Kellogg Gives Initial Ok To Condos Developer Hopes To Begin In Spring On First Phase Of Vacation-Home Village Featuring 680 Units

Condos could sprout like wildflowers on the hillside above Kellogg next year.

Developer Thom Lane hopes to begin building the first phase of a 680-condominium development on the former Brown’s Addition Ranch in the spring.

Lane received preliminary plat approval from the Kellogg City Council this week - which means that the council approved the initial design of the project.

Silverhorn Alpine Village will include 250 residences, four parks and walking paths as well as condos. It could also include a resort-style hotel or condo with a tram linking it to downtown, Lane said.

He hopes to build 70 to 90 of the condos next year. The entire 144-acre development will be built over 15 years.

Lane will market the development to people who want vacation homes for skiing and outdoor recreation.

“It’s such a large project, it will take years to develop,” he said. “A lot of it is market driven.”

Lane must complete several more planning steps before he can subdivide the property and sell lots, said Walter Hadley, city planning director.

Detailed plans for roads and utilities must be submitted to the city. Lane must also complete a master plan that will show what the area will look like when it is fully developed.

Lane purchased the 144 acres in 1991.

The combination of Silver Mountain Ski Resort, an extensive snowmobile trail network in the area, and the potential for a golf course development on the Bunker Hill Superfund site made it an ideal location for vacation residence, Lane said.

But the project created some controversy last year, when an investor sued Lane, saying that Lane had misappropriated funds, breached an investment contract and failed to disclose his criminal past. Lane was released from prison in January 1996 after pleading guilty to charges of money laundering and conspiracy to import cocaine from Latin America.

Lane countersued. The case was settled out of court this fall, he said.

Lane also owns the old Lincoln School in Kellogg, which he plans to renovate for office space.