Star Valley Ranch council delays decision on Mountain Estates road access ahead of county meeting

The Town of Star Valley Ranch council postponed a decision Feb. 4 on whether to allow full road access for the proposed Mountain Estates subdivision, citing a pending Lincoln County Commission meeting and requests for additional technical information.

Mayor Ruzena Rok said the Lincoln County Commission will consider the subdivision Feb. 5 and noted the town’s Planning Commission recommended denying road access. Council discussion revealed differing views: Councilman Ellis said the council should wait for the county’s decision, while Councilmen Merrill and Toolson argued the town should independently deny access, reflecting what they described as clear resident preference to prevent full access.

Administrator Aitken reported the fire chief recommended emergency-only access to preserve response times. The subdivision’s developer, Mr. Izatt, told the council he prefers emergency access rather than full access and that he does not believe a full road connection is necessary. Izatt also said a well that neighbors questioned is placed correctly and that an easement agreement is being signed to address an affected property; he added the well pump had a temporary outage during a power loss but residents never lacked water and precautions are in place for future outages.

Councilman Ellis suggested amending the town’s subdivision code (§152.04) to require enhanced septic systems townwide going forward. Mayor Rok said she wants more information before voting, including consultation with the fire chief, a more detailed traffic-impact study, and the county’s decision; she recommended continuing the discussion at the Feb. 11 work session.

Next steps: the council agreed to defer action until after the county meeting and further staff follow-up; no formal motion on Mountain Estates road access was taken at the Feb. 4 meeting.