Plans to develop roughly 70 lots from 374 acres southeast of Donnelly were aired last week to the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission.
The subdivision, called Eld Ranch Estates, is expected to be built out in eight phases that Eagle developer Mark Young said could occur annually, starting as early as this fall.
“If I were to put a goal out there, it would be nice to be able to start each phase on an annual basis,” said Young, who is required to receive P&Z approval for each phase of construction.
The total number of lots at buildout is still to be determined, but Young estimated it will be between 60 lots and 80 lots.
The P&Z voted unanimously to approve Eld Ranch’s first phase, which calls for 20 buildable lots on about 54 acres, plus two open space lots. The lots will be served by individual water wells and septic systems.
The lots range in size from 1.5 acres to four acres and are expected to sell for between $100,000 and $400,000. Minimum home sizes were reduced to 2,000 square feet to improve affordability, according to the application.
About 4,000 feet of new paved roadway would be built off Gold Fork Road to serve the first phase of Eld Ranch. Future phases could eventually link the new roadway to the Simpco Estates subdivision at the end of Barker Lane.
Four people spoke in opposition to the subdivision at last week’s public hearing, and another two people voiced concerns from a neutral position.
Barker Lane traffic
Jacque St. George and Lawrence Meredith, who are both residents of Barker Lane, suggested that Young should be required to improve Barker since the gravel roadway would likely see traffic from residents of Eld Ranch.
“It is a dusty, dusty highway,” St. George said. “I’ve never lived in more dust in my life.”
A development agreement that will be approved by the county commissioners will determine what public infrastructure improvements Young is required to complete. The P&Z recommended that the improvements include a proportional contribution to improving Barker Lane.
“Barker is a disaster—I think we can all agree on that,” P&Z commissioner Heidi Schneider said. “I would bet that’s going to be the most traveled access, so it does open up a much bigger discussion for eight phases.”
Neighbors fear ‘fundamental change’ to area
Rick Avila worried that future phases may end up being denser than the 60 to 80 lots called for by current plans. That fear was shared by Boise resident Austin Johnson, who last year bought a lot in the Simpco subdivision that Eld Ranch may one day connect to.
“I had hopes of moving my family there one day, and I think it would be a fundamental change to the area,” Johnson said. “We were trying to leave the Boise area, not move to the next Eagle.”
Johnson also questioned the need for more lots in the area, citing hundreds of lots that are currently for sale across Valley County, including several in neighboring subdivisions.
“Developing this for the sake of development doesn’t really make a lot of sense for the area,” he said. “Leave that to McCall or Boise or the places that are already being developed.”
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Other neighbors lamented the loss of “pristine” meadows and forests on the 374-acre property that frequently shelter elk, deer, and other wildlife. Young, the project’s developer, sympathized with those comments.
“It’s a very pristine and beautiful place and we look forward to maintaining that long-term,” he said.
Young, who currently owns a cabin in the Hawk’s Bay Subdivision near Donnelly, said he plans to sell that property and move to Eld Ranch.
Grassfire concerns
P&Z Chairman Ken Roberts, a long-time rancher, emphasized the importance of continued long-term maintenance of grassy meadows on the 374 acres to reduce wildfire danger.
“What I don’t want to do is to set up a situation where the grass fire starts and then it consumes 50 houses downwind,” Roberts said.
The wildfire plan for Eld Ranch was not fully complete as of last week’s meeting, but is expected to include fire breaks planted with grasses that are more resistant to dry conditions.
The final plan will be reviewed by the P&Z when it approves as-built plans, also known as the final plat, for the subdivision. Valley County Wildfire Mitigation Director Mara Hlawatschek may also be required to approve the plan.
Valley County does not use a traditional land use zoning system. Instead, land use applications are evaluated through a 13-point compatibility test. Planning and Zoning Director Cynda Herrick gave the application a +24 out of 40 possible points. The lowest score an application can receive is -40.
