[Want to modify the number of weekly emails you receive? Find out how at the end of this post.]
For the week of January 19th, 2025, here’s your Ranch news roundup:
Monday, January 20th, was Inauguration Day and also Martin Luther King Junior Day. The Town of Star Valley Ranch (TSVR) Town Hall was closed in observance of these occasions.
Wednesday, January 22nd, at 4pm the TSVR Planning Commission met at Town Hall. Here’s a link to the agenda. One lot combination was approved by the commission. The commission also discussed establishment of a bear conflict zone in town along with other possible alternatives to deal with wildlife interactions at the Ranch. Lastly, the commission reviewed zoning regulations for the four commercial lots adjacent to Town Hall. The commission will provide recommendations to the Town Council on both of the latter topics prior to the next regular council meeting in February.
Also on Wednesday, the Lincoln County Planning and Zoning Commission (LCP&ZC) met in Afton at 6pm. TSVR Planning Commission members along with all of your TSVR Councilmen, Town Administrator, and more than a dozen Ranch residents attended this meeting; the inclusion of the Mountain Estates subdivision on the agenda spurred the high interest. You may recall this is the somewhat new development on the east side of Muddy String Road north of Prater Canyon Road. I say “somewhat” as the original Master Plan for this development was approved in 2007 and has subsequently undergone multiple plan revisions, the most recent occurring in 2018, although precious little “development” has occurred since that time. Now, the subdivision developer, Bucket List LLC, is proposing yet another amendment to the Mountain Estates plan which is the reason he is once again back in front of the LCP&ZC. While this latest proposed iteration would reduce density within the subdivision it does still include a single access point from Mountain Estates onto Vista West Drive. The latter is of considerable concern to residents who are worried about increased traffic, dust, speeding vehicles, and noise. The TSVR Town Council plans to make a recommendation on the request for Vista West Drive access to the Lincoln County Commissioners (LCC) prior to their meeting on February 5th. I could go on and on about this topic, however, in the interest of brevity here are just a few more notes from Wednesday’s LCP&ZC meeting:
Three of the four TSVR Councilman attending the meeting made statements to the LCP&Z commissioners to convey the town’s numerous concerns with the Mountain Estates development. Many residents also made statements.
Overall, my impression was that the LCP&Z commissioners were very unhappy with the extended timeframe being proposed by the developer (which goes out until 2058!) and they also particularly disliked the piecemeal approach to the installation of multiple septic systems.
Ultimately, the LCP&Z commissioners tacked on three additional conditions of approval and then voted to send File #109 MP 24 Mountain Estates Master Plan forward to the LCC for consideration on February 5th.
To read the Mountain Estates packet from Wednesday’s LCP&ZC meeting (File #109 MP 24) use this link. Note it’s a big file so it may take a little time for the webpage to load.
I’ll continue to provide updates on this hot topic as they come along.
Other news and notes for the week:
Throughout the week, the Town Council conducted interviews with applicants for the soon-to-be vacant council seat. These interviews were conducted in Executive Sessions and were not open to the public.
I am pleased to report the interest from residents was excellent and the town received multiple applications to consider.
Also this week, the Star Valley Ranch Trail Crew has continued their stellar efforts to keep our local trails open for non-motorized recreation. The Trail Crew reports conditions have been quite variable particularly on the sunnier exposed portions along our trail system. There is also significant mule deer activity on the Valley View Trail #3051, so please stay alert and try not to startle these critters or force them into a run if at all possible. This time of the season as we head into the last couple of winter months, the muleys have no extra calories to lose as they forage and try to make it through to spring. Thank you!
Here are calendar items for next week:
Tuesday, January 28th at 10am, the Town Council will hold a Special Meeting at Town Hall to select the individual who will fill the vacated council seat.
Thursday, January 30th at 1pm the TSVR Water Utility Board will meet at Town Hall.
Final thoughts—Yup, it really did turn out to be super-arctic cold last Sunday! And, it was pretty darn cold all week. The coldest we had at our house over the past 7 days was -16°F. I took a screenshot from my weather station dashboard earlier in the week just to get a sense of temperatures around our area of the valley. The verdict—really cold! Despite the temperatures, when the sun does decide to show itself in the afternoons, I find it to be quite spectacular outside. The cross-country skiing has been excellent and I commend the Star Vally Ranch Association for their efforts this season keeping the golf courses groomed. If you haven’t gotten out there yourself, I highly recommend you check it out. Lastly, here’s some good news, as of January 15, 2025, we officially hit the halfway point of meteorological winter! You know what that means—spring is just around the corner! Enjoy the week and let’s go Bills!
That’s all for today—hope you enjoyed the read. And thank you for being a subscriber! If you have Star Valley Ranch news or photographs to share, please drop me an email at close2home307@gmail.com. And, if you find this weekly email useful, please invite your neighbors, family, and friends to check out Close to Home 307. Your support and feedback are very much appreciated!
Want to customize your Close to Home 307 subscription and the number of emails you receive each week? Please click this About page link and scroll mid-way down the page to learn how to update your settings.