My apologies to Bob, whom sent this picture more than a week ago. Initially, it was a simple picture of a parking lot refresh at Alpine Meadows. Anybody that has spent much time at Alpine Meadows clearly understands the term “deferred maintenance.” It’s been more than a few years since you could ride a skateboard in the lot. Even bike riding was hazardous. We applaud the effort to get this job done. As of last week. new pavement was limited to only lots 2 and 3. There was still some heavy equipment activity last week so we shall see how much gets done. Repaving is not cheap when it has deteriorated so long.
My apologies to Bob again, as this is the point where this post takes a political turn. The thing is that Bob is not the only guy that reported the new pavement. There’s some others that suggested there was an ulterior motive for paving the parking lot only in those sections. Suggestions were made by several people that preparations were underway to create a Malibu Grand Prix type go-kart track at Alpine Meadows. Now there is no verification that it’s happening or even in any plan what-so-ever. My astute observation powers noted that the Mount Hood Ski Bowl had just added this feature to their summer Adventure Park. It’s plausible but very unlikely.
That’s when people started talking about The Survey. The survey, produced by our friends at Squaw Valley, was in regards to plans for the Grand Camp development. Interestingly enough, my name was removed from the mailing list for the survey. We felt we should provide the link here in case you were also excluded. Just doing the survey is a real eye-opener. It pretty much points out that our friends at Squaw Valley will do just about anything to drum up some summer business and sell some condos. They are not interested in you or me. The first question is essentially “What is your country of residence?”
Here’s the sketch of the planned exterior view. Designed just for you and me, right?
Answered yes to the last question? Where do you fall into the range of income presented in question 29? No, this development is not being built for your average family visiting from the Bay Area or Sacramento.
Here’s the description of the potential features:
Grand Camp
Welcome to Grand Camp – a family-friendly indoor/outdoor adventure center at the world-famous Squaw Valley. Designed to be a Sierra mountain experience unlike any other, Grand Camp brings Tahoe activities together, offering unmatched accessibility and new options for families and guests.
Grand Camp could include outdoor water amenities like lagoons connected by streams and waterfalls, hot tubs, and mineral spas – and indoor activities such as a wave pool for surfing and swimming, rope swings, ziplines, slacklines and river rapids for kayaking. And, for the truly adventurous, Grand Camp could even offer experiences such as indoor skydiving or a freestyle ski jump where athletes could plunge into a deep bubble pool for a soft landing. If you don’t feel like getting wet, there could also be a dry entertainment center which could include bowling, mini golf, an interactive 3D theater and/or video games. And, if you are looking to get out and explore the Tahoe region, Grand Camp could offer catered camping trips, boating excursions, mountain biking trips, guided hikes, and summer camps.
Would you enjoy Grand Camp? What would be your favorite part? What might you like to see that we haven’t mentioned above?
It makes you wonder who they are trying to be, doesn’t it? Well, this screen shot gives you some ideas of their perception of competitors:
It’s definitely time to get involved if you think things are headed in the wrong direction. Odds are, if you’re reading UnofficialAlpine.com, you’re not looking for a new summer vacation spot. I recently joined the movement on Facebook called “Friends Of Squaw Valley”. There’s a great dialogue going on over there that says what many of us are feeling already. Here’s a great example of a recent post:
One of our fans sent us their response from the current survey being circulated by Squaw Valley. “No, I would not enjoy Grand Camp or any type of facility like this in the Olympic Valley or the Tahoe Basin for that matter. Additionally, I wouldn’t enjoy the type of people that would be drawn to our mountain community for this type of “theme park.” Those of us who live here do so for the NATURAL features that the Sierra Nevada provide. We have canyons to hike and bike, rocks to climb, lakes, rivers, streams to fish in, swim, paddle on, amazing terrain to ski on, enough shops, enough hotel rooms and enough high price restaurants. Let’s leave all the bells and whistle development out of our community. Please reconsider this development KSL and consider putting your energy toward true environmental stewardship and preservation of the pristine Olympic Valley.”
The Friends of Squaw Valley is promoting a couple of informational meetings to get people educated. The first is much too soon (sorry, I have been to San Diego, Mt Hood and Santa Cruz over the last two weeks…busy times!) But if youre game to get to a meeting tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM, there’s a presentation scheduled by Chevis Hosea, VP at Squaw regarding the updated Grand Camp plans.
If you miss that one, mark September 14th on your calendars. The Friends of Squaw Valley will be hosting a guest speaker, Hunter Sykes, presenting his documentary “Resorting to Madness, Taking Back Our Mountain Communities.”. The presentation begins at 6 PM at the Resort At Squaw Creek. More information is available at the Friends Of Squaw Valley page.
Fortunately no plans have been announced to destroy Alpine Meadows….yet.
Here’s the direct link for the Friends Of Squaw Valley website, for those that “don’t do Facebook.”
Noted that this meeting on Tuesday is in Truckee. These KSL carpetbaggers will destroy everything we all came here for. Incorporation is just a way to get Alpine Springs water and to be able to ruin the valley without any interference from the county.
Please keep everyone informed of meeting dates. Alert the attorneys that live in both Squaw and Alpine. Nothing will stop these people except lawsuits.
Sept 14th is on my calendar.
In the struggle
beartrack
The Incorporation Efforts are being lead by residents of Squaw Valley who are deeply concerned by the proposed KSL project. We have no desire to steal Alpine’s water, nor does state law allow it. We have chosen to form our own town so we can have jurisdiction of land planning issues such as the proposed Village Development.
I’m sure you are concerned about Squaw and Alpine too but, there are pitfalls to incorporation. You just don’t have the revenue base to pay the bills.
We have conducted an initial fiscal analysis which shows the new town would be viable. Don’t forget Squaw Valley is a major tax generator. A comprehensive fiscal analysis will be required as part of the LAFCO process.
Here is the Initial Fiscal Analysis
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bz_KEGnXIRNEY3ViazItUU9fSlE/edit?usp=sharing
The last meeting was very informative, with a only few downers biachin about their inability to vote in their home town and at Squaw as well. They want a small twn council and the manager and their lawyer are very very impressive. Please get the word out to everyone you meet. Please tell people to stop moaning and bring their piggy bank or else they can save their money for the day the Placer-Washoe-SV-NStar “free bus” goes into their tax bills.
Alpine Meadows is NOT involved in the incorporation of a City with Squaw Valley (aka Olympic Valley). They dropped that idea prior to a public informal hearing here in Alpine Meadows last month. Additionally the incorporation idea was never to “steal” alpine water.
Once again, edited to remove personal attacks. Thanks for keeping it cool. Stick to your facts. 🙂
Mark, One article by Mayumi at Moonshine regarding has had more than 7,600 reads. wow!!!!
Excuse me, but is there a big hole under the village full of water that can be drilled from 61′ to 500′.
How they’ll build this 8-10 storey over that hole, not too far from a lake with a whooping big fault line down the center of it.
The Ritz-Carlton/JW Marriott hotel building, a part of the LA Live development in Los Angeles, is the first building in Los Angeles that uses an advanced steel plate shear wall system to resist the lateral loads of strong earthquakes however I can’t see anything in the KSL stone and beam buildings. How does KSL propose to build 8 or 10 storey high big heeavy buildings over a big watery hole?
Can your journalist please see all the test reports.
According to Squaw’s new site, there’s “Potential to bring over $30 million in new tax revenue to region. Mandated fees and will be generated for Placer County and various local agencies. Additional occupancy will generate increased Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue. Additionally, the Village at Squaw Valley will serve as an economic boon to the area in terms of jobs for local contractors and subcontractors during the building phase, and for local residents once new shops, restaurants, hotels, services and venues are up and running.”
fantabulous. Placer County can afford to buy local voters a season pass every year but Everyone else gets the consolation pass of a free bus ticket 🙂
Placer made $11.3m and Squaw says there’s an extra $30m for the region. How much will a new town have to return back to the valley? Just 1% of $41,000,000 is $4,100,000 or quadruple the initial town budget isn’t it? That’s a LOT of money for a town of 560 voters Mark.
Great post Mark. There is a ski arms race heating up in the Tahoe Basin between Vail Resorts (Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood) and KSL (Squaw and Alpine). Alpine Meadows residents would be naive to think KSL’s plans will be limited to the other side of the ridge line.
Vail Resorts thinks this idea, below, is lucrative for places like Nstar. Can anyone point to a resort where these ideas have really grown summer visitations and where the ROI is like VR expects?
Highlights of the calendar year 2013 capital expenditure plan include:
• Epic Discovery — This first phase of Epic Discovery, the Company’s summer mountain activity plan, includes approximately $25 million to transform the summer experience at six of its mountain resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly and Northstar). Plans for each mountain, include a selection of zip lines, ropes courses, signature climbing walls, Forest FlyersTM, summer tubing, expanded hiking and mountain biking trails and education centers. Each of these new activities will capitalize on the existing summer visitation at each resort and leverage existing infrastructure, creating the opportunity for high-impact and high-return projects. The Company expects these activities, in total, to generate approximately $7 million of incremental Mountain Reported EBITDA in their first full summer of operation.
Frankly I cannot see ski or green season tourists spending a single euro or pound or swiss franc at Squaw Valley, and you might care to talk to the Hyatt at Incline because they will not be supporting this bus madness either.
Hey Mark,
The Park City v Vail/Tailisker Case is shaping up like Vail will have Canyons AND Park City on the Epicpass.
