Dear Friends:

Once again the West Shore and North Tahoe regions are being bombarded with countless plans and projects that will inevitably draw even more traffic to our area at a time when we are already over-capacity. Projects such as the Village at Palisades Tahoe and plan amendments like those currently proposed to the Tahoe Basin Area Plan (below) will significantly increase the local and visitor population in our region (along with numerous approved but not-yet-constructed projects, such as the Homewood Mountain Resort).

The Moonshine Ink recently published a provoking Editorial raising concerns about traffic and proposed increases in the region.

“There is a carrying capacity inherent for any system, and clearly we are exceeding ours here. The truly sad part is that it’s being done in the name of money, for companies headquartered thousands of miles away.”

- Moonshine Editorial Board

This is why the public must remain diligent in engaging our planning agencies and elected officials to demand that development take into consideration current environmental conditions, vehicle (and human) carrying capacity, and protecting public health and safety in our region.

As always, we will keep you updated on West Shore activities and other projects in our bi-monthly newsletters. We look forward to your continued feedback and support, and encourage you to contact us with any additional ideas or questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Homewood Mountain Resort (HMR)

There are several updates regarding HMR:

#1 - TRPA responds to the proposed privatization:

After receiving hundreds of community comment letters expressing concerns about the privatization of the resort, TRPA has questioned the consistency of the privatization with the approved Master Plan. If deemed inconsistent, which many residents believe to be the case, this could mean that HMR would have to comply with the approved Master Plan, apply for a new project permit, or go through an official process to amend the Master Plan. HMR’s response to TRPA claims consistency because “memberships will be available for purchase by non-HMR residents (however the cost of these memberships is anticipated to be so substantial as to limit the general public) and that the resort will “be open to the community every other week on select non-holiday, non-weekend days(s)…” However, neither of these restrictive options were contemplated or evaluated as part of the original Master Plan approvals.

The approved Master Plan was based on the resort remaining open to the general public and many community members who were concerned about the development’s large size eventually supported the project in large part based on this promise.

TRPA has posted the recent public comment letters and correspondence with HMR at: https://www.trpa.gov/major-projects/#homewood. Comments can be sent to TRPA at: homewoodplan@trpa.gov.

#2 - Local community starts “Keep Homewood Public” movement:

Local community members have also started a new website and Facebook page to raise awareness about the proposed privatization.

#3 - Tahoe Basin Design Review Committee (DRC) votes against new architecture:

Meeks Bay Resort Restoration Project

Due to ongoing coordination with Caltrans for the bridge replacement on SR 89 included in the project, the release of the Final EIR/S has been delayed. It is not currently known when the document will be released. More information is available on the project’s website.

Meeks to Cascade Lake Pedestrian/Bike Path

The long-awaited draft Feasibility Study was released for public review on 2/7, with comments due by 3/3. A public webinar was held on 2/16 and can be viewed here. FOWS and others remain concerned with certain aspects, including:

• The proposed trail through the Tahoe Hills neighborhood causing disruption to the residents;

• The scenic impacts of the proposed trail and massive retaining wall(s) through Emerald Bay; and

• The traffic/parking and crowding impacts associated with the creation of a “Destination” trail that will draw more people to the West Shore and Emerald Bay, as has occurred with the SR 28 trail from Incline Village to Sand Harbor.

Read FOWS comments on the Study here. Project leaders stated the final Feasibility Study will be released in April.

Tahoe Basin Area Plan Amendments

After substantial public comments and questions were raised at the 12/8/2022 Placer County Planning Commission (PCPC) meeting regarding the proposed amendments, county staff planned an additional public workshop set for this Thursday from 4-6 p.m. in Kings Beach. The meeting is currently for in-person attendance only. Given the record snow and poor driving/parking conditions, community members have been requesting the meeting be postponed. We believe that pushing forward with an in-person workshop during the current unsafe conditions in the Basin will significantly restrict public participation. Please email Placer County staff member Crystal Jacobsen at cjacobse@placer.ca.gov and request postponement. Workshop information is posted here; please check periodically in case they agree to postpone the meeting.

In the event the meeting is still held, then we encourage you to attend in person if it is safe to do so. Staff have stated that no changes have been proposed to the amendments since they were presented to the PCPC, thus FOWS and others’ concerns have not changed.

March 9th Workshop Details:

*** IN-PERSON ONLY ***

4-6 p.m.

Kings Beach Event Center
8318 North Lake Blvd.
Kings Beach, CA

Olympic Valley - Palisades Tahoe

The draft Revised Environmental Impact Report (REIR) for the massive Village at Palisades Tahoe project was brought before the Placer County Planning Commission for public comment on Jan. 19th. Conservation advocates, community members, public service providers, and others continue to express concerns about the report as it fails to examine the impacts of the project based on current conditions. Read FOWS comments here. You can learn more from Sierra Watch and Mountain Area Preservation and access the draft RDEIR here. County staff anticipate releasing the final REIR this summer.

Tahoe City Lodge

Beginning last summer, the developers of Tahoe City Lodge have been taking reservations to obtain a place in line to purchase one of the 65 residential condominiums that will be constructed. In a 2/4/2023 email, Tahoe City Lodge developers reported the following:

“Our reservation campaign is an overwhelming success, with nearly 200 reservations. We want to thank all of our reservations holder for your continued interest in the project. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the first new resort development in Tahoe City in 50 years, please contact our sales team.

We have some exciting news coming in the spring, and look forward to sharing that and other updates soon!”