The lead developer planning to build the Bluebird Village workforce-housing project in downtown Ketchum is refining the concept and design before submitting a formal application to the city.
Seattle-based GMD Development released a set of architectural renderings for the project on its website Saturday, in advance of an online Zoom meeting Tuesday evening to gather additional public comment.
GMD Development is partnering with the Ketchum Community Development Corp. to build the 56-unit project at 480 East Ave., the current site of Ketchum City Hall and the headquarters of the Ketchum Fire Department. The city has purchased an office building at Fifth Street and Second Avenue to serve as a new administrative and police headquarters and is building a new fire station at a city-owned property on Saddle Road. The city plans to move all those operations later this year, opening up the East Avenue property.
Bluebird’s two primarily four-story buildings—with a maximum height of 46 feet—would offer a combination of 35 one-bedroom units, 16 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom units, ranging in size from 640 to 1,130 square feet. The fourth level of the west-side building would have common areas that include a community room, an exercise room and a rooftop deck, said lead developer Greg Dunfield, of GMD Development. A 2,000-square-foot commercial space, a management office, parking and storage would be included on the ground level.
The Bluebird project has several moving parts. If it is approved, the existing city structures would be demolished. The city has approved an “option to lease” the East Avenue property to the Ketchum CDC, a nonprofit organization that works on revitalization projects in the city. If the option is exercised this year, the CDC and GMD Development would own the buildings as partners, Dunfield said. GMD Development has been awarded federal tax credits that will assist in offsetting the overall costs of the project. The credits—which are sold to investors—will likely provide $12.5 million to $13.5 million for the project, Dunfield said. After 16 years, GMD would exit the project and full ownership of the buildings would go the CDC.
The city has re-served $1.4 million from its Housing In-Lieu Fund—funded with money collected from developers who pay the city in lieu of building required workforce housing—to potentially assist in some expenditures. The Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency has reserved some $565,000 to potentially fund infrastructure work on the project. (Neither the city nor the URA has disbursed any funds to the project.) The project will also use a solar-energy tax credit, Dunfield said.
With oversight from the city, the project would implement a “local preference policy” that targets workers at a variety of income levels, including people earning 50%, 60% and 70% of the area median income. Monthly rents would range from $694 to $1,355, the city estimates. However, some one-bedroom units could be rented for less, a Bluebird summary document states. Units would be rented on one-year leases.
The project would be governed by a 40-year agreement that requires the owners to manage the building as workforce housing.
The development team by Tuesday had already held two Zoom meetings to gather public comment on the project. The developers are using the feedback to refine the formal applications, which they plan to submit to the city later this month.
“It’s been productive,” Dunfield said. “There’s been a variety of feedback.”
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Affordable housing has been an ongoing issue for a very long time. This building is too big for this location , it will dwarf the other buildings. Take it down to a smaller size or move it to a larger space NOT in the downtown core.
The option of buying it back after several years sounds fishy to me !
It’s not just too bog for this location. It’s too big for Ketchum period. I don’t think people understand just how massive the project is. The volume is akin to the Limelight Hotel. It will be #1 or #2 for size in the downtown core. As someone used to say...”It’s gonna be UUUUGE”
Why is Ketchum cannibalizing it's prime down town retail real estate for 50 units of subsidizes housing? What kind of vision is that?
Isnt it nice that taxpayers are forced to pay for a project that would never be built without aid, is unnecessary and poorly thought out.
This article as a major mis fact. The project is primarily four story. Any one with eyes can see that from the elevations at bluebirdketchum.com
They corrected the article so I withdraw this comment
I did not see Mr. Foley on this call, so I am guessing he got all this info in an interview with Mr. Dunfield. Better journalism to disclose that. Also better journalism to disclose that the developer is getting the land essentially for free—$1/yr for a property that has a cash bid of $4mm the City will not entertain and would probably be appraised in excess of $5mm.
What did we learn yesterday?
1. Most of the building will be 49-50’ tall—that is before adding on the height of the roof solar panels which will likely add another 2-3 feet,
2. They have taken away a parking spot. There will be 46 spots (less the one for the retail condo, not for residents) and 14 will be tandem. The residents will need to work out how to access their cars while they are blocked in. Mr. Dunfield pretty much said, this is the best they can do, so sorry about that parking. He also said that tandem parking was likely to be the norm in his future projects.
3. The retail space is only included so that the project will conform to CC-1 zoning. Mr. Dunfield was asked repeatedly who would received the funds from the retail condo sale—he did not answer that question.
