and new development. These trends have escalated issues identified in the 2014 Comprehensive Plan. The ongoing workforce housing crisis, concerns about long-term downtown vibrancy, and worries surrounding the city’s vitality and viability have spurred community discussions about growth and the future vision of Ketchum. A key focus of the Comprehensive Plan update will be to facilitate a broader community conversation about the future land use plan, its role in shaping the ultimate buildout of Ketchum, and its relationship to other community priorities. This conversation will include the identification of areas with the potential to support future growth and the exploration of growth parameters for different locations (e.g., density, mix of uses, housing types, and site planning/design characteristics).

The future land use plan is included in Chapter 12 of the 2014 Comprehensive Plan. The chapter describes the desired future land-use types and patterns for the Ketchum area. It includes recommendations for specific application and location of land uses, with descriptions of uses and activities in each land-use classification and location. The future land use plan also identifies a series of goals and policies that represent the community’s vision for the efficient use of land. The policies provide direction for property owners, elected and appointed leaders, and city staff and administrators in making decisions regarding the location, rate, and design of development within the city and the area of city impact.

In order to create the best plan for the future, it is important to understand what conditions and trends exist in Ketchum today. The community profile provides a summary of current conditions in Ketchum and a discussion of key issues and trends. The community profile includes demographic, economic, housing, education, utilities, parks, historical, transportation, and environmental data. The project team is currently working on updating the community profile to reflect existing conditions in the city. The updated profile will provide context for goals and policies.