Sierra Watch, a local 501(c) 3 organization, has embarked on a new campaign to raise awareness among Lake Tahoe residents and property owners about the new Squaw Valley development recently approved by Placer County supervisors.
The plan calls for 10-story high rises, including an indoor water park, with slides, fake rivers, and arcades. Something one would expect to see in South Florida or Orange County or Texas. Also included would be 1,493 new bedrooms. This would then guarantee the daily arrival of more than 1,300 cars into the Tahoe Basin.
The company behind all this is a group from Denver called KSL Partners. Worth a little more research here. It's another distant player in our own backyard. With predictable results. No local has to be told that the Tahoe environment is very sensitive to ALL of man's encroachment. Over the past two generations, history has observed the dramatic changes within the confines of the lake basin.
Fortunately, in 1969, when the first land use policy of its kind was put in place by the bi-state commission, wholesale development was arrested and strict measures were adopted to cleanup problems that already existed( septic systems, water usage, building permits, etc.). As we know, it's an endless battle with pro-development forces. Population growth affects a wide swath of the state of California and Tahoe is no exception. But controlled growth through careful planning has become the necessary tool to ensure a bright future for the environment and its various inhabitants, human and native.
So, Sierra Watch joins the Sierra Club and others to spread the word about these not-so-subtle plans to dramatically alter the Tahoe landscape. Check it out:www.sierrawatch.org. The address for the organization is:
Sierra Watch
408 Broad St, #12
Nevada City, CA 95959
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