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Thayne readies for Hemmert Ranch addition

Courtesy Photo

 

A new community housing development for Thayne was presented at the Star Valley Health June Business Luncheon on Monday.

Steve Selcer and Dan Holler, overseeing the 118-acre subdivision with 184 lots, presented the project to representatives from Lincoln County School District No. 2, Lower Valley Energy and Star Valley Health.

Sunrise Engineering, designing the project, was also in attendance.

Hemmert Ranch will include 91 single family lots with construction slated for mid 2025.

The Town of Thayne has been in the process of review and approval for the project over the past three years. (See svinews.com, Nov. 6, 2024.)

In an interview with SVI Media at the hospital luncheon, Selcer  questioned the original thoughts centered around the Thayne development. “How do we bring a mix of housing to Thayne in that single family and duplex that really adds community value?” he asked reflecting on the original thoughts for Hemmert Ranch, named after the original property owner.

As they worked on the original questions, co-developer Dan Holler advised, “We really wanted to work with area employers and the needs in the community, as well as the build out over time.”

He acknowledged the project will be “driven by demand,” but he noted there are opportunities to add “community value.”

Hollar spoke of building out a neighborhood with character will “add a lot of value to the project.”

He further emphasized long term planning with the project. “We need to look at the long term impact on the community. We need to look at two, five, even 10 years out.”

Holler said the project will add “workforce development” to the area, “supporting local businesses and local families who want to stay in Star Valley, stay in Thayne, stay in this region, just for the beauty, the diversity.”

He noted, “The challenge on housing and workforce can really hamper a community’s success.”

Speaking of the Hemmert project, he said, “Here is something they could afford to actually make a home out of it, raise a family and be a part of the community. That is a real key value that is driving a lot of the project.”

Referencing the hospital based luncheon with area leaders, Holler said it wasn’t about a “developer driving project.”  He emphasized, “To make it a part of the community, it’s about meeting with some of the employers and asking, ‘what do you need, what is driving your workforce?”

He said the discussion should include asking, “For our kids going off to school, what do they come back to? How do we invite them back to be a part of the community they have grown up in and hopefully love?”

Acknowledging the discussion with the hospital luncheon, he said. “We’re hoping to provide something that blends that housing development with the major employers, the major economic drivers in the community to enhance the health of the community, with families, and kids and economics that drive other businesses.”

Selcer concluded, “The closing thought — we are looking at building a community housing development to keep the residents that were born and raised here, to stay here, to thrive here  and to help grow the community the way the community wants to grow, rather than how a developer wants to see it grow.”