Two preliminary plats for new subdivisions, one that has been approved in Victor and one that will be considered later this month in Driggs, promise double-digits increases in the inventory of attached homes or townhomes on the edges of each city.
Victor council approves 28 units east of Settlement
Twin Slides Subdivision, a 70-lot neighborhood on 18.4 acres of vacant land accessed from the Settlement on the western edge of Victor, received concept plan approval last summer. On July 27, the Victor City Council okayed a preliminary plat application for the first phase of the subdivision, which entails 28 residential lots and one park lot on 9.2 acres.
According to the project narrative, “Twin Slides is not a high end exclusive subdivision, but a welcoming community-oriented neighborhood that will bring great value to Victor.” The narrative specifies that the developer intends to build and sell “entry level houses” rather than selling lots. The houses will be attached units, meaning two homes will share one wall but the lots will have separate ownership.
According to the Twin Slides application, the primary entrance to the neighborhood would be via the public Settlement Drive, which will connect with the extended Kylea Drive. During the concept plan hearing in June of 2021, several Settlement residents voiced their displeasure about the possibility of increased traffic within the neighborhood and at the intersection with Highway 31. While fewer people commented in follow-up hearings, Victor planning administrator Kim Kolner did mention the concern, and said that the city expected the developer to seek a second access before completing the next phase of the subdivision.
The council imposed no affordable or workforce housing restrictions on the developer before voting to approve the application; only Councilwoman Sue Muncaster voted against it.
The city and developer will need to hammer out a development agreement before the installation of infrastructure can begin. Once infrastructure is complete, the developer will request final plat approval from the city and then begin construction on houses.
30-unit subdivision proposed on east side of Driggs
On Aug. 16, the Driggs City Council will consider a preliminary plat application for a 30-unit townhome complex on Ski Hill Road, on five acres that were recently annexed into the city.
The five-acre White Antler Subdivision will consist of four townhome buildings constructed as five-unit structures and five townhome buildings constructed as two-unit structures, for a total of 30 residential units. The neighborhood will be accessed directly from Ski Hill via the new Antler Drive.
In February of this year, the city council approved the annexation of the property into city limits and a rezone to multi-family residential. Because the annexation enabled a much higher density of development, Driggs had some bargaining power and negotiated a few special conditions with the developer, Michael Adams, including a sidewalk along the length of the property on Ski Hill; a natural resources analysis; and some workforce housing requirements.
The application was received before the city passed a set of code amendments in May that require some housing mitigations in annexations, but the council still asked the developer to restrict half of the total units to ownership by qualified local households and to prohibit short term rentals in those units (for non-occupant owners).
The Driggs Planning & Zoning Commission reviewed the preliminary plat on July 13 and recommended approval to the council with some conditions, including more complete plans for landscaping, park phasing, and the Ski Hill sidewalk.
The public can email comments on the application to publichearingcomments@driggsidaho.org on or before Aug. 8, or speak during the meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. on Aug. 16 at Driggs City Hall.
