Crawford said KART is frustrated because despite several calls to St. Luke's, KART had not received a response about the matter. Attorney Marc McGregor, of Blaine County Citizens for Smart Growth, said no one contests the need for a quality health care facility. However, McGregor said, Blaine County voters did not agree to an urban medical complex. He said there is no evidence the office building complies with county ordinances or the comprehensive plan. McHanville property owner Kim Nilsen said it wasn't fair to approve St. Luke's office building while continuing to prohibit commercial development in the area around it.
Sprawl is almost always unintentional.
Orb asked why the 106,000 square-foot hospital couldn't accommodate medical offices also. Hull said that as St. Luke's looked into that number, the hospital grew to meet future needs. He said the size of the proposed medical office building is the result of the number of physicians in the valley who want to have offices next to the hospital. Hull offered no rationale for the building height except to say the county has no limit in the zone. Sun Valley resident and Ketchum businessman Tim Eagan expressed concern over the economic impact on the rest of the valley that may result if doctors vacate offices in Ketchum and Hailey.