4. This will be low-income housing for at least 40 years, and maybe as long as 99 years.
5. No parking or traffic studies have been done and Mr Dunfield does not plan to do any prior to submitting the project to the City.
6. None of the units will have Air Conditioning; tenants can supply their own units
7. While there will be rules about what can be stored on the balcony, those rules have not been enforced at Northwood
8. Mr. Dunfield said he expects this project to appeal to adults and not families. The 3-BR units were only included because they were required in order to get the tax credits.
9. There will be a deposit required for pets. One of the call participants works with Mountain Rescue and noted that high deposits for pets results in dogs being abandoned.
10. One caller noted that there is no provision for pet relief in the project, and given the large number of dogs that there will be an uptick in poo in the neighborhood. Mr. Dunfield said he presumed it was like any other city where dog owners have to clean up after their pets.
11. Mr. Dunfield noted that he has responded to community concerns and all units will now have storage. And quiet dishwashers because he personally hates noise.
12. The mechanicals will be put in the alley so should not create noise in the neighborhood.
13. The entire 5th street side will be accented with a lot of blue accents. I guess this makes sense for a project called Bluebird, but there is nothing else like it in Ketchum. Not to my taste but draw your own conclusion.
The words “city” and “urban” were used frequently in the conversation. The word “town” was not used once.
Mr. Dunfield noted that the average wage in Ketchum is falling. No wonder. The Mayor and City Council continue to focus on bringing in low wage tourist Jobs at massive hotels we dont need, driving down the average wage and necessitating projects like Bluebird to subsidize housing for workers not paid enough to live in a town like Ketchum. Or Hailey for that matter. We need a new vision for Ketchum and the WRV that is about quality jobs. The Mayor says teachers and firefighters and healthcare workers will live in Bluebird. Maybe some of them will. Right next store to the underpaid hotel workers the Marriott brings in from all over the country.
This is a big massive block of low income housing that will segregate working people within the community. Insufficient parking. No air conditioning. No windows in many of the bedrooms. We should do better by them than this. Like we did at Chilali, the Scott Building, etc etc etc
Why do we think this is good for our town? To date most community housing has been integrated into other projects . No $2mm taxpayer subsidies. No $5mm in free land. No segregation of low income workers into separate housing projects. Few zoning waivers.
Contrast Bluebird to the 4th & Main project. That project went before P&Z at the same time as the GMD call. 7-11 units of affordable housing at no cost to the taxpayer in a building that requires no zoning waivers. Community housing can be done a lot cheaper to the taxpayer and a lot better for its tenants than Bluebird.
Why do we let our Mayor push 100% of these low income projects that cost us millions to the same for-profit out-of-state developer? What is his motivation?
He called his opponents “prejudiced.” Maybe labeling people with common sense as the enemy is a good tactic. It sure worked for Trump.
Mr. Dunfield, of GMD is addressing the concerns and ideas of the community in preparing to move Bluebird Village forward. Many of the people wanting to delay or disrupt the project aren't our workers or those struggling to afford rent. In today's IME, the least expensive rental (unless you want a room only) is $1,200 a month for a studio. To afford that modest place, you need to earn approximately $48,000 a year, or $23 an hour based on a 40 hour workweek. 70% of the jobs in Idaho pay $20 an hour or less, especially in our hospitality community. There are always plenty of job listings, but not many that pay enough to afford housing, health care and child care, the three major expenses in a household budget. Our workers are our lifeblood, and Bluebird Village will provide housing for our valuable and essential workforce.
This is an inaccurate description of the project. It is a 4 story building up to 49-50 feet in height. Only the front building on East Avenue is 3 stories approximately 38 feet tall. No doubt that workforce housing is needed for Ketchum, but the issue is that is this the appropiate location. They have insufficient parking and only plan to include 46 parking spaces stating that there is evidence in the community that people don't have cars. They do not plan to do any kind of traffic or parking study of the impacts of this high density project has on the downtown community. Despite claims that parking and traffic are not a current issue, as we all go to Atkinson's, we know it is. Having this high density project in the heart of Ketchum will negatively effect the character of the community impacting not only the unique character of Ketchum but impacting parking and high traffic congestion. This is the wrong location for this project. With 3 major developments including the Marriot Tribute Hotel, Hot Dog Hill and the Walnut/4th Ave Building, downtown Ketchum will be impacted, but adding 46 units plus condos which will be sold to fund the project across from one of the busiest places downtown, does not make sense. Save downtown Ketchum!
It’s 56 condos. 46 is the number of parking spots. 14 of which are tandem and one of which goes to the retail condo. This is a project for adults without kids per the developer. Lots of cars coming to the core!
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