About
Project Lookout is a purpose-built, 120-unit housing development at 330 Lewis Street in Ketchum, Idaho — on a 1.94-acre US Forest Service administrative site. It's a partnership with the US Forest Service to ‘bring the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time’ on this underutilized, prime location in Ketchum's Light Industrial district.
72 Affordable Workforce units will rent to the essential workers who keep Ketchum running — nurses, teachers, firefighters, ski patrol, and tradespeople — who are being priced out of the community they serve. 44 Market-Rate Work-Live units will support up-and-coming entrepreneurs and existing local businesses.
Project Lookout represents a fundamentally different approach to workforce housing: no public subsidy, no government grants, no Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing — just a creative public-private partnership with the US Forest Service turning an underused government asset into permanently affordable housing for the workers who need it most.
Workforce Units
Work-Live Units
Residential Units
Benefits
Project Lookout's 72 Affordable Workforce units are reserved for households earning between 80% and 140% of Area Median Income (AMI) — roughly $60,000 to $125,000 a year in today's dollars. Affordability follows the standard definition: no more than 30% of monthly household income going toward rent.
Companion benefits
Fewer cars on Highway 75
Several hundred residents — and their daily commute — come off Highway 75 entirely, easing traffic on Ketchum's main corridor.
More parking, not less
Over 200 covered parking spaces add to Ketchum's constrained parking supply rather than straining it further.
A more vibrant town
Workers who live where they work means more shopping, dining, and daily life happening right here in Ketchum, year-round.
Images
Watercolor renderings of Project Lookout from the surrounding neighborhood. Click any image to view it full size.
News
Coverage and announcements about Project Lookout.
Team
Michael David
Affordable housing advocate & community outreach
Ketchum City Council member, 2012–2024. Idaho Walk Bike Alliance Board President (previous). Valley Adams County Housing Authority Executive Director (previous). Blaine County Housing Authority Executive Director (previous). Long-time Wood River High School Football “Voice of the Wolverines” Public Address Announcer. JD, Loyola Law School; BA, UCLA.
Susan Desko, AIA
Developer, architect of record
Ketchum-based architect, resident since 2000, whose work includes the Starbucks & Sun Valley Visitor Center and the Global R&D Center at Chobani Yogurt headquarters. BArch, Georgia Tech; MArch, Harvard GSD.
Jim McDermott
Developer, USFS liaison
Founding Partner of Rusheen Capital Management and Founder/Executive Chair of Fulcrum BioEnergy. Co-founder and investor in 25+ companies, including Stamps.com and Carbon Engineering. Visiting and living in Ketchum since the 1970s. MBA, UCLA; BA, Colorado College.
Contact
Questions about Project Lookout, the application process, or how to get involved? We'd love to hear from you.