Tamarack Resort: Looking Ahead to Heritage and a New Community Infrastructure District with New Ski lifts
Tamarack Resort is entering another significant phase of growth with plans for Heritage, a major new community planned south of the existing Tamarack Village. The proposed development encompasses approximately 1,111 acres and calls for 911 residential units, including condominiums, townhomes, chalets, cottages and estate and ranch lots. Heritage would also include an 80-room hotel, approximately 20 acres of commercial and retail space, and about 200 acres of open space. The project is part of Tamarack's long-term master plan, although the specific design and future phases still require additional review and approval by Valley County.
Heritage represents a substantial expansion of the Tamarack community. Tamarack currently has approval under its 2002 master plan for 2,043 residential units, with approximately 700units having been platted to date. The Heritage development would more than double the resort's existing residential inventory and continue the resort's expansion south of the current Village. Tamarack acquired additional land in this area in recent years, connecting its existing holdings with property farther south and creating the land base for the proposed development.
One of the most interesting parts of the Heritage proposal is how the infrastructure needed to support the development would be financed. Tamarack is proposing the creation of a Community Infrastructure District, or CID, to help fund approximately $158 million in public infrastructure associated with Heritage. The proposed financing would help pay for improvements such as roads, water and sewer systems, stormwater facilities and other infrastructure needed as the community develops.
A CID is a financing tool that allows infrastructure costs associated with a new development to be financed over time as the development is built. Tamarack has proposed that the properties within the new district would be responsible for the associated assessments used to repay the infrastructure financing. According to Tamarack, the proposed district would not make Valley County responsible for the debt, and existing Tamarack homeowners are not proposed to be included in the new district. The creation of the CID is a separate process from approval of the Heritage development itself and will require consideration by Valley County.
Tamarack’s growth plans also include a long-term vision for expanding the ski area. New lifts are on the plan to serve the Heritage community. The resort is working with local and federal agencies to add the new ski terrain.
The Heritage project and proposed CID will be important developments to watch as Tamarack continues to grow into a larger four-season community. The resort is already expanding its offerings, including the new 100-slip public marina on Lake Cascade and the Aspen Townhomes now under development. If Heritage moves forward, it would represent another major step in Tamarack's long-term evolution and could bring substantially more housing, hospitality, commercial activity and open space to the area south of the existing resort.