Homewood project approved by Tahoe Regional Planning Agency; League responds

To a packed house of observers, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board voted to approve Phase 1 of the Homewood Mountain Resort Ski Area Master Plan at their monthly meeting on Wednesday, December 14.
Homewood is a 50-year old ski resort located on more than 1,200 acres on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe that has been identified as a property in need of environmental redevelopment by TRPA. The vote allows the property owner, JMA Ventures, to begin construction of the $500-million project which is scheduled to begin in 2014.
“I am pleased the Board took decisive action to approve a project so critical to the health of Lake Tahoe and the West Shore community,” said TRPA Executive Director, Joanne S. Marchetta.
Once completed, the Master Plan will revitalize a beloved local ski resort and deliver substantial environmental benefits to the Tahoe Basin.
The project includes construction of a 5-star hotel with up to 75 rooms, 56 residential condominiums, 47 multi-family condominiums, 48 ski-in ski-out chalets, 13 workforce housing apartments and 15,000 square feet of retail space using Gold Standard Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green construction techniques.
“This is the only mixed-use resort in the U.S. that will be incorporating Gold LEED construction standards,” stated JMA Venture President, Art Chapman, explaining some of the environmental benefits of the Homewood Mountain Resort Master Plan. The project’s goal is to transform Homewood into an environmentally friendly four-season resort by adding hotel accommodations and amenities to attract destination visitors. This will add to the local economy while creating environmental improvements to protect the environment and improve the clarity of Lake Tahoe.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe Statement on the TRPA Approval of Phase I of the Homewood Mountain Resort Project
Today, Carl Young, Interim Director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe issued the following statements upon the completion of the TRPA hearing and the approval of Phase I of the Homewood Mountain Resort Project.

On the Project in General:
“First and foremost, the League supports redevelopment that is beneficial and contributes to the improvement of water clarity. The project as proposed, with its 50 year storm water treatment capacity on site, restoration of mountainside dirt roadways, and other assorted and innovative measures, does appear to provide some water quality benefits. The League supports strict monitoring of these measures to ascertain the effectiveness of fine sediment capture and nutrient/pollution discharge to the Lake, specific to this project and for future projects. The League appreciates this level of attention to best management practices. In the event water quality does not improve as expected, the League would like additional mitigation measures to be implemented.”

On the League’s On-going Dialogue with Project Proponents:
“Over the past several months, the League has engaged in a dialogue with JMA Ventures and advocated for common sense measures that would allow us to work collaboratively as the project moves through the planning and land use review process. The project proponents and Art Chapman in particular, have accommodated our requests for meetings and been receptive to our negotiations. We are hopeful that with the Governing Board’s participation, additional improvements can be added to the project that would ensure protection for the Lake. We respect employers and others in the community who seek to Keep Tahoe Blue while growing our local economy.”

On our Shared Future at Lake Tahoe:
“While maintaining dialogue with JMA, the League has been transparent with the project proponents on certain aspects of the project that warrant further improvement. We were pleased that additional mitigation measures were incorporated into the project’s approval.

These mitigation measures include monitoring of any increases in vehicle traffic. If there is an increase in traffic above predicted levels, then additional mitigations will be required. Additional phases of development will depend on compliance with additional monitoring. In addition, TRPA will require water quality monitoring for 20 years. The League believes these mitigation measures are reasonable and necessary and should be part of an ongoing dialogue with JMA to define additional improvements to protect and restore the Lake and its scenic beauty.

The environmental improvements of the Homewood Master Ski Area Plan include:
— Keeping over 80,000 pounds of harmful sediment from entering Lake Tahoe each year through an aggressive erosion control program on the entire watershed of the Homewood Ski Area.
— Reducing the amount of land coverage on the 1,200 acre property by 13 percent resulting in the restoration of 500,000 square feet of degraded land on the mountain.
— Replacing inefficient old buildings with the highest standards of energy and water efficiency.
— Contributing to stormwater erosion control, wetlands restoration, bike trails, and other high priority projects in the Environmental Improvement Program.
— Reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire by completing fuels management and ecosystem restoration projects on the mountain.
— Implementing a robust transportation program to reduce traffic congestion by making it convenient for guests, employees and locals not to use their cars:
— Dial-a-ride service
— Shuttle service to local activities and airports
— Water taxi program
— Offering bikes and electric car rental on-site
— Creating several miles of trails for walking and biking.

The projected economic impacts include:
— Estimated annual visitor spending in the local community of $16-$20 million
— Approximately 180 new full-time positions
— Estimated 500 construction jobs

Community enhancements include:
— Swimming pool and ice-skating rink
— Amphitheater for summer concerts
— Ski area improvements (new lift, lodge improvements, hotel for longer stays)
— Public/private partnership on bike trail to Tahoe City
— Boat parking facilities
— Better skiing experience through cap on weekend and holiday ticket sales

As a result of over 1,800 comments submitted during the Draft Environmental Impact Statement review process, Homewood Mountain Resort made key adjustments to the master plan such as reducing the project size, moving the location of several buildings within the resort, and adding additional environmental monitoring requirements over the next 20 years to ensure the project terms are honored.
During the hearing, TRPA’s Governing Board heard nearly 70 public comments which were more than two-to-one in support of approving the Homewood Mountain Resort project.
“Today the public process worked for the benefit of Lake Tahoe,” said Norma Santiago, TRPA Governing BoardChair. “After thousands of comments, four hours of public testimony, and a rigorous analysis of the environmental impacts of the project over the last four years, the final Homewood project will be better for the lake and the community.”
“The environment and the economy go hand in hand,” said Rene Koijane, a full-time Homewood resident and mother of two, “and this project embraces both.”

— Kristi Boosman is the public information officer for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. She can be reached at kboosman@trpa.org.