Almost 125 locals and concerned citizens of the West Shore of Lake Tahoe showed up Sunday at our local park: Sluchak Park to listen to information regarding the future of the ski facility we know as Homewood Ski Resort. For those of us who've been awake the last 12 years plus, we know that change is coming to our neighborhood. But change is not new; change is a regular occurrence as nothing stays the same.
A short history is in order: in 2011, a permit was issued to a development group, JMA, which has owned the site since 2006. TRPA and Placer County were the two approving government entities representing the citizenry. The Master Plan as approved included a European style resort with many amenities that have not been available at Homewood before this plan was approved. Since then, JMA has been joined by two other corporate operators: Discovery Land Company and Mohari Hospitality. Mohari and Discovery appear to have joined the group in 2021. Mohari is a financial backer, while Discovery is a builder/operator. The Master Plan included about a dozen employee housing units. Recently, JMA purchased Tahoma Meadows Cottages, and its inclusion is unknown at this time.
As we have learned by experience in the recent past, Homewood operators have charged the highest day ticket prices this past winter in the USA. What a dubious honor. What business model uses this marketing tactic? Hmmmmmmmm. Additionally, developers have a permit to build a gondola to replace a chairlift-the Madden chairlift. They want foundations built before winter, 2023-24. The largest problem is the access afforded to the public: in a word-there will not be public access. It will be a members only resort with a 6-figure buy in, plus a 5-figure annual fee structure. In other words, Discovery Land Company will replicate the village they recently built with these same parameters in Yellowstone Club in Wyoming. They did not convert an existing establishment, but started from scratch at that site.
Recent Developments
TRPA has paused permitting for the project, thanks to community input with over 600 letters submitted. They have told the developers to resubmit the 'new' plans that have differed significantly from the Master Plan as permitted in 2011. The citizens committee, known as Keep Homewood Public, will continue efforts to ensure that these developers adhere to the permitted use of a "PUBLIC" ski resort; not a "members only" enclave that will force locals to ski at some other remote site, of which there are few within reasonable distance from Homewood/Tahoma/Rubicon/Pineland/McKinney/ Chambers/Sugar Pine/Talmont/Tahoe City.
How does one stay up to speed with the situation? Signup with email at the web site:KeepHomewoodPublic.com
The Vision of Keep Homewood Public includes:
- Accessible 356-day public recreation, enjoyed equally by all local residents and visitors
- an environmentally friendly development
- community benefits, such as affordable housing, traffic mitigations, and inclusive gathering places
- delivered by beneficial owners in good-faith collaboration with West Shore residents
- Robustly codified and financially backed for the benefit of future generations at Lake Tahoe
So, one could ask of any local: Would one like a 77'-tall "Mountain Modern" (read Soviet block house design) teetering over Highway 89?
Sign up today; stay informed. The Mayor of Tahoma is involved as a concerned citizen.
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