Do you think Squaw will attract as many Euro and US “destination skiers” when Vail’s $700 pass covers parts of Co, UT, Nv, Ca, France, Switzerland and Austria?
Just a note for Friends of SV. Get off Facebook. Many of us do not want to be involved with it in any way. Find a better way to communicate.
Thanks
You can always adjust your facebook settings Beartrack
You clearly do not understand how the internet works. If they’re on facebook and you don’t want to see the updates, then don’t FOLLOW them. Are you serious or just a troll?
I think you may be missing Beartracks’s point. Not everyone “does” Facebook. Although Facebook can be a great promotional tool i.e.. the 1000+ shares of the Safeway Friday Frolic post was great for spreading that news. In a normal day we may reach a 100 people on Facebook and a couple of thousand people on the regular UA site. If you really want to serve the masses, you have to do both. I believe BearTrack clicked on the link to Friends of Squaw Valley and was faced with a Facebook log-in page, which is frustrating if you don’t do Facebook.
Here’s our website
http://www.friendsofsv.org/
You can have a public page on facebook that does not require a login in order to be viewed.
That still does not take into account that some people just do not do Facebook. It’s that simple. You need to do both.
Any new development is good!
New condos are good, provides more money for KSL and brings more people to Alpine and then more lifts
Want backcountry/no people
Earn your own turns
Sorry my man but, it is not. You apparently not been around here very long. The truth is that Squaw is a first rate mountain but, a third rate operation. It will never be a destination resort. The market is Reno, Sac and The Bay Area. They should fix what they have before trying to make something that won’t work.
To “Beartrack”: The only way Alpine Springs Water District can sell any water to Squaw Valley or anyone else is via a majority vote of its shareholders.
And related, when ask about Squaw desiring the water of its next door neighbor, just whom do you think you’re referring to? Squaw is composed of many entities. Of course there are those who’ll financially benefit from developments in Squaw that cannot receive approval and permits without there being the necessary water. But those entities, including KSL, represent the vast minority of “Squaw”. Most of the residents and established businesses and developments don’t need additional water, don’t want it and could care less.
This comment was edited as we don’t encourage personal attacks on posters. Thanks for keeping it cool.
alpine springs county water district doesn’t have shareholders fyi, it is a county water district operated by user fees.
I can’t wait for all the theme park enthusiast to create a Move West Face page on Facebook.
Thank you for the facebook posting outside USA.
For $500,000 purchase of a house comes a green card for the wife too for our retirement. So why not buy into the planned new SV?
Universal Studios, Vail Resorts and may others have looked into ideas like “Disneyesque”. The gross revenue forecasts are not very good imo. The visitation forecasts are not great imo. They still have slow sales in Northstar. And Kirkwood will have houses built into some slopes while Homewood wants to build too. The old owners of beachfront places are 90, and their children will sell and sell small lots or build places like Brockway Estate, on the real water’s edge. The estates of places like Poulsen are on the market, with zoning for residential and are close to the lift at the Resort Squaw Crik. I think someone will do like Nancy, and pick up cheap apartments when KSL prices fall. What do realtors think. On second thoughts, who believes realtors.
I think its great that kids and party animals have a self enclosed (noise controlled) area.
I like idea of a horse rides, go karts, and the ziplines. How much does it cost though to run these things, and will losses flow on to affect fees and charges for parking. After all, if one business centre falters, the customer pays.
If I buy apartment, will “my’ place be full of Wunderlust Festivals ad nauseum???
I’m not concerned with KSL building apartments, but where is the parking for my friends?
Who wants to buy a tiny 2 bedroom with no guest room and with those shallow bath tubs???. The Village@Squaw is a narrow lounge/tv and no room for dining table. Will the rooms be ‘lock offs’? Will KSL have ‘management rights’ to rent out my place to slobs?
Why endure
– 15 years of construction noise and traffic congestion;
– the cold shadows in a maze of condos will freeze out al fresco afternoon apres.
– Were the tenants made aware of this noise, dust, loss of sunlight and the losses their businesses may endure during years of construction and after completion? Will businesses close and turn the place into a lifeless place?
– I fear my friends will have to leave when the last shuttle stops to a satelite parking lot. I fear the bars will be lifeless because the visitors vanish on the last bus. Squaw will be boring, especially midweek
– who pays for the mass transit? Wil there be tollgates and season parking permits …turning friends away?
– will my friends drop by if they have to ‘park n ride’? No.
– will I buy a house near SV? And walk through a ‘city’ to the Funi?
– will I be forced to pay for seasonal parking or valet.
– where is the members locker room, or must i lug my gear on my shoulder down 100acres of mazelike dark tunnels?
– why not rip out a condo block and have a 1500 car multi storey car park?
– will they extend a train line from Truckee, or widen the roads?
– where will the waste water treatment plant go?
– will it be as dead as Northstar at night?
– will it be full with Wunderyoga trash and filth
I think its too big, too dark, cuts to much sun, will adversely affect too many struggling businesses, be a ghost town.
Thank you for alerting us on the facebook.
Dobre
That’s kind of a weak insult.
We don’t need to get into a p…match over Facebook. My point, untactfully stated, was that they need a site more like this. Let’s get back to the topic.
Thank you
Didn’t mean to get some of you so riled up but, glad I did. You need to be diligent and watch out for those that want to exploit the valley. Always question their motives. They are not there to make life better for valley residents. You know, the ones that actually live there.
^ Agreed. We are here to provide a public forum that encourages that….
I think some people are confusing the incorporation efforts with KSL the corporation, when it’s obviously being formed as an opposition to KSL and their plans. And Olympic Valley won’t just be able to steal AM’s water – anyone who thinks this understands very little about California water law.
You just described about 97% of the population… 🙂
Indeed. Just trying to squash some of the scare-tactic myths flying around these days.
BTW it was pointed out by a ASWD board member at the incorporation meeting held June 28th in AM that the CA law is set to expire in 2015 and needs to be renewed by the legislature. There are already plans on the books to run water to the top of Juniper that were never implemented. Just saying…
Yes and the white house says they will veto it. It’s not an expiration but a new bill to overwrite the old one.
Read here: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/01/local/la-me-water-congress-20120301
A couple years ago we moved from Southern California, from a very comfortable master-planned community laden with small trees, new malls, crappy food, and plastic everywhere. Blech.
Truckee and the Tahoe Basin were no longer our vacation, they were our new life. We’ve loved every minute of it.
Bringing more of this type of development to the mountains is a horrible idea. It belongs in the bedroom communities where it’s convenient for people to go during a weekend. The destination here shouldn’t be some indoor theme crap, and heck no it shouldn’t be a bunch of go-karts spewing nastiness into the air. The alcohol-laden piss and garbage floating down the Truckee River is bad enough enough in the summer.
People should come here to get outside, and appreciate nature in this beautiful place with as minimal an impact on the area as possible. This proposed development is counter to that ideal.
$697,000 is what they’ll pay for marketing?? Mark, you’re underpaid. Ask for a raise!!!! 🙂
Well yes, I am underpaid in all 3 of my jobs…that was a keen observation. I am not related in any way to the incorporation movement. I do think it’s a good idea for Olympic Valley.
We think you’re worth at least $121,000 a month 🙂
If if if the new town has KSL build free multistorey car parks, please pray they do not make the mistakes in legal drafting that Heavenly experienced. At Heavenly, the town cannot afford to run the carpark and the other multistorey is in bankruptcy, costs to pay, and is unused. On the figures presented, the town of Squaw does not have a large surplus so there is no margin for error.
Placer county released a vague statement that says KSL idenified an area for ‘off site parking and employee accomodation’. Off site?? How much will VIP parking cost?
About a flat resort nearby, a realtor claims: ” interest > is stronger than ever following two recent sales totaling $3.5 million! With just 3 ski-in/ski-out residences remaining, only a few families will be fortunate to be living in their new Mountainside home in time for next winter’s ski season. Families from around the country have connected with the Mountainside experience and its ease of ski-in/ski-out living. We invite you to experience Home Run and the surrounding Mountainside community, including The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, the private Schaffer’ Camp restaurant and the future Tree House.”
Please explain how a 2 or 3 bedroom factionals at Squaw Valley – probably ‘miles’ away from the lift – are worth a rumored $400,000???????.
UA,
Under that parking lot is there wet loose landfill over a swamp?
“Investors deserve and the law requires honest disclosure about how their investments are valued,” said Andrew J. Ceresney, Co-Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement” What’s the valuation and the sales pitch to the investors say?
Mark, in Monshine’s story about the haunted place they say spring water flooded the hotel. That made me think: what happens if KSL concretes over the aquifer and the wells? Thanks.
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I confess, I found myself thinking that some of the stuff they’re talking about for Grand Camp — pools, hot tubs, jump training center, etc. — could be fun on a down day, when the lifts don’t turn or you just need a break. But wow, that income scale is frightening. Why not just say:
o I am the 1%.
o I am the .1%
o I am the .01%
o I am the .001%
o I own this place.
Personally some of those water parks are plastic like the river ride in the dinosaur park at Disneyland however if it is tasteful and suitable, it might be ok. Shamr there’s no artist impressions, or are they frightened at the reaction?
The Sac Bee says KSL have 6,700beds, 12,000 skier days and thry want to add 2000 extra beds. The result is, they say, fewer cars on the road. True. However 2000 extra people in 4000 extra beds (2 bedroom condos sleep 4 at least) is a pathetic maximum occupancy rate. Granted that no one (except small businesses like restaurants) cares if the condo buyer doesn’t5 show up, but what is the forecast occupancy for the hotel? 25% (1 in 4 beds?). Can KSL afford to stay open and run their swimming pool, staff 100 acres of buildings etc etc. I sincerely hope that KSL does not bite off more than it can chew.
