The Four Seasons Townhomes lack direct access to Warm Springs Road. Consequently, all ingress, utilities—including power, sewer, gas, internet, and water- must be routed through adjoining private properties within the Pineridge or Fields Subdivisions, via easements and recorded agreements.
In the spring of 1968, Gerald Riedel, then-owner of the Heidelberg Hotel, sold the parcels now known as the Four Seasons and Sunshine Subdivisions to Resor Development Corporation, the developer of the Four Seasons Homes. See Deed To understand the scope of the conveyance, please refer to the linked map, which clearly illustrates the absence of direct access to Warm Springs Road.
To establish legal access, a Grant of Easement was recorded in April 1969 as Instrument No. 132278, executed between Gerald Riedel and Resor Development Corporation. The easement benefits the properties now recorded as Four Seasons Subdivisions 1, 2, and 3, as well as all parcels within the Sunshine Subdivision.
- Parcel A of the easement (see map) (See additional Map) provided access to all Four Seasons and Sunshine properties via what was then the parking lot of the Heidelberg Hotel. This easement was only 20 feet wide and was not intended to serve as the primary access route.
- Parcel B of the easement (see map) (See additional Map) granted access through an undeveloped grassy area of the Heidelburg Hotel property. At 31 feet wide, Parcel B was designed to serve as the principal access to the Four Seasons development.
- Parcel C was rescinded once Four Seasons Subs moved to the City of Ketchum sewer systems. Later, a permissive easement for snow storage was granted to the Four Seasons Homes on this parcel, which was also rescinded. (see map)
A 30-foot access easement in favor of Andy Schernthanner along the westerly side of what is now Four Seasons and Sunshine Sub, as well as the northerly line of Sunshine Sub to benefit access to what is now Schernthanner Acres Sub, was also granted by Riedel. See Map. Said easement is depicted on the Sunshine Plat as an unknown Parcel. See Map 1 See Map 2
During the construction of the Four Seasons Homes, Riedel observed that his hotel parking lot, through the Parcel A easement, was being used as a primary construction access point to Four Seasons Subs 2 and 3. Concerned by this encroachment and the overburdening of the easement, he retained legal counsel and sought to rescind access rights through Parcel A.
A compromise was reached: Four Seasons agreed to restrict use of Parcel A on the Heidelberg parking lot to benefit only Lot 9 of Four Seasons Subdivision No. 1. Subdivisions 2 and 3 were explicitly excluded from Parcel A access rights. This agreement was formalized in a document recorded as Instrument No. 133311, which grants access via Parcel A solely to Lot 9 of Four Seasons Sub No. 1 (see Map 1).
While reviewing Map 1, note the alignment of Lot 9’s boundary with the parking line of Lot 1 in Four Seasons Subdivision. This precise correspondence is intentional and reflects the limitations of negotiated access arrangements.
Map 2 illustrates the additional spaces recently added to our Pineridge parking area. These spaces are located entirely on Four Seasons Subdivision 3, Lot 33. Utilizing our Parcel A access easement to reach Lot 33 constitutes a violation of the terms outlined in recorded documents No. 133311 and, more critically, Instrument No. 137377. Such violations could jeopardize our access rights altogether.
To access Four Seasons Subdivision No. 3 and the swimming pool without relying on the Parcel A easement, Resort Development, the developers of the Four Seasons subdivisions, constructed roads on land that was intended to become future parcels of Four Seasons Subdivisions 4, 5, and 6. However, following a bank-owned non-judicial foreclosure on those future parcels, the roads and parking areas ultimately ended up on what are now private properties: Lots 8, 7, and 6 of the Sunshine Subdivision. See Map See Sunshine Plat See Additional Map
I suspect that if Pineridge were made aware of these infractions, they would not hesitate to revoke our parking access. I have repeatedly informed the association of these concerns, yet my warnings have been disregarded.
Turning to the late 1960s, Gerald Riedel sought to expand the footprint of the Heidelberg Hotel by constructing an additional building. This proposed expansion encountered complications due to the Four Seasons access easement. Furthermore, a survey of the Heidelberg property revealed that Four Seasons parking encroached upon the Heidelberg parking lot. A compromise was ultimately reached: Four Seasons agreed to relinquish its access to Warm Springs Road to facilitate the hotel expansion, and in return, Riedel permitted Four Seasons to continue parking partially on the Heidelberg lot. Riedel also committed to granting a future access easement to Warm Springs Road. An additional reason for the release of access to Warm Springs Road was to limit Four Seasons’ use of the Parcel A Easement.
