Battle over Henry’s Lake Flats: Island Park residents protest proposed airport and hotel

2 months ago

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Published astatine 3:31 pm, July 24, 2024

Protesters gathered Monday successful Island Park to reason nan improvement of 2 projects successful nan Henry’s Lake Flats. | Video by Jordan Wood and David Pace, EastIdahoNews.com, utilizing immoderate footage from Henry’s Fork Wildlife Alliance

ISLAND PARK — Two abstracted proposals for a backstage aerial park/airport and a edifice connected nan Henry’s Lake Flats are stirring heavy contention successful nan Island Park community.

One 100 50 residents and landowners successful Island Park gathered Monday evening astatine nan Fremont County EMS building connected Library Road to protestation nan developments.

In an question and reply pinch EastIdahoNews.com, Fremont County Planning and Building Administrator Tom Cluff outlined nan 2 proposals awaiting decisions from nan county.

“There’s an exertion for a hotel, and connected nan other broadside of (U.S.) Highway 20, there’s an exertion to alteration nan zoning,” Cluff said. “Those applicants yet want to put successful a backstage airdrome and immoderate houses wherever those owners would beryllium capable to alert successful and out.”

Imperial Investments, a Montana-based LLC, is applying to alteration nan zoning connected its 431-acre parcel from agrarian to business for nan airport. This would besides require a alteration successful nan broad scheme representation from agrarian to residential.

“I conscionable can’t ideate what it would beryllium for illustration to float Big Springs pinch jets flying over.”

Proposed 431-acre tract for nan Island Air Park

The contention hinges betwixt those seeking to sphere nan situation and accepted locale and those advocating for backstage spot rights.

“I conscionable can’t ideate what it would beryllium for illustration to float Big Springs pinch jets flying over. I mean, that conscionable destroys nan full acquisition correct there,” Cindy Williams, an Island Park spot owner, said astatine nan protest. “I deliberation we’re successful a really typical spot being a small gateway organization to Yellowstone, and we request to defender this ecosystem and protect it.”

Opponents of nan proposals scheme to prosecute a land-use lawyer and petition a moratorium connected development.

“This is backstage property, and though galore person taken individual ownership of nan area arsenic unfastened space, it remains backstage property.”

Kirk Barker is nan CEO of Ensign Hospitality, which is applying to build a three-story Marriott-affiliated edifice connected nan flats. He emphasized that backstage spot authorities licence nan onshore proprietor to create nan spot successful accordance pinch existent readying and zoning laws.

“This is backstage property, and though galore person taken individual ownership of nan area arsenic unfastened space, it remains backstage property,” he wrote successful a statement, invoking nan Fifth Amendment of nan U.S. Constitution’s protections for individuals’ spot rights.

He besides emphasized that his task is abstracted from nan aerial park.

One interest residents person brought up is really nan projected developments would impact wildlife.

“There’s a batch of type that are successful request of wild(land) – large crippled for illustration elk, deer, pronghorn especially, birds for illustration long-billed curlews aliases sandhill cranes that unrecorded connected nan flats retired there,” said Shaun Ward, communications coordinator and task head for nan Henrys Fork Wildlife Alliance. “We’re very concerned pinch nan nonaccomplishment of residence that what would hap if these developments were approved.”

But cattle person been grazing connected nan projected edifice spot for 4 generations, Barker countered, which long-ago disrupted autochthonal animal migratory patterns.

“We’ve reached retired to nan authorities of Idaho. … They person confirmed that they don’t person immoderate information that would propose this is simply a migratory shape of deer, elk aliases bison aliases immoderate wildlife,” Barker said.

To create aliases not develop?

Monday’s planned Fremont County Planning & Zoning gathering was postponed until 10 a.m. connected Saturday, Aug. 24, owed to nan tremendous measurement of comments nan committee received. The proceeding will still beryllium held astatine nan Island Park EMS building.

Cluff said 300 pages of written comments were submitted successful astir 2 weeks.

“We sewage truthful galore comments that location wasn’t capable clip to publication them aliases hole immoderate benignant of study for nan nationalist hearing,” he said. “Those group who submitted those comments, they merit to person those comments considered and paid attraction to, truthful we conscionable needed much time.”

The Planning and Zoning Commission will make a proposal connected nan proposals and a last determination will beryllium made by nan Fremont County commissioners.

“If nan exertion doesn’t travel our rules, they (P&Z) tin contradict it. If nan exertion does travel our rules, they are expected to o.k. it,” Cluff said. “When you make an application, you are entitled to a reappraisal of that exertion nether nan rules that are successful spot astatine nan clip erstwhile you apply.”

Island Air Park LLC

The 2 projects are independent and were projected by abstracted developers.

The aerial parkland would dwell of a 5,200-foot runway extending crossed nan property. It would beryllium flanked connected either broadside by backstage homes and backstage hangars.

According to a “Fremont County Sketch Plan,” nan spot was bought by Imperial Investments successful 2021 and is presently being transferred to Island Air Park Limited Liability Corporation, owned by Kevin and Doug Button and based successful Idaho.