I also can’t see anyone buying a Fractional for the rumoured $400,000 with 15 years of noisy dusty disruptive building work.
Offsetting these extra operating costs by closing High Camp makes sense. I can also see them charging resort entry levies, parking levies, and things that ‘turn people off’.
Perhaps KSL needs to be upfront on its entire plan, or agree to a planning permit for multi rise free public car parking at various places on the 100 acres.
Of course it doesn’t add up. No one will make make money on this disaster other than the “developers” ie. KSL and the real estate agents. The skiers will pay heavy for a bad experience.
http://bit.ly/1dmuxPg
Heavenly will open an adventure park soon with upmarket modern swings and slides. Is Squaw just keeping up with the competition that has swings and casino hotels?
Vail Resorts has a 96 hour sale underway for condos at Kirkwood, Heavenly and Northstar – 2 weeks at about $650 a week at the Wood. Northstar was about $1100 a week. Can’t they fill the existing condos at full price. Is Squaw that super awesome, it will fill the new hotel at rack rate? I don’t mind if KSL has deep discounted rooms (unless the Apres dies)
If I’m booking 100 days+ in advance for holidays through to March, isn’t Northstar a safer bet in these days of unreliable snow for families with intermediate/advanced. As I age, I know I’ll end up at Northstar anyway (and the fractional was only $70,000).
Nothing makes a lot of sense to me.
For anyone interested, on September 14 at 6 pm at Resort at Squaw Creek, Hunter Sykes, presents his 2007 documentary, Resorting to Madness, Taking Back Our Mountain Communities.
In brief, the documenray points out that a mountain stops being fun when it’s taken over by second home vacationers and the employees and locals are shunted off to a satellite area.. Why buy into boring??? Like Barbie Zomies , the resort’s plastic people will arise from a cold lifeless grave on weekends and holidays, and go home. Like Heavenly but without the mink. Midweek the place will look like Gotham City. Cold, wind scoured and dark.
And I can’t park my Batmobile at Squaw.
Holy Real Estate Scam Batman.
Maybe some of those investment geniuses that paid $300 K for a hotel room at Squaw Creek will like to buy in at Squaw. Again, no one will make money there except the real estate agents, the developers and, the lawyers that will handle the bankruptcies in a few years. You will still have to park off site as there wouldn’t be a parking structure for the skiers.
Good info Bruce
Mr Wayne, We’re lost in this massive tropical lagoon just south of Truckee. We’ve been wandering around, lost, for years.
This comment made me laugh so I posted it. What does it mean? I have no idea! No kittens were hurt in the posting of the above comment.
Catwoman wouldn’t allow that,
Thurston,
Robin says you weren’t shipwrecked on Gillard’s Island.
No, no no, you’re actually on a big fake plastic lagoon, in midst of a 100 acre hotel!
I’m parking the Batmobile right now. It’ll take me a week to get to you. Hold tight. We’ll save you.
Superfast trains are coming to Sacramentie, boys. Does the Mass Transit plan for Tahoe have a place for a Station.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (“Authority”) had a major setback on Friday when Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny ruled that the Authority had “abused its discretion by approving a funding plan that did not comply with the requirements of [Proposition 1A]” and failed to identify “sources of funds that were more than merely theoretically possible.”
Proposition 1A, which voters passed in 2008, requires the Authority to identify the funding for the entire first segment of the high-speed rail project and clear all environmental review prior to commencing construction. Last summer, lawmakers authorized selling $2.6 billion in state bonds for construction of the first segment, the 130 miles from Madera to Fresno, and allowed the state to tap $3.3 billion in federal matching funds. During the hearing, the Authority argued that it had complied with Proposition 1A because the requirements only apply to the construction of the first 130-mile segment.
However, Judge Kenny ruled that the plain language of Proposition 1A indicates that financing and environmental clearances should be completed for the initial operating segment, the 290 miles from Merced to the San Fernando Valley, which is estimated to cost between $24 billion and $31 billion. Furthermore, the Authority has only received environmental approval for the first 28-mile section of the first segment, which the judge held does not satisfy the requirement under Proposition 1A.
The decision by Judge Kenny was a result of a lawsuit filed in 2011 by Central Valley landowners and the Kings County Board of Supervisors. The judge will hold a second hearing to determine the remedy and whether there shall be any penalties assessed against the Authority. A date for the second hearing has not yet been set.
http://www.placer.ca.gov/departments/communitydevelopment/planning/villageatsquawvalleyspecificplan/specificplan
http://nltra.org/docs/public/September%202013%20JIT%20Packet.pdf
have a look at the train and bus transit plan by the heavyweights in Tahoe.
Is there a conflict of interest? Is Placer County asleep at the wheel? Will brown bag voters be sent out on the last bus?
Friends of Squaw Valley released the entire public document on their facebook page.
I noticed the Powerpoint Presentation says “Imagine, people (950,000 of them!) arrive at the airport and go to Tahoe by shuttle and never need a car”.,
That must certainly hurt the casinos, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, Dollar, Thrifty. ..and Detroit. And why? Because KSL wont have adequate on site car parking for day travellers and locals.
Will the bus allow suitcases, ski bags and carry on airport baggage?
And this $40 one way per person trip will be paid for by the local taxes?
And how will SV know if the tourist wants to park under his condo, or will tourists be charged for parking?
There’s so many questions left unanswered.
I think Hertz know very few tourists will catch these buses.
I suspect the bus scheme will be a wreck leaving Placer’s Board of Supervisors with egg on their faces. The real question is whether there’s Misfeasance in Public Office and who pays to clean up the mess.
In the wake of the Political Fairness Commission fines on the Secret Lobbyists, I noticed that these big players sit on various boards for planes and buses.
Who underwrites the costs if the bus/resort disbands, as happened when the SLT regional transport co-op went bankrupt? Are N* and SV ponying up Performance Bonds to cover, for example, 20 years of bus ride costs? What happens if KSL sells out and the new operator refuses to pay for buses. After all, the buyer will surely only want the profit from condos rather than pay big money so that locals get taken for a ride for free
In Sth Lake Tahoe, a grand jury looked into conflicts of interest and payments to external people. Will a grand jury help get real answers? Here is a link to the article on the grand jury’s recommendations about Sth tahoe.
The IOV should speak to ex councillor Bill Crawford, a director of the Cal Restructuring Authority. He’s seen more funny business than many I suppose. Or SV should provide free multi-level parking or ‘open space’ that can double as a carpark if they they don’t pay a huge Performance Bond.
http://search.tb.ask.com/search/redirect.jhtml?searchfor=bill+crawford+south+lake+tahoe&cb=ZO&p2=%5EZO%5Exdm014%5EYYA%5Eau&n=77fd345a&qid=84203541b066403e81b6182da090d93e&ptb=C45A6CB6-D12D-4C0C-BAF7-831D236F5B53&ct=GD&si=translateye&pg=GGmain&action=pick&ss=sub&pn=1&st=bar&qs=&tpr=&redirect=mPWsrdz9heamc8iHEhldEQ1TmobakWeBjkzYcCN2MxBXU99sFOY%2B9auoWDdBcu%2B3kwMyrrN8PUjYxhLYtxx8VqvZ0n9k7setM8fwv%2Fr6VOB6XkvbnWanWBrbA4fCqfWG&ord=6
I thought AW resigned in March or April ’13 from the NTLRA but stayed on at the airport board. The guy’s everywhere!!!!
Is it true that small hotels are on the NTLRA even though this deal could entic customers into new swanky rooms and “members only” restaurants?
Thank-you for the very interesting link that is now on Friends of SquawValley’s facebook page.
$85 per bus hour is a lot of money for the people of the towns and counties to pay if this half-baked scheme is a train wreck later on.
What is this grand jury thing the article called misfeasance in public office? Do people go to jail or are they simply sued for everything they own? Could those fined lobyists be turned over to authorities to ‘sing’ like canaries about who put them up. I’d like to see the instructions they were given for holding meetings.
How can all those clever committee people estol the green virtues of bus transport while supporting a development with a huge carbon footprint? 1,000 showers, 1000 toilets and 1000 cars under every condo could be saved if the condos were tapped into a water recycling plant, but will there be a parking lot and bus terminal at 89/SV Rd or a waste recycling plant for the 85000 acre feet of water ‘going down the drain’?
Do they really ship sewerage poop, and the new 1000 toilet bowls of poop, off to a plant at Martis built in 1978. Something smells I think..
I am stunned that these committee people imagine a car-less society but they will put in a bus transit bay near the 7/11 rather than waste water recycling.
As can be seen from http://bit.ly/1eB2mOw, the destination tourist, the + 1 and the 2.5 kids carry a lot of luggage. A great deal of luggage. Will that family avoid the Hertz and Avis counter, or will Mr Hertz and Mr Aviz ask the DoJ for legal advice.
They travel for a week, a fortnight or longer, and they bring things like high heels, apres wear and changes of underwear. Will the shuttles be fitted with those always crowded luggage racks? Will the shuttle be those Toyotas with luggage stored in the rear compartment? Will the shuttles drop the whole family off at the door on a rental home at Dollar Point of Kings Beach ,or must we trudge from a bus stop to some house, in streets we’ve never seen before, with 4 wheeled bags and suitcases and boot bags? The Tahoe Experience is looking unappealing.
Do they think the redevelopment in Truckee at the train station can be compatible with Truckee’s architecture?
