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Commission approves preliminary Kelly Canyon PUD with road‑maintenance MOU
Summary
After a public hearing with mixed public testimony, the Jefferson County commissioners approved preliminary PUD 25‑001 to allow 30 ski‑area cabins at Kelly Canyon, adding a required memorandum of understanding on road maintenance before further work proceeds.
Jefferson County commissioners voted to grant preliminary approval to planned unit development PUD 25‑001, a proposal from Kelly Canyon to build 30 ski‑in/ski‑out cabins on roughly 65 acres, after adding a required memorandum of understanding covering road maintenance.
Planning staff described the project as a phased, conceptual proposal that includes a community well, a 45,000‑gallon soil absorption wastewater capacity for the 30 cabins, an on‑site fire pond with pump house, hydrants and engineered drainage. Planning and Zoning recommended approval with conditions, and staff told the board that final engineering, traffic counts and several safety items would be required at final plat. “They have met all of the requirements for a preliminary approval,” Planning and Zoning staff told the board, noting the recommendation was conditional and conceptual.
Developer Mike Vansteen Kiss and engineer Aaron Swenson answered commissioners’ questions on geotechnical work, water supply and winter access. Vansteen Kiss told the board the cabins are intended for short‑term rental use to support year‑round operations: “It won’t be permanent residence at all — it’s going to be vacation‑rental types, the resort that allows,” he said. The applicant also said the fire pond and hydrant network are already planned and that the project team will retain geotechnical services as a condition of construction.
Speakers at the hearing included tourism and local business supporters who said the cabins would help keep employees year‑round and support BYU‑Idaho programming; one resident urged caution, citing historic grazing, trespass and water‑rights concerns. Byron Lawrence Blakely, who spoke in opposition, asked the board to require stronger guarantees on erosion, water and grazing protections.
Commissioners stressed that the approval is preliminary, not final, and that the MOU on road maintenance must be in place before later phases move forward. One commissioner moved to approve the preliminary PUD and explicitly amend the motion to include a road‑maintenance MOU; the motion passed on roll call. The approval requires the applicant to satisfy Planning & Zoning conditions, coordinate with Road & Bridge and Central Fire on winter access and submit final engineering before any final plat or building permits.