This agreement is documented in recorded Instrument No. 136858. Please pay close attention to the language at the end of the legal description in this document, which states that “only the southerly 180 feet” of the access easement was released. This action left a “landlocked” 121-foot segment of the easement that no longer connects to Warm Springs Road. See Map. While this may appear illogical to some, the intent was clear: to preserve the northerly 121 feet of the easement so that Four Seasons Lot 9 owners could continue to park partially on the Heidelberg parking lot. See Map See Additional Map
This release document was later used extensively by attorneys representing the Pineridge development to justify denying our access.
To reestablish legal access rights to Warm Springs Road, a document recorded as Instrument No. 137377 was executed specifically for the benefit of the residences located on Lots 1 through 8 of Four Seasons Subdivision No. 1. (see map) This document did not extend access rights to any other lots outside Subdivision No. 1.
To preserve flexibility for constructing an additional hotel building, without the need to relocate or release an existing Four Seasons access easement, Gerald Riedell recorded a document granting owners of Lots 1 through 8 exclusive access to parking on Lot 9 of Four Seasons Subdivision No. 1. This access could be exercised through any portion of the then Heidelburg Hotel property, now known as Pineridge Townhomes Phases 1, 2, and 3. See Map
The legal description in Instrument No. 137377 explicitly encompasses all parcels now identified as Pineridge Townhomes 1, 2, and 3. (See Map) Currently, this gives Four Seasons’ Owners three points of access off Warm Springs Road. (See Map) The restrictions outlined in the document are unequivocal:
- Only owners of Lots 1 through 8 in Four Seasons Subdivision No. 1 are granted access. See Map
- The easement may not be used to access any other lots or subdivisions within the broader Four Seasons development.
In other words, the easement applies solely to Four Seasons Subdivision No. 1. Any use of this access to reach other areas of the Four Seasons subdivisions constitutes a violation of the agreement. Should such misuse occur, Pineridge retains the legal right to revoke access under the terms of Instrument No. 137377.
In the early 2000s, Sun Valley real estate developer Richard Robbins purchased all properties associated with the Heidelburg Hotel from Gerald Riedel. Almost immediately, the Four Seasons Association was notified of several issues: our parking encroachments, the lack of legal access through the Heidelburg parking lot (Parcel A easement), the revocation of our snow storage rights under a permissive easement, and the possibility that we would need to relocate our water, sewer, and gas lines. We were also served notice of a preliminary outline for the townhouse subdivision Robbins intended to build, an outline that entirely blocked our access to Lot 9 parking with proposed townhouse buildings.
At the first public hearing for the townhouse development, I was the sole representative from the Four Seasons Association. During the meeting, my arguments regarding our access and parking rights fell on deaf ears. Robbins’ attorneys contended that the document I cited to establish access to Warm Springs Road (Instrument No. 137377) could not be verified, as I had not brought surveyor’s maps to the hearing. They also leaned heavily on the release of easement recorded as Instrument No. 136858. When I pointed out—much to their surprise—that only the southerly 180 feet of the easement had been released and asked for a reasonable explanation as to why the northerly 121 feet remained intact, no explanation was offered. I explained that the release document had been recorded to allow Riedel, then owner of the Heidelberg Hotel, to construct an additional building on property encumbered by our easement, while still permitting us to park on Riedel’s private property. Robbins’ attorneys dismissed this explanation as “nonsense.” See Map of release document.
At the subsequent hearing, I was accompanied by legal counsel and presented all recorded documents supporting our access rights, along with detailed maps. Our attorney spoke for the majority of the meeting.
At said meeting, our attorney successfully established our legal right of access to Lot 9, as well as our rights to water, sewer, electricity, gas, and other utilities. He also placed Pineridge on formal notice that any recorded plats must reflect both our recorded and unrecorded easement rights. See Map. Furthermore, he made a compelling case for our continued right to park on Robbins’ (now Pineridge’s) private property, as established in the release document No. 136858.
Accommodating our access rights to Lot 9 came at a high cost to Pineridge. The location of the townhouse units had to be shifted from the exterior portions of the plats to the interior. Parking and access roads were relocated from the interior to the exterior. According to Robbins, these changes cost him in development potential.