Why are Vail Resorts people on a committee with Squaw officials where they’re all pushing great ideas to make other people pay to take people into their resorts. The Political Fairness authority AND a grand jury should lok into whatever is going on.
The Well that’s surrounded by concrete barriers looks like it’ll be under someone’s toilet. They better be careful if the pipes back up 🙂
Arrgh,
Mix committees, lobbyists and greenies together, and you get muddy waters and rough seas, not a pristine lake.
I observe that KSL’s page (as duplicated of FoSV’s facebook page), says and I quote verbatim:
“Management is given the opportunity to make a direct investment in their portfolio company. In return, managers are provided meaningful incentive compensation that allows them to earn additional ownership of the company, which allows them to further share in the success of the business long-term.”
Are share bonuses and success fees ok if you or your colleagues are on different Committees that will help you build on 70 acres by pushing people into off site bus terminals and off site parking areas?
Would your team of investigative journalists find out if any executives are on local boards and committees, have any success fee or share bonus arrangements, and if they declared all possible conflicts of interest on all relevant forms.
Your investigators should also look into the “Letter” that’s for locals to sign.
I am also keenly interested in seeing the “Letter” that some people are working on.
That’s interesting. Richard Cassin recently wrote about conflicted people having benefits that weren’t disclosed which in turn makes me ask if the committees had conflict forms signed. In March or April a committee asked for forms but someone resigned. I can’t find the conflict declaration forms, can you?
How will fire trucks get into the new village. For example, some condos are on the east side of the creek but face SV Lodge which, I think, means fire trucks can’t get to them without crew wading through a creek.
Is Squaw’s helipad in a gustry area and between residential hotel condos? Gusts are dangerous and the noise from a helicopter surely is problematic for the neighbours.
Imagine if Truckee Airport was served by smaller airlines, as Mammoth has, with a carpark, and a bus service that meets the train before pushing on to Nstar and Squaw.
The transit plan paperwork say there’s $200,000 (of other people’s money?) to do something at the station to bring people to Squaw Valley. Why should the airport miss out? The airport can be redesigned with modern architecture without detracting from Truckee’s heritage, though that does mean people are not sitting in the bars and cafes on Truckee.
I was thinking what does the Truckee Chamber think about using its members’ money to support a bus plan that keeps money out of their member’s cafes, hotels, rental homes and bars?
Making SV and N* richer must be a conflict of interest by the SV and N* people sitting on that NLTRA planning committee. The Political Reform Commission should investigate how on earth Placer Councillors and the Town accepts requests to spend other people’s money to make the resorts richer. Something doesn’t add up.
The “solutions” espoused by Messrs Montgomery and Wirth and Chevis are halfbaked
:http://bddy.me/1brf66c
Unless Mr Wirth thinks ailing counties will prop up a subsidised bus forever, it is sheer folly to ignore light electrified rail down 89 from Truckee to TC.
Mark, Don’t miss Incorporate Olympic Valley on Lake Tahoe TvPresents tomorrow at 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm
Mark, what do you think about these ingenious carparking solutions that include a tunnel that doubles as a carpark! Brilliant!!!!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.551815098200895.1073741859.100001172282041&type=1
Chief,
The commies stole our Funi and turned into a car transporter!
http://www.youreporter.it/view_video.php?viewkey=62bd944c32a026c2a2adc4c18848fc75
Dear UA,
Very much appreciate the exceedingly informative article by SLT Director and former Councillor Bill Crawford regarding the mess left behind when SLT’s transit contributors stopped writing checks.
In a similar vein I also see a mess in Park City with – coincidentally of course – the Vail group who happen to be on committee with Squaw Valley people and the other NLTRA people.
Summit County manager Mr Jasper doesn’t know who pays for the promised Affordable Housing, the transit system and golf and amenities. He doesn’t know because there’s a court battle by lots of companies under the Vail banner, under the Landlord’s banner and the Park City Mtn Resort, all suing each other.
I therefore must ask myself “What would happen if Squaw obtains permits but then SV can’t sell 1,000 condos to be viable, or imagine if Northstar, Placer, Washoe etc etc stop paying the bus subsidy leaving the people with no big carpark?”
We the people may conceiveavly have a broken down transit system , a 1000 condos hocked to the banks, and no Employee Housing or lifts. A mess, a very big mess like poor Summit County has. Our elected representatives must be very careful to protect us from worse case scnarios, should’nt they?
The 2nd and 3rd paras of this article got me thinking-
Is Talisker losing control of Canyons’ real estate?
Posted on June 27, 2013
Ski industry » Questions surface as new company brought in to oversee development.
By Mike Gorrell | The Salt Lake Tribune –
After turning Canyons Resort over to Vail to operate, Talisker apparently has lost some control over developing its real estate holdings around the Park City ski area.”
“That’s a concern to Summit County Manager Robert Jasper, who is trying to figure out who is liable for fulfilling pledges to provide amenities, such as a golf course and affordable housing, in exchange for previous county approvals that helped turn Canyons into a major development, Utah’s largest ski area geographically.”
“To us, what’s going on is, they’re [Talisker] no longer the master developer, so who do we hold accountable for what’s supposed to be done?” Jasper said Thursday, a day after he briefed Summit County Council members on the evolving management situation at Canyons Resort.
“The answer is a company called Flera LLC, a subsidiary of one of Talisker’s major underwriters, the investment-management firm Värde Partners Inc.”
“A statement released late Thursday by Flera said “it is business as usual at Canyons, and our goal is to make this transition as seamless and effective as possible for all of our guests, residents, employees and operators.”
“As Jasper understands the situation, when Canadian-basedTalisker Corp. acquired Canyons from a dying American Skiing Co. in July 2008, the ski resort and about 4 million square feet of developable real estate were put under the control of Talisker Canyons Finance Co.”
“While Talisker Corp. was the major player in the finance company, Jasper said Värde Partners had a pivotal position as a key investor.”
“Through its subsidiary, Flera, Värde Partners now appears to be calling the shots for Talisker Canyons Finance Co. and has brought in Alvarez & Marsal, which describes itself as “a global professional services firm specializing in turnaround and interim management,” to oversee Canyons’ development properties until a permanent property manager is selected.”
– See more at: http://www.supportpcmr.com/is-talisker-losing-control-of-canyons-real-estate/#sthash.AjlQejRc.dpuf
Query: Should Placer and the towns, and IOV, ask for a very big Bond?
Thanking you,
In Sth lake Tahoe they want a bond for a big development.
By Kathryn Reed
The bulk of the buildings on the 164-acre campus of Lake Tahoe Community College have been funded by the state of California. But that might change next year.
For more than a year college board members have been discussing the possibility of asking local voters to pass a general obligation bond that would help create new facilities.
While a decision has not been made, the bond counsel on Tuesday touted the option of going the route where only 55 percent of the voters need to say yes. More requirements come with that type of bond compared to the usual two-thirds needed for a tax measure, but it can also be easier to pass.”
Why shouldn’t KSL’s bank guarantee, with a bond, that KSL can fund the development and the consortium of buses?
KSL’s scenarios are shortsighted and flawed.
James,
MI5 believe Northstar ‘debussed’ the subsidy plan along wth Washoe County and the Hyatt at Incline. Homewood are chipping only $2500 towards a heavily reduced service.
Some suspect that Northstar decided KSL’s plan was to use the bus to help KSL corner the condo market.
Keep an eye out, James, for anything unusual.
~Ms Moneypenny.
The tv segment explains the incorporation process and I thought you’s like the link. 🙂
Unofficial,
I refer to Judi Carini’s concerns in Moonshine Ink.
Does the lip service to the Redesign Committee fall into a greater gameplan involving that Airport Board, the boards with KSL and Vail people on them, and County officials Are there any deals across Statelines, eg affecting the airport and arranging the shuttles from the airport and over the border?
Are there undemocratic gameplans underway to bring about a pre-determined result by the aiding, I bet, by these board people?
Do your think the Feds should talk to those lobbyists caught by the political fairness commission about KSL’s lobbyists?
Read this from Moonshineink a while ago:
BY JUDY CARINI | SQUAW VALLEY
The current Placer County position on the role of the Squaw Valley Design Review Committee is in direct conflict with the guidelines stated within the 1983 Squaw Valley General Plan and Land Use Ordinance. The involvement of the design review committee in the project approval process is well defined in the general plan and the Squaw Valley Design Review Guidelines. The current position of Placer County shows a definite bias toward accommodating the applicant, KSL, rather than the public, and gives the applicant an unjustifiable advantage over the public interest.
In an April 3 email, Placer County stated that the KSL project has been presented to the Squaw Valley Municipal Advisory Council for review and will be presented to that council at least two more times. The county further implied that, with the KSL project, the design review committee is not necessary, because the municipal advisory council can do the job. That is not an accurate statement. That is not how the two groups were intended to be used and it is not in compliance with the guidelines of Squaw’s general plan.
The county appears to be treating the design review committee as an afterthought and actively downplaying its role in the approval process. This may reflect how the county wants the process to be handled, but it is not in compliance with the 1983 general plan’s land use ordinance or the design review guidelines.
The April 3 email also stated that: “The applicant has now affirmatively responded to county staff that it does not propose to subject project specific proposals within the plan area to the Citizen’s [Design Review Committee].” It appears that this statement is acceptable to the county. When did it become appropriate for an applicant to have a choice as to which requirements will be complied with and which will be ignored? Does this mean that the county is allowing KSL to call the shots on how the process should be handled?
