Valley County approves waivers, adopts adjusted final plat for Riverfork subdivision
October 30, 2025 | Valley County, Idaho
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Valley County commissioners approved a motion on Oct. 29 to waive two conditions of approval for the Riverfork subdivision, adopt minor exterior boundary adjustments (including an amendment affecting Lot 11), and accept other final‑plat changes — contingent on required financial guarantees for off‑site road work.
The board’s action addressed three principal items: a requested reduction in the size of Lot 11 (from 2.45 acres to 1.83 acres) to accommodate a fire‑suppression pond and pump house, an inability to secure executed neighbor agreements on a fence and the Mahala Ditch despite documented efforts, and internal road alterations (elimination of a turnaround in favor of through‑connectivity).
Developer representatives said internal roads and most infrastructure are constructed and ready for final plat. The developer described the Lot 11 change as driven by the fire chief’s requirement for a hydrology letter guaranteeing 20 years of available water for a pressurized hydrant system; the applicants’ hydrologist concluded groundwater tied to Lake Fork Creek provided the necessary basis, and the proposed pond would be located in upland so Army Corps of Engineers jurisdiction was not implicated. The developer also described a recorded water right application and a plan for a pump and pressurized hydrant network that the fire chief required.
On ditch and fence matters, applicants said they had repeatedly offered draft agreements and had walked the Mahala Ditch with adjacent land managers and engineers; they reported no written response despite multiple outreach attempts. The developer said they have completed a piped improvement to the Mahala Ditch at their own expense (an improvement they estimated at about $100,000 in the discussion) and that an easement and a declaration of easement to preserve maintenance rights will appear on the plat and recorded documents.
Commissioners approved the waivers by motion, followed by a second, and the clerk read the motion for the record. The board’s recorded action included adopting the proposed new final plat as presented, with the condition that financial guarantees (such as a letter of credit) be provided for the required off‑site Spink road improvements before final plat approval and recording. County staff said the guarantees must be in place before the county signs the final plat; the board and applicant discussed using a bank letter of credit as the likely mechanism.
Commissioners asked staff to draft a resolution to memorialize the approval and to include the documentation presented at the meeting in the recorded record. The motion passed without recorded opposition. The applicant and staff will complete the required recorded easements and financial guarantee before the final plat is signed and recorded.
The board’s action addressed three principal items: a requested reduction in the size of Lot 11 (from 2.45 acres to 1.83 acres) to accommodate a fire‑suppression pond and pump house, an inability to secure executed neighbor agreements on a fence and the Mahala Ditch despite documented efforts, and internal road alterations (elimination of a turnaround in favor of through‑connectivity).
Developer representatives said internal roads and most infrastructure are constructed and ready for final plat. The developer described the Lot 11 change as driven by the fire chief’s requirement for a hydrology letter guaranteeing 20 years of available water for a pressurized hydrant system; the applicants’ hydrologist concluded groundwater tied to Lake Fork Creek provided the necessary basis, and the proposed pond would be located in upland so Army Corps of Engineers jurisdiction was not implicated. The developer also described a recorded water right application and a plan for a pump and pressurized hydrant network that the fire chief required.
On ditch and fence matters, applicants said they had repeatedly offered draft agreements and had walked the Mahala Ditch with adjacent land managers and engineers; they reported no written response despite multiple outreach attempts. The developer said they have completed a piped improvement to the Mahala Ditch at their own expense (an improvement they estimated at about $100,000 in the discussion) and that an easement and a declaration of easement to preserve maintenance rights will appear on the plat and recorded documents.
Commissioners approved the waivers by motion, followed by a second, and the clerk read the motion for the record. The board’s recorded action included adopting the proposed new final plat as presented, with the condition that financial guarantees (such as a letter of credit) be provided for the required off‑site Spink road improvements before final plat approval and recording. County staff said the guarantees must be in place before the county signs the final plat; the board and applicant discussed using a bank letter of credit as the likely mechanism.
Commissioners asked staff to draft a resolution to memorialize the approval and to include the documentation presented at the meeting in the recorded record. The motion passed without recorded opposition. The applicant and staff will complete the required recorded easements and financial guarantee before the final plat is signed and recorded.
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