Squaw Valley Village
The project includes major new construction at Squaw Valley, drawing thousands more overnight guests, countless more day visitors, buildings over 100 feet that will forever block cherished valley views, significant increases in regional traffic, and other impacts to the Squaw Valley community and the environment, including within the Lake Tahoe Basin.
FOWS remains concerned with the extent of proposed development along the West Shore, North Shore, and areas bordering the Lake Tahoe Basin (such as Squaw Valley), and the cumulative impacts of these multiple projects on our communities, which include increased Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the Basin, increased water and air pollution, noise, and other adverse impacts associated with increasing visitor and resident populations, both in the Basin and surrounding areas. This project is currently in litigation; learn more about the project and lawsuit at Keep Squaw True.
Timeline
August 2021: In a sweeping victory for Tahoe conservationists, California’s Third District Court of Appeals sided with Sierra Watch and dealt a staggering blow to development plans for Squaw Valley (view Press Release).
A panel of three Justices based their decision on the project’s impacts on Lake Tahoe, fire danger, noise, and traffic. The ruling reverses a 2018 trial court finding. The developer, Alterra, “had sought to remake the region with a series of high-rise condo hotels, a 90,000 square-foot indoor waterpark—as wide as a Walmart and nearly three times as tall, and a rollercoaster.”
Highlights of the court’s findings include:
The final environmental report did not discuss the importance of Lake Tahoe or its current condition;
The estimation of evacuation times was misleading and inadequate;
The review of noise impacts and traffic mitigation was flawed; and
A key public governance law, the Brown Act, was not followed by Placer County.
Read here for more details. FOWS appreciates the hard work of Sierra Watch and congratulates them on this victory!
December 2016: Sierra Watch filed a lawsuit against approval of the project based on a flawed environmental analysis (CEQA suit) and violation of public meeting laws (Brown Act suit).
November 2016: The Placer County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the project. The only “no” vote came from Jennifer Montgomery, the representative for the Tahoe/Truckee region. Evidence used by Supervisors to support their decision included an 11th hour agreement with the California Attorney General to pay just over $15,000/year toward mitigation for impacts to Lake Tahoe (as the costs of efforts to address Tahoe’s environmental damage run in the billions, this amount won’t go very far). Sierra Watch recently challenged whether this agreement violated the Brown Act, a law established to ensure due public process.
The Final EIR was released on 04/07/16. Read FOWS Comments to Planning Commission 8/7/2016; Board of Supervisors 11/13/2016
July 2015: The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was issued on 05/18/15 - FOWS Comments
March 2014: The Notice of Preparation (NOP) was issued on 02/21/14 - FOWS Comments
What Can I Do?
Every West Shore resident should understand this project and its potential impact on our community, so thank you for reading this and staying active! More ways to help:
Write letters to Placer/El Dorado County Board of Supervisors and the TRPA Governing Board.
Attend Placer/El Dorado County and TRPA public meetings and workshops. Check our site for updates on upcoming meetings.
Read our newsletters and connect with us on facebook to stay informed on opportunities to take action.
Get in touch with us. Let us know your concerns and what can we do to help you understand this project.
Support us through membership, volunteering, or donation.