The Squaw Valley General Plan states that the municipal advisory council and design review committee were formed as “a long-term mechanism to ensure a high degree of local home rule.” The plan says “the local [design review committee] should be given every opportunity to guide and influence further efforts to improve the visual and environmental quality of the valley. The county commits itself to cooperating and working with the [municipal advisory committee] and [design review committee] to assure that no new developments within the valley are permitted without the opportunity for a full evaluation by and recommendation from the [municipal advisory committee] and/or [the design review committee].”
The Squaw Valley Design Review Guidelines is a 35-page document containing procedures, requirements, and recommendations for use by the committee when reviewing a proposal. Below are a few examples:
• In the broadest sense, the guidelines are meant to ensure that the spirit of Squaw Valley isn’t undermined by arbitrary, unthoughtful design.
• Buildings should be sited so that they do not interrupt the flow of the skyline as viewed from common vantage points.
• A building or project should be in scale with its immediate surroundings and with the area.
• Any building design which appears questionable from a building height standpoint is subject to approval by the design review committee and Placer County.
In recent years, Placer County staff has been steering the design review committee toward a role that only includes feedback on colors, textures, and landscaping. After reading the above guiding principles, which represent only part of the guidelines, it appears that Placer County is incorrectly utilizing the function of the Squaw Valley Design Review Committee.
Squaw Valley is at a critical point. If the KSL proposal is approved as proposed, the valley will be changed forever. Placer County should not obstruct any process that could further influence the outcome of this proposal. The Squaw Valley Design Review process should have started months ago. There is no excuse for this, be it an oversight or a deliberate decision. The design review committee is not the municipal advisory committee. An attempt to bypass the function of the design review committee is not acceptable and is not supported in the 1983 Squaw Valley General Plan and Land Use Ordinance nor the Squaw Valley Design Review Guidelines.
Please show the community of Squaw Valley the respect it deserves. The only acceptable response to this letter is a plan for the immediate integration of the Squaw Valley Design Review Committee into the review process of the KSL development, and a pledge by Placer County that the committee will return to its proper place in the permitting process with all project applications.
~ Judy Carini, a 37-year Squaw Valley resident, is the co-chairperson of the Squaw Valley Design Review Committee,a former chairperson of the Squaw Valley Municipal Advisory Committee, and a member of the Friends of Squaw Valley.”
Are big players and the unelected and elected Placers working across State lines and on Airlines, together with lobbyists masked as ‘facilitators, that complies with all the law the federal people know about?
The Political Reform Commission can ask the Feds to make sure everything is above board and legal.
Mark, I saw this from clem Shute, Gov Brown’s nominee to TARP or TRAP or however it’s spelt.
How can SV build 1100 ‘houses’ when the TARP slashes house builds by two-thirds to 130 a year ?
How can the Governor’s appointee slash the home ownership dream at a time his boss made home ownership within reach?
How can a developer erect 1100 condos when Shute says “the emphasis is on removing redevelopment from sensitive areas” (like the Creek?)”.
Dr. Gaffney better find a cure for an epic-demic of verbal diarrohhea.
This is what Shute said:
“However, we cannot break out the Champagne yet. A fly in the ointment in the form of a legal challenge by the Sierra Club must be overcome. That organization has done much to protect the environment over the decades. But, due to apparent misunderstandings on its part of what is in the plan, coupled with an attitude of full opposition unless it gets all of what it wants, the lawsuit is an obstacle to complete implementation of the Tahoe plan. I have urged the Sierra Club and anyone interested to look at the facts.
The strict growth controls that have been in effect since 1987 remain. Science has shown us that small particles released from pavement, old buildings and highways are a large cause for loss of lake clarity. The new plan emphasizes replacement of that infrastructure thereby improving lake clarity. Some 1,200 parcels are expected to be protected or restored. The number of new homes that can be built is reduced from 300 per year to 130. The plan will reduce reliance on the automobile and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as required by California’s SB375. There is an emphasis on removing development from environmentally sensitive areas. The new plan is not perfect but will achieve the environmental thresholds established by TRPA. It deserves the unfettered chance to be implemented without the cloud of litigation.
Now that Nevada and California have made an unqualified commitment to help TRPA, we at TRPA are poised to work together toward the common goal of a Lake Tahoe that remains as Mark Twain observed, “the fairest picture the whole Earth affords.”
Clem Shute is an appointee of California Gov. Jerry Brown to the TRPA Governing Board, was chair of the Regional Plan Update Committee, and is current chair of the Regional Plan Implementation Committee.”
Mark,
The LAPCO Authority says there are enough legal legit genuine signatures to carry on the process to incorporate the valley as its own town.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/13/5645363/squaw-valley-incorporation-effort.html.
Hi Unoffficial
Do you remember Pinnoccio? Pinnoccio was lured with promises to a magical island with carefree fun and rides – before he was turned into a donkey.
I think its important that all the voters and families affected by the parking/bus system learn that their elected officials, and the unelected advice committees, know what’s best for
– cutting back housing from 300 to 130 a year vs 1100 condos at Squaw, the building work at Kirkwood and the buildings at Homewood.
– “encouraging” tourist families and locals out of cars and on to the shuttle buses
– discouraging car rentals, and hurting everyone who is indirectly affected
– telling Amador their services aren’t needed, and affecting families of the drivers
– tax payers, who might pick up the tab if the whole transit dream becomes a nightmare;
Mark, when Vail’s executives call you at 11am eastern time, ask them if their condos sell like hot cakes.
Vail Resorts Announces Fiscal 2013 Year-End Earnings Release Date
BROOMFIELD, Colo., Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) announced today it will release the Company’s financial results for its fiscal year 2013 ended July 31, 2013, prior to market open on Friday, September 27, 2013. The Company will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. eastern time that same day during which Company executives will review the financial results.
If unlicensed lobbying is illegal, what about unlicensed pulling da puppet’s strings, eh?
In the park city court case, the lawyers said they’d sue puppetmasters and the Park City news named lots and lots of people on the wrong end of the new court papers.
Thinking out loud, would resort executives on committees be sued by Avis Hertz and many others if the executives are on committees that, coincidentally, recommend government deals that’ll make the resort a private paradise island?
Unlicensed puppeteer,ing could be more serious than the unlicensed lobbying, no?.
This is a bit from the park city news. What do your investigative journos in Utah think?
“The recast lawsuit added parties as defendants, something the PCMR side had signaled earlier. The defendants are now:
United Park City Mines Company, which was named as a defendant in the original case
Talisker Land Holdings, LLC, which was also named in the original case
Talisker Land Resolution, LLC
VR CPC Holdings, Inc.
Flera, LLC
Talisker Canyons Leasco, LLC
Talisker Canyons Finance Co, LLC
10 unnamed corporations
Alan Sullivan, the lead attorney for PCMR, said last week he anticipated adding Flera, LLC and a party tied to Vail Resorts as defendants. Vail Resorts earlier in 2013 reached an agreement to operate Canyons Resort. The agreement could be expanded to include the terrain at PCMR depending on the outcome of the lawsuit.”
Whaddya think, eh?
Yours
Geppetto
Puppet Maker
KSL’s v.p said to look at their other places and I came across a travel blog.
The blog outlines one of KSL’s modus operandi.
Condo Buyers must rent the suite out at times through KSL (or someone like chain managers who buy the management rights, hike up the fees, and charge a huge slice on the rent. I’ve seen that fail in places with far less than 1100 condos. Will that style of sale actuay work, or will the 1100 condos say unsold and vacant?
The blogger says KSL realised they needed to become a family resort. Was that because they couldn’t sell the condos and couldn’t fill the resort with high end ‘destination tourists’.
I’d like to see KSL’s business model, and a Bond against them failing. Also I’d like to see the lift company isolated from risk in the event the KSL construction project doesn’t go to plan. Just look at the mess at Park City where the poor government official doesn’t know who is in breach of planning conditions or leases of ski slopes.
In other words, KSL can’t say “trust me, we know what we’re doing”.
“Family friendly resort with an awesome pool area!”
When La Costa resort first opened, it attracted an adult crowd with its championship golf courses and world class spa (recently recognized as the best in Southern California by Spa Magazine) but as time went on, the resort noticed that families were attracted to property, especially after Legoland opened, and now the resort caters to families with multiple room options, a fun pool area, and plenty of activities for children of all ages.
Rooms
We stayed in a standard room with two queen beds which had recently been remodeled as part of the resorts 50 million dollar renovation. As we walked to our room, my 5-year-old daughter remarked at how beautiful the resort was, and how it reminded her of Rancho Las Palmas, the resort’s sister property. Only the preschool-aged daughter of a travel blogger would have that sort of insight… The California mission-style architecture and clusters of low rise buildings scattered over expansive grounds did have a classic California feel. The furnishings in our room were contemporary and the tub in the bathroom was huge. As a matter of fact, the bathroom seemed like it was almost as large as the sleeping area, which I found to be an odd use of space.
There was a fridge in the room but it was stocked with mini bar goods which I am never a fan of (nor am I a fan of $5.00 bottles of water being placed in my room). We did move some things around to shove some leftovers in and were careful to put everything back as it was so we didn’t get charged $12.99 for a can of peanuts.
We did enjoy our patio area which made for a nice spot to enjoy lunch while the kids ran around on the grass as well as our complimentary wireless internet access. I loathe when resorts charge for internet!
