Tamarack hopes to create taxing district to add nearly 1,000 homes, hotel rooms, and condos

Tamarack hopes to create taxing district to add nearly 1,000 homes, hotel rooms, and condos

Infrastructure needed to build nearly 1,000 new homes, condominiums, and hotel rooms at Tamarack Resort could be financed by a new taxing district.

Last week, Tamarack President Scott Turlington briefed Valley County officials on the resort’s proposal to create a Community Infrastructure District to fund an estimated $158 million in public infrastructure needed for Heritage, the resort’s next major phase of development.

Heritage would total 911 units on 1,111 acres south of existing residential development and the Tamarack Village, according to a project summary submitted to the county. The project would more than double the existing number of units in the resort and account for more than half of the remaining homes to be built that were approved under Tamarack’s 2002 master plan.

“This is how growth pays for itself,” Turlington said during a recent presentation to the county.

The district would finance the construction of roads, water and sewer systems, stormwater drainage, and other infrastructure by taking on debt at lower interest rates available to government entities. It would also expedite the construction timeline for Heritage — a benefit noted in Tamarack’s project summary.

“Because of the infusion of cash from the bond proceeds up front, the CID will enable the development of the project to proceed at a faster pace than would otherwise be possible,” according to the summary.

Earlier this year, the Idaho Legislature expanded state law governing Community Infrastructure Districts to allow them in unincorporated areas of counties. The change took effect July 1, making the financing tool available to Tamarack for the first time.

County approval needed

If the Board of County Commissioners approves Tamarack’s petition to create the district, the district could then hold a bond election authorizing it to issue up to $400 million in debt. Tamarack would cast the only vote in the election since it would be the only property owner within the district’s proposed boundaries.

As homes are built and sold, future property owners would repay that debt through special assessments and taxes levied within the district.

“We’re not asking for any outside money. Everything would be paid for by the taxes and special assessments within that district,” Turlington said. “It’s just a way to get your infrastructure in up front.”

Tamarack hopes to submit its petition in August and, if the district is approved, begin construction on Heritage’s first phase late next year. Home sales are expected to begin in 2028.

Off-site projects

The proposed district would encompass Tamarack’s undeveloped private land surrounding the resort’s base area. While most spending would occur within the district, state law also allows money to be used on infrastructure outside its boundaries that benefits the development.

Turlington pointed to the Roseberry Road S-Bridge over Lake Cascade as an example.

“Everyone that’s driving to Tamarack is using the S-bridge, and everyone that lives there,” he said. “So being able to spend off-site is approved under the statute today.”

The county commissioners would serve as the district’s governing board, but the district would employ its own manager, engineer, and other staff. The county would approve the district’s expenditures, while district staff would review development plans.

Tamarack would pay for administrative costs associated with the district until it is generating enough money from homeowners to cover the expenses. The county would not be liable for the district’s debts, according to Pam Giss of Launch Development Financial Advisors, an Arizona firm that specializes in managing community infrastructure districts.

“There should be almost no – with the exception of some of your time as the board – there should be very little, if any at all, impact on the county as far as costs go,” Giss said.

Commissioners noncommittal on district creation

While the county commissioners asked questions about the proposal over the course of multiple presentations by Tamarack this year, none of them expressly voiced support or opposition to the plan.

However, the proposal drew criticism from a recent post on Letters to the Valley County Electorate, an online blog focused on local government.

The blog post, written by Tom and Tomi Grote, the former publishers of McCall’s local newspaper, cautioned that the county’s administrative burden could prove greater than Giss suggested.

“A CID is not a ‘set it and forget it’ arrangement,” the blog post said. “It requires ongoing administration, engineering review, legal oversight, bond compliance, public meetings, financial reporting, and responses to taxpayers who inevitably have questions about assessments and reimbursements.”

What is proposed for Heritage?

The Heritage project summary outlines plans for 314 village condominiums, 189 estate lots, 187 chalets, 120 village townhomes, 60 ranch lots, and 41 village cottages.

Heritage would also include an 80-room hotel, 20 acres of commercial and retail development, and about 200 acres of open space, including a small “pitch and putt” golf course, Turlington said.

The land on which Tamarack is planning to build Heritage includes about 500 acres south of the Tamarack Village that was purchased by the resort in 2024. That acquisition linked the resort’s private land holdings with about 300 acres even further south that Tamarack acquired in 2019.

Overall, Tamarack is approved to build 2,043 residential units under a master plan approved by Valley County in 2002. So far, about 700 of those units have been platted.

Despite the land use approval, the resort still needs Valley County to approve the final design for each subsequent phase of development.

The Heritage project also aligns with Tamarack’s long-term vision of expanding the ski resort south of its existing boundaries. Plans to add new chairlifts and ski terrain were initiated in 2022 but are currently inactive, as Valley Lookout reported.

MMG Equity Partners, a real estate investment firm based in Miami, became a principal owner of Tamarack in 2018 before acquiring full ownership in 2025.

MMG has invested more than $250 million into improvements, including finishing construction on the Tamarack Village, rebuilding the Osprey Meadows Golf Course, reinstalling the Wildwood Chairlift, and opening the Tamarack Marina on Lake Cascade.

Tamarack’s previous owner, Jean-Pierre Boespflug of France, filed for bankruptcy in 2008 after defaulting on a $250 million loan from Credit Suisse. The Tamarack Municipal Association, composed of property owners in the resort, operated the resort from 2010 until its sale in 2018.