A. The purpose and intent of the hillside overlay district is to promote the health, safety and welfare of current and future residents of the city of Hailey by regulating development on hillside areas, to:
1. Preserve the environmental, recreational and aesthetic values and other benefits of hillsides, integral to the character of the city;
2. Maintain slope and soil stability;
3. Prevent cuts and fills, including those for access roads and driveways, that exacerbate the natural hazards, such as erosion and landslide, associated with developing on hillsides;
4. Encourage grading that follows natural contours and require drought tolerant and/or native landscaping where existing vegetation has been disturbed;
5. Limit the extent of disturbance to natural grade and existing vegetation associated with any development;
6. Direct development of buildings and other structures to appropriate areas of lowest elevation on hillside properties where such areas are part of the parcel or lot under consideration;
7. Direct development in a manner that avoids natural hazards associated with developing on hillsides;
8. Ensure safe and reasonable access to and from the properties, including access by emergency services;
9. Ensure adequate review of all land use proposals that may have an impact on the above;
10. Allow public nonmotorized recreational access and use of hillsides where appropriate to the terrain, access and neighboring uses;
11. Regulate site alteration and structural development in the hillside overlay district to assure that site alteration and development occurs in the hillside overlay district only when no sufficient available area for the proposed site alteration or development exists outside of the district and all other criteria under this article have been met, and to assure that any site alteration and structural development within the district occurs in a manner that minimizes hillside visibility.
B. The intent of the hillside overlay district is to direct development to land outside of the hillside overlay district. Only when no area for development exists outside of the hillside overlay district and all other criteria under this article have been met may a site alteration occur within the district. Even then, the development must be located at a site within the district which will minimize its hillside visibility. Conditions of approval should be placed on all applications to ensure that any development will be limited in its bulk, design and use of materials to minimize its visibility from public streets. (Ord. 1191, 2015)