I did take a tour of one of the gorgeous villas which are available for families to reserve though they are privately owned. It seems as though owners have a relationship with the resort where they get a certain number of days to use per year and the rest of the year is rented out to the general public. Villas can be booked as a studio, one, two, or three bedroom and feature large living areas and nice kitchens. They were incredibly nice and ideal for multi-generational travel or large families.
Pools
My kids are definitely at the age where the pool is their top priority, so I knew that was where we would be spending a large portion of our time poolside. I was so happy when I discovered that there was a large three foot wading pool with a sandy beach entry waiting for my kids! It was nice to be able to relax on a lounge chair while they splashed away. There was also a waterslide geared towards younger children which was a big hit with my kids. A water splash area can be found at the stairs near the bottom of the children’s slide but my kids were much more interested in enjoying the pool and water slide to be bothered with the fountains.
For bigger kids, there was an awesome pair of water slides which emptied into a pool. Riders must be 48” tall to ride these bad boys. There is also a typical pool and spa as well an adult-only pool. There are also pools in some of the villa courtyards as well as a pool in the spa. Pools, pools, everywhere!
Golf
One of the big features of the remodel is the revamping of the resort’s north golf course. I am not a golfer but I have been told that PGA tournaments have been held here in the past and after the remodeled course debuts this November, they are expected to return. If you have members of your family that love to golf, be sure to make a tee time at one of the courses. If you would rather play tennis, they have 17 courts!
Kids Club and the game room
All kids are VIPS at La Costa and are greeted with little goody bags at check-in. They are also treated like special people in the kid’s only zone- Kidtopia. If parents want to spend time in the spa, golfing, or at a nice quiet dinner, they can check their 3-12 year old kids into Kidtopia (for a fee) and have some adult time. My kids visited while my husband and I had dinner and enjoyed a meal, games, crafts, and movies. When it was time to leave, my little ones were sure to say goodbye to each and every fish in the Kidtopia aquarium and give the club counselors all hugs- I think it’s safe to say they liked it!
Parents of children ages 6 months to three years will be thrilled to know Kidtopia also has a nursery which will take care of your little ones for two hours at a time while Mommy and Daddy enjoy some adult time! Hooray! I can’t tell you how happy I would have been to enjoy this service when my kids were tiny tots. This feature alone is worth the stay to parents in desperate need of some baby-free time.
Older kids (and adults that still act like kids) will love the Vidz game lounge. There is a wide variety of arcade games, air hockey, foosball, pool, skee-ball, a PGA challenge machine, and an Xbox 360 room. Just try to drag ‘em out of there!
Dining
There are a few different dining options on property and I was able to experience two of them. The first is the poolside dining at Splash Café. I ordered my kids and I chicken strips and an order of fries to share. While I have come to expect pool food to be subpar and expensive, the fact that I had to order the fries separately from the chicken strips at the cost of $8.00 was a bit much. The portions were not very big either which confirmed my suspicion that poolside dining was probably not the best way to go.
We enjoyed our dinner at Legends Bistro, however. The setting is family friendly and outdoor seating near a cozy fireplace is available. I ate every last bit of my salmon with a rich mushroom risotto while my husband raved about his chicken. My kids ate in the Kids Club that night but the children’s menu was varied and featured healthy options such as rice bowl and gluten free pasta in addition to classics such as pizza and hot dogs. Entrees were typically $7-$8 for kids and $18- $35 for adults- not bad for a resort. We decided to partake in caramel crème brulee for dessert. It was an excellent decision!
Bottom line: This resort is top notch and is definitely a great place to make home base while you are exploring Carlsbad and the rest of San Diego County. It is also a great place for locals looking a weekend getaway like my family. While we were on resort property, we might as well have been a world away.
Disclosure: My family received a complimentary stay, kids club, and meal at Legends in order for me to complete this review. . I received no other compensation, and was not required to express any particular point of view. All opinions are honest and entirely my own.
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dancingqueen
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December 23 2010
3 families found this helpful
Violetwhite_word
“Totally Awesome”
Can’t say enough about La Costa — luxurious without feeling stuffy, totally kid friendly, and if you’re a tennis and/or golf junkie (like we are), you will be in heaven. Included in the price of the room was 4 hours per day of Kidtopia time (an awesome kid camp facility), so the kids spent the morning there while Mommy and Daddy played tennis or golf, we picked them up after lunch, then spent the rest of the day together as a family. It was perfection. The best combination of family time and adult tiime. I could stay here every weekend!!!!
Mark,
http://www.skilaketahoe.com/blog/ask-local/ask-local-bryan-allegretto-tahoe-weather-forecaster is a new initiative through skilaketahoe.com.
People can ask all sorts of questions, ah like “Best Resort for free parking?”, and “Best home furnishing store?”
Unofficial, I have a question for Ask a Local if KSL’s plans are as described by the traveller blogger as per this extract from her blog.
“I did take a tour of one of the gorgeous villas which are available for families to reserve though they are privately owned. It seems as though owners have a relationship with the resort where they get a certain number of days to use per year and the rest of the year is rented out to the general public. Villas can be booked as a studio, one, two, or three bedroom and feature large living areas and nice kitchens. They were incredibly nice and ideal for multi-generational travel or large families”
1., where can we see the management and sale agreements, and expert advice on if this set up is genuinely viable long term. (Cal Neva was in trouble you might recall and placs near casinos nose dived, which raises the question how will the new Squaw do better than them?)
2. what rent, net of all every expense, is cash in hand, or will buyers say “It’s mine to use on a whim if I feel like it.’. Possibly there won’t be the management fees coming back into KSL’s hands. Just saying this better work or the resort has a ghost town of empty villas).
3. will banks lend on these, or are cash buyers only in this. Gotosquaw.com says banks don’t lend on fractionals as well as they used too. Are there 1000 people who’ll pull $1m out of their portfolio to leave as dead money in a large enterprise?
4. will low room rent follow a glut, and flood the market, and depress other property values?
5. why would people drive or fly all that way to sit buy a pool when Vegas and Reno and Stateline/SLT and Cal Neva/incline are closer and probably more affordable for families?
6. Why is a rival resort, on the NLTRA board, helping Squaw build market share?
7. If Squaw has 1500 employees in winter, where can they live at very inexpensive rates, and will the Democrats support a living wage in the region?
8. how much does Squaw claw out of employee wages for employee housing. The green and red buildings near OV Lodge are earmarked to become condos, not employee housing plus public car parking.
9. I’ve seen groomer employees at 5am. Will the shuttle really be running to the groomer shed next to the main lobby carpark at the from of the new hotel? At 5am from my penthouse in the new Village, I don’t want to hear ‘beep beep beep’ from groomers or hear employees talk , or hear cars zooming them home.
Thank you for pointing out the many things that need resolution.
A city manager is helping IOV, a Mr. Robert Van Nort.
Van Nort will be at the IOV talk on Sunday.
http://www.moonshineink.com/sections/spot-news/placer-county-approves-olympic-valley-incorporation-petition
Mark, Moonshine asks if we think the town will be viable.
Put a tax on corporate greed and Squaw Creek will become a river of gold 🙂
Dear Unofficial,
I am worried about these resort people on the advisory boards no doubt pushing their own barrows to the politicians.
Can a grand jury explore any possible conflicts of interests, donations, free ski holidays for politicians and those sorts of things?
BY ROGER PATCHING in Moonshine’s Opinion piece.
The 2013 Lake Tahoe Summit came off pretty much without a hitch. Nice booths, the usual cast of characters on the stage and in the audience, and the standard mutually congratulatory comments from speakers wrapped in rallying calls to do better, work harder, and keep Tahoe pristine. California Gov. Jerry Brown appeared to fall asleep occasionally, but many might feel it was warranted. It was a gathering, by all accounts, of mostly well-intentioned people who appear to care about the lake both environmentally and economically.
Oblique comments by some of those on stage, and later echoed in press interviews following the event, confirmed their belief that the Regional Plan Update (RPU) approved by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is sound. This blueprint for the governance and development of the Tahoe Basin for the next 20 years is currently being challenged in court by the Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore.
The environmentalists, with the exception of the League to Save Lake Tahoe, which has withdrawn from the community, believe uniformly that the RPU will result in massive corporate commercialization and urbanization of the Basin by the resort industry. Abandoning its charge to monitor and protect the environment, the TRPA’s RPU authorizes the counties to take control of the bulk of large-scale development.
For some, the issue doesn’t even warrant intellectual discourse. In very emotive language regarding the Sierra Club, Nevada’s U.S. Sen. Harry Reid proclaimed: “I tried to prevail upon them. They didn’t listen. I’m right; they’re wrong!” Similarly, Gov. Brown added, “We reject their lawsuit. We think they don’t quite get it!” Without explanation, they scoffed.
What is interesting is that given how full their plates are, Brown, Sen. Feinstein, Reid, and other politicos who support the RPU can’t explain their positions because they are simply voicing what they’ve been told. And, what they have been told is an a priori fallacy that has morphed from a fanciful illusion, crafted to sell the RPU to them and the public, into the perception of a factual reality. Essentially, the RPU is based upon false planning premises that then have been used to support conclusions which are logically invalid. It is based on nonsense. But it is wonderful sounding nonsense — some would call it propaganda — and is very appealing to well intentioned people, such as many Tahoe Fund contributors.
This is not particularly new. One need not reach too far back in recent history to recall the similar origins of America’s economic collapse and why so many mortgages are still underwater while bank profits are off the chart. Remember the economic cause and effect claims that most believed were true?
