Joint Teton County–Driggs hearing on Sweetwater subdivision is tabled after airport, packet concerns

TETON COUNTY, Idaho — The joint Teton County and City of Driggs Planning and Zoning bodies tabled consideration of the Sweetwater Subdivision Phase 1 replat Aug. 12, after commissioners raised procedural and safety concerns — chiefly that several materials were added to the staff packet late and the Driggs airport advisory board had not completed review of through-the-fence access for the proposed hangar homes.

County planner Joshua (staff) opened the public hearing by noting that some documents submitted July 15 did not make it into the county staff report in time for a complete interjurisdictional review. Jay (Driggs staff) and Jade (Driggs administrator) told the joint panel that the airport advisory board had raised operational and safety issues and that the lateral safety zone — the airport buffer — is 1,000 feet on either side of the runway and that current area-of-impact rules do not permit the full range of residential uses without code changes.

“The lateral safety zone is 1,000 feet on either side of the center of the runway, and residential uses are currently not included in the most recent adopted version of the area of impact code,” Jade said during the staff presentation. The staff memo and City of Driggs comments urged a full review of the traffic-impact study and that mitigations, if required, be incorporated into any development agreement.

Applicant representatives said they had addressed the planning commission’s earlier list of requests. Robert Huizavell of Sunrise Engineering said the developer submitted a July 15 packet and walked commissioners through revisions to the plat, CC&Rs, revised traffic and stormwater studies, and an engineer’s cost estimate for any off-site turn-lane improvements. “We have spent a lot of time this past month putting together all these materials,” Huizavell said.

Several members of the public urged caution. Nikki Richards of Valley Advocates for Responsible Development urged denial, saying the applicant’s submittal lacked compliance with Driggs development standards, omitted off-site traffic improvements recommended by the TIS and placed suggested park space within the lateral safety zone. “This application simply does not meet the criteria for approval,” Richards said during the Zoom public comment period.

Airport stakeholders and the concessionaire at the airport urged continued coordination. Ken Watson, general manager of Teton Aviation Center, said the airport’s fuel and support services could accommodate hangar-home owners but that safety concerns raised by the airport advisory board needed resolution.

During deliberations commissioners repeatedly cited the late arrival of key materials (the packet totaled more than 1,200 pages, staff noted) and the absence of a clear airport advisory board recommendation on a through-the-fence program for additional lots beyond the existing 17. Commissioner Carol Barker moved to table the amendment request “in order to obtain additional information from the applicant, and to review the portions that were not included in our packet for this meeting,” specifically requesting an opinion from a meeting with the airport advisory board and the developer. The motion passed on a roll-call vote.

Next steps: staff will work with the City of Driggs and the airport advisory board to schedule the supplemental review and a date for continuation; the commission’s motion requested that the missing attachments and the airport advisory board response be included in the follow-up packet.