TAMARACK, Idaho — Tamarack Resort moved one steps closer toward its goal of becoming the country's "premier four-season resort" this month.
Its owners, MMG Equity Partners, bought hundreds of acres last week, doubling the land it can develop over the next decade. Resort president Scott Turlington said the acquisition connects the resort to an additional 300 acres it bought in 2019.
"We're excited about moving forward with everything that needs to be done now to get it developed," he said.
Tamarack owned the property in the early 2000s and planned on developing it as part of its master plan, but the Department of Environmental Quality took it after the resort could not pay its loan on the land during the recession.
Turlington said acquiring the area is like putting a "puzzle" back together.
"They've held the land for quite a long period of time, and the idea was at some point they would sell the land for what they were owed on it, which is the case with us," he said.
Tamarack made the purchase for $11.6 million. They plan on building 700 units in the next seven to 10 years, mainly a mix of house and condos with ski-in/ski-out access.
"The demand is definitely there," he said. "Our target demographic [is] families, it's couples ... it's individuals ... it's anyone that's seeking adventure."
Turlington said all the developments will help boost Valley County's economy.
"All the construction jobs it will create, and the resort operation jobs it will create as a result of having the development here that will support the resort as we grow the resort," he said, "that's always kind of been the focus."
KTVB reached out to the county about the project but was not able to connect.
The 800 acres are below the resort's proposed mountain expansion, which Turlington said would add 2,500 acres of ski terrain if approved by the U.S. Forest Service. The hope is for everything to connect.
He said they want to start selling lots in the fall of 2025 or early 2026.