A new three-story commercial building at the northeast corner of First Avenue and Sun Valley Road in Ketchum moved one step closer to fruition on Tuesday, when the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission advanced the project past design review.
The building is designed to house five local companies, all of which have already been selected. They are: Engel and Volkers Real Estate; Dianne and Bill Banta, who run multiple local businesses; K&B Builders, which is constructing the building; Jennifer Hoey Interior Design, which is designing the interior of the building; and Farmer Payne Architects, which designed the building.
“This is our studio space that we’re designing for ourselves and four other partners—all of which are local businesses that employ a combined 50 people,” said Scott Payne, principal architect of Farmer Payne Architects.
“This will be a sort of design center, with the tenants in this building,” P&Z Chairman Neil Morrow said.
The building is 10,932 square feet, with balconies on the second and third levels, and a roof only intended for maintenance and mechanical use. The building will provide six tandem parking spots and four on-street spaces. Tandem spaces require the front row of cars to move in order for the back row to get out.
“Trying to meet the parking regulations without tandem parking would have been extremely difficult,” Payne said.
The commissioners agreed with him.
“I think in this situation tandem is appropriate. It will allow us to use these smaller spaces without going underground,” Morrow said.
City staff and P&Z members both praised what they saw as the inviting design of the building.
“This is a really great example of how an office building with a use that is considered less vibrant than something like retail can be designed in a way that enhances the streetscape,” said Ketchum Senior Planner Abby Rivin.
A rendering of the view of the building from across Sun Valley Road.
Payne said that was all deliberate.
“I think what’s really cool and progressive about this building is the flexibility for the future—we designed it in such a way that it could be retail or restaurant space, too.”
The firm looked towards some of Ketchum’s most well-known buildings for inspiration, the developers said. They cited Enoteca, the Warfield distillery and brewery, The Sawtooth Club, the Sun Valley Culinary Institute and Rocky Mountain Hardware buildings as the basis for some of the building’s more classic features, like brick siding. The Kneebone and Maude’s Coffee and Clothes buildings served as the basis for the building’s more modern features, they said.
“I really like how this building brings together a material palette that is Ketchum, but also modern,” Commissioner Mattie Mead said.
Commissioner Brenda Moczygemba offered praise, but also criticism for the design.
“I think it’s really strong, what’s been done here, creating two separate masses with a stair tower in the middle,” she said. “But I do question the mix of materials, some of the transitions where it switches between brick in some areas and then bonderized [metal siding] in others.”
The commission also recommended that the perforated metal screening panels used to separate the tandem parking spaces from the sidewalk be given a feature to break up the plain facade. Possibilities discussed were an image of Bald Mountain laid over the metal, as well as benches or planters.
The site is currently home to Antique Alley, a second-hand store that has been in business since 2014, but the building was constructed in the late 1800s. Antique Alley will stay in operation until mid-July, before vacating so demolition can begin in early August after a 60-day waiting period on the demolition permit expires.
A rendering of the view from across First Avenue.
Construction will include the implementation of wider sidewalks with snowmelt, public bike parking and public seating. Payne also said there is a chance solar panels will be put on the roof sometime in the future.
Steve Kearns of K&B Builders described the enthusiasm for the building.
“We are really excited about this project,” he said. “We were fortunate enough to build the Kneebone building, which was great, but this will be even better.”
Kearns then added, joking: “I’m just glad these young, talented architects would welcome a senior citizen like me in here to work with them.” 
