EAGLE, Idaho — Realtor Jonah Rae recently posted a video online highlighting Valnova, a 30-year master-planned community in the Eagle foothills. The post quickly saw a lot of comments, with some people intrigued about the new housing options while others worried what growth would mean for Highway 16.
Rae comes from a family with deep roots in Idaho real estate, including two generations of builders and realtors. His grandmother was a realtor for about 40 years before retiring 2 years ago, and she helped get him into the business in 2017.
WATCH | Residents react after realtor’s TikTok on Valnova expansion—
"I come from a family of about two generations of Idaho real estate. I have grandpas that were builders, uncles that were builders, and then I have realtors in my family like my grandma, and she's the one who got me into real estate back in 2017," Rae said.
Rae, who grew up in Emmett, became aware of Valnova through his real estate work.
"I came across Valnova, obviously, just being in real estate. It was a pretty big topic when it was first announced, gained a lot of interest within the community, so it was definitely something that I put my ears on," Rae said.
The TikTok video came about during a brokerage event with Highland Homes, where Rae was touring the development with his videographer.
"We were invited out here for a brokerage event with Highland Homes, and so we were just out here checking out the homes. I happen to have my videographer with me that day, and so we decided to kind of film some stuff, and we ended up just kind of filming a highlight of Valnova," Rae said.
The video generated a significant community response on the platform.
"It was pretty interesting to see a lot of the community's feedback on TikTok about kind of their comments on Valnova. There was a lot of interested people. Some people had some things to say about Highway 16 and just kind of the concerns there," Rae said.
Rae noted that the development team is working with the Idaho Transportation Department to address safety concerns.
"That's another thing that I think Valnova and the development team is doing well. They're working with ITD to kind of make sure that a lot of the safety concerns are being taken care of," Rae said.
The Valnova project includes ambitious plans for the 30-year build-out.
"Obviously, it's a 30-year master plan community, so this is something that's going to be built out kind of through a long time frame," Rae said.
"They're putting in basically a big town square. It's kind of one of the big things. It's going to be complete with a 3-acre manmade lake that's going to have its own beach and beachfront properties. They are also going to have a big village, kind of a center that has a bunch of retail and commercial space as well," Rae said.
The development will also feature unique recreational amenities.
"It's even said that they're going to have a lift at the village that will be able to service a tubing hill and skiing in the winter, as well as taking bikes and hikers up to the trails in the summer. I know that they also have a championship hole golf course planned," Rae said.
As a realtor, Rae sees the growth as part of broader regional trends.
"As a realtor, obviously, there is a ton of growth coming here. We rank pretty highly in a lot of the key factors that people are looking for, such as safety, economy, and things like that. And so we're definitely getting a lot of eyes on us. There's a lot of people coming in here from out of state," Rae said.
Rae believes the growth can be beneficial when managed properly.
"I think it's a good thing to be able to welcome these people. I know that there's a lot of concern with locals who have been here forever, just with the growing state of Idaho and me myself coming from a small town of Emmett, obviously big growth like that can concern me as well, but I think our policies and things like that are adhering to the growth and they're doing the best that they can," Rae said.
One aspect that Rae thinks many people don't understand about Valnova is its commitment to open space.
"A lot of people think it's going to be kind of like a crowded little development similar to what is obviously done in California and a lot of their communities, but I don't think it is that, and the main reason being is they are keeping over 3,000 of the 6,000 acres as open space, public use land, so I think that that's a huge thing that a lot of the local Idahoans aren't seeing," Rae said.
Some neighbors in Emmett are worried about the traffic implications, including lifelong resident Brenner Morrow.
When Morrow first heard about Valnova, he didn't realize the scope of the project.
"When I first heard of it, I really didn't know. I just thought it was another development. I didn't realize this year... like how big it was gonna be. So yeah, at first I just thought it was another neighborhood going up in the area," Morrow said.
The cost of housing in the development concerns Morrow, who sees it as part of a broader affordability crisis.
"I think it can be kind of intimidating, obviously, because of how expensive it is going to be, but I mean, I think it's kind of just the way Idaho is kind of going. Everything is just becoming more and more expensive every year. I think the thing that does suck is that wages aren't really changing, so it's kind of hard to keep up. I mean, not kind of, it is really extremely hard to keep up," Morrow said.
"I don't know how some people are going to be able to do it," Morrow said.
Despite the cost concerns, Morrow sees potential benefits in the location.
"If you could afford it, I think this is a very, very good area for Emmett residents because for some people, Emmett is kind of far, kind of out of the way, but in this right here is kind of closer to everything. So if it was affordable for people, I think it would be the best kind of area to locate to," Morrow said.
However, Morrow has significant safety concerns about Highway 16, which he's traveled his entire life.
"For the highway specifically, I mean, as it is now, because since growing up in Emmett, living in Emmett my whole life, it's kind of been known as like one of the most dangerous highways as far as traffic and just accidents and things going on," Morrow said.
"It's only going to get more dangerous because I mean it already is, and when you bring thousands more homes in, there's going to be hundreds of thousands more people, and so it's just going to get worse if they don't widen the road," Morrow said.
Morrow believes road improvements could help address safety concerns.
"I think if they were to widen it or make it like maybe 4 lanes and whatnot, I think it would be a lot safer. So there is big concern right now since it hasn't been expanded," Morrow said.
The affordability issue affects how Emmett residents view the development, according to Morrow.
"I think you have to have an open mindset to even accept the growth because a lot of people that I've talked to and heard from is that it's just gonna be too expensive and like they're kind of more hesitant on it because of how expensive it is," Morrow said.
"If it was more affordable, I think they'd be more open-minded because then they could move out of Emmett or try and relocate over here, but since it is kind of so expensive for some people that they're kind of turned off to the idea of growth because it's kind of unreachable for a lot of people," Morrow said.
From a commuting perspective, Morrow sees potential safety benefits for those living in the development.
"Personally, I think living here will cut out that extra bit of road, so that I mean personally, from living in Emmett, that part from Firebird back towards Emmett has always been the most dangerous part. I think from past Firebird and on into Eagle has gotten at least from my experience and where I grew up, it's a lot safer after Firebird," Morrow said.
If he could afford it, Morrow would consider purchasing a home in the development.
"Of course, I think it's the perfect area for me growing up in Emmett. I have family in Emmett, and I think this is the perfect middle ground because I have family that way and I can access all the fun things in Boise Meridian going that way," Morrow said.
Rae acknowledges the concerns but sees potential benefits to planned growth, drawing from his small-town background.
"I come from a small town, and sometimes growth can be scary, but there's also yin and yang to everything, you know. Sometimes growth is really good and it can help, you know, kind of situate other towns to keep the same way that they are when there's an alternate place for a lot of this growth to be settled," Rae said.
The Idaho Transportation Department has provided additional details about their long-term vision for State Highway 16: "The completed corridor will feature two lanes in each direction, a center median barrier, and 10-foot shoulders, a substantial change from how SH-16 looks today. These upgrades are designed to improve mobility, reduce crashes, and support the region’s growing transportation needs."
All upgrades to Highway 16 should be complete by 2027.
ITD also added: "ITD regularly reviews how new developments may affect nearby state highways. While we don’t approve or deny community developments, we work closely with cities and local governments to ensure growth is supported by a safe and efficient transportation system. This includes identifying potential road improvements and collaborating on mitigation efforts, such as the intersection upgrades being completed as part of the Valnova project. We share the public’s concern about safety on Idaho’s highways and remain committed to designing, building, and maintaining a transportation system that moves people and goods safely and reliably."