To accommodate the revised configurations of the Pineridge plats, owners in both the Four Seasons and Sunshine subdivisions were required to relocate water, sewer, and gas lines. The City of Ketchum covered the cost of the sewer line relocation, Intermountain Gas paid for the gas line, and only the Four Seasons owners bore the expense of relocating the water line. These utility lines are referenced in the recorded plats for Pineridge Townhomes Phases 1, 2, and 3. Map 1, Map 2 and Map3.
Because the Sunshine owners refused to contribute to the water line relocation or the legal costs necessary to establish associated rights, I ensured that the plat notes for Pineridge Townhomes Phases 1, 2, and 3 explicitly designate Four Seasons owners as the sole beneficiaries of the newly relocated water line. See Plat Note 8
Moving forward, the partial parking of our vehicles on what would soon become a shared access road benefiting Pineridge and Four Seasons became unacceptable to both the City of Ketchum and Pineridge. The City’s concern was that vehicles parked on the access road would obstruct emergency vehicle access. See Plat Note 12 Pineridge and Robbins objected because accommodating our parking would once again require limiting their building development footprint.
Moreover, the legal documents of record did not grant Four Seasons owners any parking rights on Pineridge’s private property. While Riedel and Four Seasons had informally agreed to allow parking on Heidelberg’s private property, that agreement was never documented or formalized in the public record. Only the partial release of our access interest suggests such rights—an implication that would have been extremely difficult to defend in court. Instrument No. 136858.
As a result, Four Seasons was forced to relocate the retaining wall in front of Lots 1 through 8 much closer to the units’ front doors, to consolidate parking solely on Lot 9 of Four Seasons Subdivision No. 1. Although this decision angered many owners, no viable alternatives existed that would preserve our legal ability to park.
To minimize encroachments on residents’ front doorsteps, the newly configured Lot 9 parking area was designed to accommodate only compact to medium-sized vehicles. Longer vehicles—such as long-bed trucks, Suburbans, large vans, or those equipped with extended bike racks—would protrude into the Pineridge roadway and were therefore prohibited from parking in the Lot 9 area. See Plate Note 12
Signage that clearly noted these restrictions was later removed for reasons unknown by the Four Seasons Association????
Refer to attached Map 1 for an example of a length violation. Map 2 depicts a vehicle with a triple violation:
- Violation 1: The vehicle is not owned by a resident of Lots 1 through 8 of Four Seasons Subdivision No. 1.
- Violation 2: The vehicle is parked on Lot 33 of Four Seasons Subdivision No. 3, which holds no legal access rights to the Pineridge parking easement. Such unauthorized use could jeopardize the easement itself.
- Violation 3: The front end of the vehicle protrudes nearly three feet onto the private roadway of Pineridge Townhomes. Violating terms in Pineridge Plat Note 12.
Map 3 depicts two vehicles with multiple violations:
- Violation 1: Both vehicles are not owned by residents of Lots 1 through 8 of Four Seasons Subdivision No. 1. Such unauthorized use could jeopardize the easement itself.
- Violation 2: Both vehicles are parked on Lot 33 of Four Seasons Subdivision No. 3, which holds no legal access rights to the Pineridge parking easement. Such unauthorized use could jeopardize the easement itself.
- Violation 3: The back end of the second vehicle protrudes over three feet onto the private roadway of Pineridge Townhomes, partially blocking access for Pineridge Owners. Violating terms in Pineridge Plat Note 12.
These violations, particularly when combined, represent a serious breach of the recorded easement terms and could result in the revocation of access rights under Instrument No. 137377. Under the new system, owners, guests, and renters from Units 9 through 32 are permitted to park in the Pineridge guest parking area. This expanded access was never authorized under the agreements with Pineridge and exceeds the scope of permitted use.
My ongoing concern with Pineridge stems from what appear to be near-daily violations of our easement agreements. I’ve recently noticed new signage directing Pineridge owners not to park in certain areas. However, I’m troubled by the disappearance of our previous signs that clearly outlined limitations for our own owners. These signs seem to have vanished around the time we added new parking spaces. Was this intentional, or simply overlooked?
Additionally, we once had a sign at the pool parking area that similarly informed our owners of their usage restrictions. See Map See Additional Map See Additional Map. That sign also disappeared during the same period, and coincidentally, when snow started being stored there. This easement is for parking and access, not for snow storage. Four Seasons’ rules clearly acknowledge this violation by not allowing parking in the pool area during the winter months. Can someone clarify why these signs were removed, and whether there was a formal decision behind it? Pool Parking Easement 215482 FYI, the new owner of our pool parking area is an attorney and is aware of our blatant violations.