Indeed, it is also clear that former Vice President Al Gore, the keynote speaker at the summit, heeded a letter from the Friends of Lake Tahoe and others that was widely circulated in the press not to buy the propaganda that championed both the TRPA and the RPU as saviors of all things environmental at Tahoe. He correctly mentioned neither and also, in terms of lake clarity, pointed out: “… in order to continue making progress, we have to recognize, as the Schladow Report noted that — from UC Davis — that we’ve had some favorable developments that have helped increase the clarity … We had dry years where the natural flow of sediments has been cut down … and it gives us a false sense of reassurance … if we don’t have dry years then we need to be prepared to do the things that will continue moving the lake in the right direction even when the rains are/have returned.”
In the Friends of Lake Tahoe letter to Gore we closed with the following: “Sophisticated propagandists in support of resort planning that delivers high profits to distant owners and destroys local businesses have already done a relatively good job at selling inapplicable planning principles to many of your colleagues. You do not want to join those who have been duped with false claims.” Fortunately, he wasn’t and didn’t.
~ Roger Patching is a retired political science professor, president of Friends of Lake Tahoe (friendsoflaketahoe.org), and a member of the Coalition to Protect Lake Tahoe.
Political Science Professor Robert Patching makes a very valid point when he wrote:
“What is interesting is that given how full their plates are, Brown, Sen. Feinstein, Reid, and other politicos who support the RPU can’t explain their positions because they are simply voicing what they’ve been told”
“. And, what they have been told is an a priori fallacy that has morphed from a fanciful illusion, crafted to sell the RPU to them and the public, into the perception of a factual reality. Essentially, the RPU is based upon false planning premises that then have been used to support conclusions which are logically invalid. It is based on nonsense. But it is wonderful sounding nonsense — some would call it propaganda — and is very appealing to well intentioned people, such as many Tahoe Fund contributors.”
Are the people on the advisory board idealogically committed to lunatic green policies, are they empire building, or adding big projects to their resume? Are they peddling their self interest, or are they on bonuses if they get success.
They’re not up to something nefarious of course, but a grand jury would clear the air .
Mark,
No sooner did you publish a Scoop on Van Nort, this facebook post verified Unofficial. We the people nominate you for a Pulitzer. 🙂
He looks very experienced in everything municipal
By SANDRA STOKLEY | The Press-Enterprise July 23, 2010; 10:37 PM
Comments (0)
Eastvale’s incoming City Manager Robert Van Nort officially retired as a city administrator in 2001.
But the ensuing nine years have been more than just about playing golf and going fishing.
Van Nort, who has had a decadeslong career as a city manager for the cities of Big Bear Lake, Diamond Bar and Chino Hills, has kept a hand in the business by serving as an interim or temporary city or town manager in Yucca Valley, Barstow and King City in Monterey County.
Although Eastvale won’t officially become a city for another 10 weeks, Van Nort has the unenviable task of making sure Riverside County’s 27th city is ready to open for business on Oct. 1 — the official incorporation date.
That includes finding space to set up a city hall, hiring staff and guiding Eastvale’s transition from an unincorporated community to an independent city that can stand on its own.
All of this comes during an economic downturn.
Van Nort said he’s up to the challenge.
“I’m excited,” he said Friday during an interview at a Diamond Bar coffee bar. “It makes me feel young.”
Eastvale’s city council-elect hired Van Nort on July 21.
Because the council-elect has no funds at its disposal now, he will work under what is known as a “best effort” or “good effort” agreement. He will cover his own expenses until Oct. 1 when the city begins accruing funds.
“It’s a normal arrangement in these circumstances,” he said.
Eastvale Councilman-elect Ric Welch, who along with Councilman-elect Jeff DeGrandpre, interviewed finalists for the interim city manager job, said he felt Van Nort knew what the community needed at this crucial time.
“He understood what we wanted him to do,” Welch said. “And he is not looking to extend the position permanently.”
Van Nort said he expected to meet Friday with the other three council members-elect.
John Forbing, who served on Diamond Bar’s first City Council from 1989 to 1994, said Van Nort brings a wealth of experience.
“He’s very well-organized. He hired very good people to work with him,” Forbing said. “He knows how counties operate.”
Van Nort said that with Eastvale becoming a city at a time of extraordinary economic distress, financial prudence and realistic expectations of what the city can and cannot afford will be the order of the day.
“There is lots of uncertainty with the economy,” he said. “You don’t start adding programs when you can’t afford them.”
Reach Sandra Stokley at 951-368-9647 or sstokley@PE.com
Robert van nort
AGE: 67
FAMILY: Wife Diane
HOME: Douglas County, Nevada
EDUCATION: B.A. police administration, San Jose State University; M.A. police administration, San Jose State University.
EXPERIENCE: 1981-1989, city manager, Big Bear Lake; 1989-1992, city manager, Diamond Bar; 1992-1995, city manager, Chino Hills; 1996-2001, city administrator, Sun Valley, Idaho; 2003, interim town manager, Yucca Valley; 2004, temporary city manager, Barstow; 2005, interim city manager, King City.
Wow, wow wow. Thanks Unofficial – IOV have a real 100% ski town city manager. THIS is impressive.
“EXPERIENCE:
1981-1989, city manager, Big Bear Lake;
1989-1992, city manager, Diamond Bar;
1992-1995, city manager, Chino Hills;
1996-2001, city administrator, Sun Valley, Idaho;
2003, interim town manager, Yucca Valley; 2004,
temporary city manager, Barstow; 2005,
interim city manager, King City.
The town may wind up keeping all its tax dollars in OV.
I’m glad Dr Gaffney showed the guts to put thoughts into words. Pity KSL can’t put its vision on a video as Wolf Creek did http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l9DjA3shjsA
KSL needs to sell its vision better because it looks like they just plopped a lot of bricks and a business model that could fail and leave the people holding the baby.
If Squaw wants the Aspen latte set + Jackson Hole set + budget-sensitive ‘light to dark blue’ destination sking family, it needs to solve many things, ie
reputation for sierra cement vs the greatest snow on earth in UT.
reputation for inadequate snow making compare to vail’s resorts
helipad in between residences. think noise, danger, injunctions
where’s the medical centre and ambulance bay?
why are the groomers driving at night near residences.
upgrades to Truckee station for buses. Will day parkers in truckee block parking for shoppers? How many hours can you park in Truckee without a fine?
Does amtrak ‘check’ ski bags as checked luggage? (Nope).
no upgrade to Truckee Airport for parking, a bus terminal and learjets?
day parking,
huge lift lines,
reputation for wind hold.
narrow crowded leg-straining Mtn Run,
blah blah blah
Perhaps SV/KSL better explain its total vision in a video like this one from Wolf Creek. Storm lifts. Wow, what a brilliant idea that solves lots of problems.
. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l9DjA3shjsA
Can a grand jury investigate Committees …. with resort people on them ….that recommend to the people’s elected oficials to pay money …to ferry people across State lines ….because the resort wants to build on the resort carpark? Grand juries have looked into things in SLT.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
South Lake Tahoe City council, manager, attorney respond to grand jury report
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — “….
The report also recommends the city hire an independent consultant ,… and make a report available to District Attorney Vern Pierson for possible legal action. ..
“I didn’t see any malfeasance or corruption, I just saw dysfunctionality,” Cole said Tuesday.
The grand jury is composed of 19 citizen volunteers who conducted “extensive investigations” over the past year, according to a letter from Foreman Rene Van Asten in the report.”
Unofficial,
here is the letter in today’s press:
KSL proposes to impose a mini-Vail set of resort hotels and condos on Squaw Valley, but it is a mismatch. KSL’s plan fails to understand what is unique about Squaw Valley and so fails to match its development to values true to our community.
What built Squaw Valley starting in the 1950s was a passion for skiing and boldly exploring a new sport. These pioneering, athletic skiers love the sport so much they would sleep in their car in order to get first tracks. This same passion can be witnessed today on any powder morning at the KT chair lift.
The extraordinary experience for a Squaw Valley shier is being in a beautiful box canyon with steep hillsides and contrasting rock and forest. Squaw Valley has enough cliffs and steeps to challenge the best skiers and riders. The spirit of these mountain athletes is part of the extraordinary experience. But a stack of large hotels and generic condo buildings filling the current parking lot is not a village. It would have no heart, no soul.
What if the structures were more like what an Alpine village really looks like and were designed to accommodate all of the endeavors associated with mountain adventure? What if the two rivers now placed into a linear ditch next to the parking lot were restored to crisscross in a natural way with village structures built around them and bridges and pathways linking the structures?
Shouldn’t the village be about something more than luxury hotels which can be found in any big city? Why not base the village around the values that energize the people who go to Squaw Valley: adventure, innovation, challenge, independence, intelligence, achievement, fun, high energy and social mixing with similar passionate people?
Sundance has shown that this approach can be wildly successful from both a corporate and cultural standpoint, but I fear that KSL’s plan will shut out the very people who energize and make Squaw Valley special.
It is no coincidence that the Squaw Valley passion consistently produces Olympic skiers and iconic mountain men who have taken the sport and its equipment into new realms. Ask yourself why Shane McConkey chose to live in Squaw Valley?
There is a demand for adventure loving people to find appropriate housing in Squaw Valley. Those who once lived in their vans now can afford to buy condos and homes. Some homes being built in Squaw Valley are large, but not for the sake of being large. They are homes for three or more generations to share the love of Squaw Valley.
In contrast, the gigantic monolithic structures proposed by KSL are not in harmony with the spirit of the people or the beauty of the valley. The structures dwarf the present village. The structures block pedestrian views within the complex. The existing village was appreciated because the size is appropriate and the structures form corridors to highlight views of the mountain. The KSL structures block the sight lines and views from the current village. The KSL proposal would also make it difficult for local and day skiers to park or gain access to the mountain.
