Jasper Plan Commission Backs Sultan's Run Guest House Rezoning Request

The Jasper Plan Commission voted April 2 to recommend approval of a rezoning petition from Sultan's Run, clearing a procedural path for a private guest house the golf and lodging destination says it needs to meet growing visitor demand.

The petition asks the Jasper City Council to rezone a grassy parcel south of 1854 N Meridian Road from A1 (Agriculture General) to R1 (Low-Density Residential). The planned single-home structure, positioned near Hole 14, would accommodate four to eight guests and operate roughly 80 to 100 nights per year.

Chris Tretter, co-owner and general manager of Sultan's Run, told commissioners the facility is needed to host visitors "in a safe, legal, and comfortable manner." He described the business's position directly: "We find ourselves in a very enviable spot, where we don't have enough lodging for our guests that want to come to Jasper and enjoy Sultan's Run, and eat at restaurants, and buy at shops."

Brad Eckerle of Brosmer Land Surveying addressed the technical case, noting the rezoning would align the targeted parcel with adjacent R1 properties while leaving the surrounding golf course in its existing A1 designation. That boundary distinction kept the scope of the change narrow: only the one parcel shifts classifications, not the broader course grounds.

Plan commissioner Paul Lorey offered the hearing's most pointed observation, noting that converting the idle field would turn underused land into productive property. No members of the public filed objections.

The favorable recommendation now advances to the Jasper City Council, which must conduct its own formal review. That process includes required public notice and a separate opportunity for comment before any final vote on the rezoning, giving residents who were absent from the commission hearing a second chance to be heard.

The stakes extend beyond a single structure near the 14th hole. Sultan's Run sits at the intersection of Jasper's lodging supply and its downtown retail economy; an additional 80 to 100 occupied guest nights per year carry real spending implications for the restaurants and shops Tretter says are already drawing course visitors. Rezoning the parcel would also generate modest property-tax and transient-guest revenue for the city.

Residents who want to shape Jasper's broader land-use strategy ahead of the council vote have a nearby forum: the city is holding a comprehensive plan open house April 25 at the River Center, where long-range priorities for growth and zoning will be on the table.