A proposed subdivision with 262 single-family lots may stand in the way of a popular snowmobile trail, the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission learned last Thursday.
Anderson Creek Developer Steve Thomas believes the location could help him sell lots to snowmobilers, but supporters of the sport said the route Thomas proposed for sleds would not work.
P&Z commissioners decided to take testimony only and put off their decision until tonight when a special P&Z session starts at 6 p.m. at the Valley County Courthouse in Cascade.
Thomas wants to put his project on 455 acres located west of Lake Cascade on Anderson Creek Road that he bought at a Boise Cascade Corp. land auction in August 2003. His subdivision stands between the snowmobile parking lot on West Mountain Road and national forest.
Up to 400 sleds climb the mountain a day in winter, making the way through Thomas' property a "heavy portal" for sleds, according to Ronn Julian, a member of the West Mountain Snowmobile Club and of the Valley County Groomer Advisory Committee.
Thomas lived in Valley County before moving to Eagle and said he knows the importance of snowmobiling to the local economy. Thomas is considering widening Anderson Creek Road to Valley County standards inside his project and plowing it in the winter with a "snow shelf" on the side for sleds to travel.
"Hopefully, we can sell a lot to one of these folks who operate those snowmobiles. There's a pretty good marketing pitch," Thomas said. "A lot of them park in the parking lot down on West Mountain Road so they get a good chance to see the property."
The West Mountain Snowmobile Club has a considerable investment in the facility which provides restrooms, a groomer garage, and a paved parking lot, Julian said.
There are problems with a groomed route next to Anderson Creek Road, Julin said.
Clearing the tree canopy to widen the road would expose a lot of the trail to sunshine.
With freezing and thawing, the snow surface would ice over, he said.
Another corridor through subdivision formerly meant to be a realignment for West Mountain Road would not be feasible either, Julian said. Few people use that route to get to the top of the mountain, he said.
Julian found Thomas "sincere and dedicated" and one of the "hardest working" people he has met and believed a good faith effort on the part of Thomas to accommodate snowmobiler interests would succeed.
"There are some real different effects depending on how you would select to provide snowmobile access across that land," Julian said. "I believe Steve wants to provide it, and I believe he will in the end."
A sled route separate from homes is preferable and snowmobile traffic could travel an old road right of way across the northern portion of the property boundary, he said. This would require some form of agreement with the Forest Service, and modifying the current lot arrangement.
Getting more snowmobilers involved is the way to develop a "meaningful" solution, Julian said.
Doug Miller of McCall advised Thomas talk with the Idaho State Snowmobile Association about a trail plan, and that subdivision covenants allow sleds access through the property forever.
The snow shelf, which would cross driveways, would be unsafe for snowmobiles to negotiate, Miller said.
Jeff Miller of Caldwell, a longtime Idaho resident who has ridden West Mountain trails, said the subdivision's main virtue was not what it provided for his sport but that its lots would sell for less than lots around McCall or at Tamarack Resort, enabling more people to buy into the subdivision.
Mark Bingaman of the Cascade Ranger District warned about reconstructing Anderson Creek Road. The Forest Service gave Valley County an easement on Anderson Creek and the nearby Hazard Road system for purpose of construction and maintenance. Widening and laying sewer mains requires Forest Service approval along with a special use permit and environmental analysis, Bingaman said.
Thomas has proposed the South Lake Recreational Sewer and Water District provide sewer service which would become available when the district's sewage treatment plant is built at some time in the future.
South Lake's engineer, Glenn Holdren, said capacity for the subdivision was included in the planning study for the sewage treatment system.
No sewer collection or treatment facilities have yet been built by the South Lake district.
Anderson Creek developer wants to preserve trails. "Hopefully, we can sell a lot to one of these folks who operate those snowmobiles. There's a pretty good marketing pitch."- Developer Steve-Thomas