A tract drafting indicates nan aerial parkland would see 8 hangars, a nine location and 30 backstage tons ranging from 1.77 acres to 62.28 acres.

The Flat Rock Hotel

The Flat Rock Hotel is simply a 132-room, three-story edifice affiliated pinch Marriott Tribute being projected crossed nan road connected a 90-acre portion of property. It would see 5,000 quadrate feet of meeting/event space. A full-service restaurant, barroom and spa would beryllium unfastened to some edifice guests and members of nan public. The connection besides includes 10 residences and 25 units of worker housing.

“We spot this arsenic a batch of Americans want a portion of Americana, and they for illustration nan Old West,” Barker said. “It will be, successful our estimation, nan nicest edifice hotel successful nan West entranceway to Yellowstone, and it’ll conscionable hap to beryllium successful Island Park.”

Ensign Hospitality owns nan SpringHill Suites edifice astatine Mack’s Inn.

The company’s existent edifice only has 2,000 square-feet of gathering space, which is simply a limiting facet successful increasing Island Park’s tourism economy.

“We’re getting a batch of requests for, ‘We’d emotion to do an arena successful Island Park, but nan size of your abstraction is conscionable insufficient,’” Barker said.

Ensign Hospitality is simply a private, Utah-based improvement and spot guidance firm. It is not associated pinch Ensign Peak Advisers aliases The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, arsenic has been reported incorrectly connected societal media, Barker said.

The institution primitively applied to nan metropolis of Island Park for an annexation and area change. Thirty acres of nan spot are successful Island Park, and 60 acres are situated successful nan county.

Island Park rejected those proposals. Three months ago, Ensign Hospitality began moving pinch Fremont County. It has completed an first sketch scheme review.

Flat Rock Hotel conception scheme | Courtesy Ensign Hospitality

“The region said, ‘This usage is already a permitted usage successful nan existent area designation, truthful you don’t request a area change.’ … So we really don’t spot really they tin unopen this,” Barker said.

Cluff confirmed that nan parcel’s “Rural Base” zoning does let for impermanent lodges.

Barker said nan SpringHill Suites has been a valuable plus to nan community, and nan Flat Rock Hotel would return Island Park’s hospitality to an moreover higher level.

“Architecture of nan edifice lodge will bespeak nan scenic beauty of nan area and incorporated a rustic chic creation aesthetic. … This adjacent task will beryllium a mates of steps supra successful position of nan value and decorativeness of it,” he said.

The protest

But Island Park spot owners are not going down without a fight. At Monday’s protest, representatives from Involved Property Owners of Island Park, section governmental candidates, nan Flat Rock Club and Henrys Fork Wildlife Alliance addressed 150 concerned citizens.

A petition astatine change.org to “Protect nan Henry’s Lake flats area successful Island Park from commercialized and high-density development” had gathered 5,848 signatures by Wednesday.

The petition calls connected nan Fremont County Planning and Zoning Commission to “undertake a broad reappraisal of nan Fremont County Zoning Map, Fremont County broad scheme and improvement code. They should attraction connected nan Henry’s Lake Flats and different unfastened spaces successful nan Island Park Caldera. … Responsibly, looking astatine nan conservation and ecological values of nan Henry’s Lake Flat should beryllium an contiguous undertaking successful Fremont County.”

Protesters burnished handmade signs astatine nan Fremont County EMS building successful Island Park Monday.

One biology organization, nan Henry’s Fork Foundation, is chiefly concerned astir h2o value and h2o supply.

In a March 28 City of Island Park meeting, nan foundation’s Science and Technology Director Rob Van Kirk testified, “Water proviso successful nan Henry’s Fork watershed complete nan past 23 years is 15% little than it was complete nan erstwhile 23 years. … We are already seeing fishery declines because of decreased h2o supply.”

Additionally, “The 2 wastewater curen accommodation successful Island Park — astatine Last Chance and Mack’s Inn — are already successful request of description and upgrade and cannot grip further discarded from caller commercialized development,” he said.

Residents said they hoped their voices would beryllium heard and considered.

“Our beautiful small area that everybody utilized to beryllium capable to usage is becoming a portion of a boys club,” said Justin Barnard, head of nan Flat Rock Club. “This is America, and you tin do what you want connected your property, and I’m not disputing that, but there’s a correct measurement and a incorrect measurement to do that, particularly if you’re impacting nan organization pinch a commercialized infrastructure.”

Chris McBride is simply a spot proprietor successful Island Park who supports nan edifice but not nan aerial park.

“I deliberation nan airdrome doesn’t use our organization present successful immoderate way,” he said. “I deliberation nan edifice wouldn’t beryllium arsenic bad of an impact. I for illustration what nan Marriott has done up here.”

Cluff, nan readying and building administrator, acknowledged important guidance wrong Island Park toward nan developments.

“On nan flats — it’s a celebrated portion of Island Park,” Cluff said. “There’s a batch of affectional attachment to that area, and group are upset astir these proposals. I don’t person immoderate thought of they’ll beryllium approved aliases not. We benignant of person to hold and spot really things spell astatine nan nationalist proceeding and what Planning and Zoning thinks astir it.”