A company owned by Texas billionaires Dan and Faris Wilks is selling 73 ranch sites carved from about 2,000 acres south of Cascade.
Plans for Legacy Creek Ranch, as dubbed by DF Development, look like subdivisions across Valley County, but are not subject to the same rules and review process because the ranch sites were created by a series of lot line adjustments and original parcel splits.
That, Valley County Planning and Zoning Administrator Cynda Herrick said, is the difference between selling raw land and being required to follow the county’s subdivision laws.
“I’ve been talking with (DF) and they understand that this isn’t the preferred method,” Herrick told Valley Lookout. “But it’s what they’re entitled to by law.”
The method used by DF enables Legacy Creek Ranch to avoid the county’s subdivision requirements, which include plans for drainage, irrigation, drinking water, septic systems, utilities, and streets.
It also means that the company is not required to create a fire protection plan covering things like water supply, emergency access, and vegetation management.
The plan also avoids review by the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as several state agencies, including the Idaho Transportation Department, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources.
How were the ranch sites created?
Most of the ranch sites have been created by lot line adjustments, which require administrative approval. County law allows landowners to adjust the boundaries of existing parcels into different shapes and sizes if no new parcels are created.
For Legacy Creek Ranch, that has enabled DF to reconfigure existing parcels to include road access along Clear Creek Road, also known as Forest Service Road 409.
The company was also able to create 18 new parcels by splitting parcels that have not been subdivided since Valley County’s subdivision regulations were adopted in 1970. Those parcels, known as “original parcels,” may be split one time without triggering a review.
“We allow original parcels to be split one time without going through a platting process,” Herrick said. “So they took their parcels and did their free splits.”
The result of the splits and reconfiguring is 73 parcels, which Herrick emphasized do not qualify as “lots” because they were not created through the subdivision process.
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Marketing
Advertisements for Legacy Creek Ranch have shown up on billboards on State Street in Boise, in The Star-News, and on social media.
In The Star-News, McCall’s weekly newspaper, the ranch sites are advertised as “lots,” despite not coming with any of the certainties or amenities associated with true subdivision lots.
“This is not a subdivision, these are not lots,” Herrick said. “This is a marketing tactic.”
Unlike typical subdivision lots, the parcels DF advertised by DF do not include any utilities and are not guaranteed to be able to meet standards for septic systems and water wells.
Any buyer of the lots would be required to seek a building permit from the county and receive approval for construction plans. It is unclear if any of the lots have been sold so far.
Advertising paints Legacy Creek Ranch as “the perfect place to connect with the wilderness and start building your legacy.”
“Our early Phase-1 release at Legacy Creek Ranch ensures plenty of open space,” according to DF’s website. “Our lifestyle plan for the community is simple: build green, clean, and sustainable spaces filled with the natural wonders of mountain wildlife.”
DF Development representatives did not respond to requests for comment by Valley Lookout.
