Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency Issues Request for Proposals for Redevelopment of 1st and Washington Property

RFP for Downtown Mixed-Use Development

The Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency (KURA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the redevelopment of the 1^st Street and Washington Avenue property currently owned by the KURA. The undeveloped land is approximately 0.5 acres, four lots, located at 211 E 1^st Street in the downtown core of the City of Ketchum, ID. The KURA is seeking experienced, creative, and community focused development teams to partner with KURA for a mixed-use downtown project that includes market rate and income restricted workforce housing, active ground floor, and shared public/private parking.

The KURA has owned two of the four lots since 2006 and purchased the other two lots in 2018 from the City of Ketchum. The property is currently a public pay-to-park surface parking lot leased to the City of Ketchum, but the long-term vision of both entities for the property is development for workforce housing. According to KURA Executive Director Suzanne Frick, since the property’s original purchase in 2006 and expansion in 2018, it has been targeted for development of workforce housing.  

In June 2021, the KURA conducted an annual work plan discussion as part of the budget cycle, concluding that the 1^st and Washington redevelopment project should be their top priority for the coming year.

“We have to be 100% focused on this project,” said Susan Scovell, chair of the KURA board, “Right now, our existing businesses are barely surviving. We have no workers because there is no housing. Until there are people living at 1^st and Washington, this is our top priority project.”

The KURA conducted community outreach through a series of one-on-one interviews and a community open house in April. There is strong support for a project that meets the following three goals:

• Provide local, affordable workforce housing downtown, particularly for professionals and those essential to a strong, diverse downtown economy.
• Provide structured public parking in anticipation of long-term downtown growth and development.
• Provide active ground floor opportunities to maintain vibrancy of downtown.

The RFP was published on Thursday, May 26, 2022. The deadline for submittals is Aug. 26, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. MT. The RFP, media photos, and all supporting information can be found at www.ketchumura.org.

About the KURA

In 2006, the City of Ketchum formed the Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency (KURA) to focus on improvements that enable affordable workforce housing, public infrastructure, assembly of land, public parking, and economic development. It is an independent organization with its own budget, by-laws and Board of Commissioners. The agency’s activity and investment decisions are driven by an Urban Renewal Plan, which was adopted in 2006 and amended in 2010.  Its initiatives are focused exclusively on areas within Ketchum that have been identified as those that would benefit most by public investment. More information on the KURA can be found at www.ketchumura.org.

Contact:        Suzanne Frick, Executive Director

                        208-727-5086

                        info@ketchumura.org