Instead of faux alpine multi story hotel/condo building, what if innovative structures were designed to accommodate innovators of mountain equipment and design, film maker studios, think tanks and non-profits? People would be drawn to facilities year around that house physical arts like yoga, meditation, gyrotonics and pilates.
Places for training and mountain adventure like rock climbing and acrobatic skills with a unique gym for mountain athletes would attract adventure loving people. Most skiers also have a second sport which they love like mountain biking, rock climbing, yoga and similar mountain athletic-esthetic activities. A low cost locker room should be included where people passionate about such activities could share experiences. KSL could take such a core, restore the Squaw Valley creeks and build hotels and condominiums to complement and not compete.
It could be a four-season destination specifically designed for adventure, athletic, and artistic oriented people. It could provide an environment to stimulate the poets, visionaries and spiritual among us.
KSL’s design legacy will last long after they have sold their interest. KSL could build a one of a kind resort embodying the values of community and adventure which draw people to Squaw Valley, or KSL can reduce this amazing place to just another commonplace, “big box” ski resort.
To anyone who cares about Squaw Valley as a place or community, the choice makes a difference.
Bob Barnett is a Fairfield, Calif., resident who owns a second home in Olympic Valley and has skied at Squaw Valley for many years.
Unofficial, Something sounds odd about green schemes peddled by a huge building project.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Squaw Valley Lodging Properties Team Up in Support of Region’s Green Bucks Program
[Olympic Valley, Calif.] October 1, 2013 – All of Squaw Valley’s major businesses and property management companies have teamed up in support of Green Bucks, the region’s new dollar donation program designed to harness the passion of visitors and residents in order to help care for the region’s extraordinary environment.
Following the ski resort’s commitment to contribute $1 from season passes and lodging reservations to the Green Bucks program, Resort at Squaw Creek, Squaw Valley Lodge, Plumpjack Squaw Valley Inn and The Village at Squaw Valley have all joined the Green Bucks program to support the region’s watersheds and environmental assets.
Quotes:
“Lake Tahoe is near and dear to me personally and professionally. Protection, conservation and restoration of the Tahoe Basin is a responsibility that we at PlumpJack are always happy to support. The Green Bucks program is a smart initiative that promotes outreach and education to our guests while helping to raise funds for a cause that we are passionate about.”
– Hilary Newsom, President of the PlumpJack Group & Tahoe Fund Board Member
“Resort at Squaw Creek is excited and honored to be part of this great project. This program provides Resort at Squaw Creek a unique opportunity to contribute to the environmental stewardship and share efforts with our guest, employees and surrounding communities.”
– Claudia Martinello, Resort at Squaw Creek Green Team Leader
“Squaw Valley Lodge is excited to partner with the Tahoe Fund and Truckee River Watershed Council through the Green Bucks Program. Our guests marvel at the scenic beauty and abundant recreation of our area, and they appreciate the opportunity to contribute to area conservation efforts. Of course, our team members are happy to support the stewards of this incredible environment we live, work and play in. We are honored to participate in this program and look forward to a strong, sustained program preserving this area we love.”
– Dan Tester, General Manager at Squaw Valley Lodge
“On behalf of our customers at The Village at Squaw Valley, we are thrilled about the Green Bucks program. By providing this option to our guests, they too are able to give back to this incredible region and the very thing that makes their trip so special.”
– Christy Beck, General Manager at The Village at Squaw Valley
“We’d like to thank Squaw Valley and the valley’s lodging properties for their early support of the Green Bucks program. The program is a great and easy way for businesses to offer their customers a way to give back when they are here enjoying our incredible natural environment.”
– Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund
“Squaw Valley Ski Holdings has been in the lead in launching the Green Bucks program. As the program continues to evolve, we’re excited to have the ski company and the entire valley supporting Green Bucks and those projects the Truckee River Watershed Council and The Tahoe Fund put in place to improve the watershed and the lake.”
– Lisa Wallace, Executive Director of the Truckee River Watershed Council
Background on Green Bucks
Green Bucks is a dollar donation program designed to harness the passion of visitors and residents in order to help care for the region’s extraordinary environment. Businesses around the Lake Tahoe region have committed to collecting dollar donations on room nights, season passes, lift tickets, golf rounds and other items to help improve the area’s natural environment.
Proceeds from Green Bucks support the Tahoe Fund, the Truckee River Watershed Council and other public and nonprofit organizations in the region. These organizations fund projects that will improve, enhance and restore watersheds, hiking and biking trails, and environmental stewardship programs
Similar “buck” programs are operating in places like Jackson Hole and Yosemite with exciting results. These programs have raised millions of dollars to support local initiatives. Local businesses can call (530) 550-8760 ext. 7 to sign up to participate in the Green Bucks program.
Hey UA,
IOV say we can ask questions.
1. Did KSL buy land covered in old egress and acess easements all the way from SV Rd to the village?
2. If the proposed resort is all about blue water and greenie buses, where are the solar panels?
3. What did Troy and Andy discuss in Colorado.
Just sayin.
Questions
Mark:
Over at Starbucks, Clark and I bumped into Jimmy Durante, and Abbott & Costello.
– Jimmy said “Everyone wants to get in on the act”. hmmm.
– Costello asked Who’s on First. Who’s on the first floor?
– Is it Sierra Club or Sierra Watch or the League who think the pollyticians are parrotting mis information fed to them by self interested people?
– Stats say 76,000 more people moving into Placer in the next 7 years but Placer will reduce housing permits by two thirds. hmmm. The Pied Piper wants to know who’s herdeing people into expensive dense hi rize housing?
-Superman suspects there’s a Mastermind behind that Masterplan. Does Commissioner Gordon know anything?
– Is the timber coaster ride off the agenda for ever or only for the time being
– Can we see drawings of the rooms in the new squaw hotel and how green are any hottubs and pools full of valuable water and pool chemicals. Those chemicals have to go somewhere, don’t they, sooner or later. Where then? The river, the golf course, the lake, where?
– Where is the place on Sq Valley Rd that will hold 500 car parks and employee housing. Are there 1600 employees, and where will most of them live, cook, dine and drink after hours?
– is the employee housing “backpacker” style without a kitchen in order to make them buy resort food?
– isn’t 14 acres of the meadow a conservation zone
– are road widening parking bay work going through tenders? Who wins the contract?
– how affordable is the employee housing
– will counties like Washoe and Placer subsidise the airport shuttle. $45 per person is a lot for a family of tourists which makes me think its cheaper to rent a car. Ergo, will tourists say “forget the bus, let’s drive”?
– have bus consortium deals failed in places like Bill Crawford’s south lake tahoe. Has Bill blessed this contract or does he think things will come up smelling like roses?.
– how many cars park at Squaw now and how many parks are in their planned hotel condo
– can Squaw build hi rize paid carparks at AM instead of SV?
– Will the people of AM be safer under the county, not the town.
– is there really 64 acres in TC approved for parking and buses?
– what’s this talk about the renovations for the train station?
– who pays if this is a pipedream.
Lots of questions aren’t there.
Unofficialalpine,
http://keeptahoeblue.org/download/document/337
The League to Save Lake Tahoe say (I think) there is no point driving empty polluting buses around, is there. Can the resorts prove that ridership will go up, dramatically, if the resort builds over the carpark?
Fyi UA, http://www.incorporateolympicvalley.org/faq-s
Hi Unofficial,
Can the Chammy and Cantina be protected forever with heritage laws? The valley was, was it not, the birthplace of Nth American Olympic skiing after alls said and done.
In your experience, have the public been denied access to the snowline?
1. I cannot imagine the very old lift tickets said the user couldn’t park or sleep over night in the parking areas. I think Warren Miller “slept here”.
2. In the 60s the ice rink became car park.
3. Later the old State Park was sold off in sections to, for instance, Mark Zimmerman’s place with free parking at the rear of OV Inn and free access over the carpark area where the green and red employee houses are.
4. Way back in 1983 – 30 years ago – the Olympic’s Blythe Arena collapsed and became carpark.
There’s been free entry and exiting ever since 1960 on these carparks to the snowline has there not?.
Do you think public access easements were part of the land bought by KSL or whoever? KSL I assume did due diligence and paid less because, presumably, there was no real potential to build a mini city. Do you think KSL can stop anyone from parking any where on the concrete?
Alex’ and Nancy’s sale files could be a very interesting read.
Finally, has anyone seen the files relating to the purchase of the 100 acres in case and the documents about the slopes in case there are interesting things on it.
Archeologists also want to know “where did everyone go?”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hzoN2MFkCXI
Yours,
Hey Unofficial
Is Placer well known for letting resorts get away with things like this?
In http://www.moonshineink.com/sections/spot-news/tahoe-skiing-arms-race-continues one letter points out Placer’s complicity is the scandalous litigation about damage. Placer should be brought to heel.
“Aspen Grove was given the finger when they expanded-including the parking lots next to the condos. They were supposed to be around 300 feet back but they illegally pushed it to 80 feet. Plus they scrapped plans to divert their excess water to the golfcourse. Instead- contractors( not water diversion specialists) dug a big trench and try to hide the excess water in retention ponds. That water runs under the condos. When called out on their illegal water diversion-developer said,”Sue us.” Now water is running out of a few condo basements destroying foundations and killed the grove of trees. Developer tries to compensate for it by pumping water into the creek-a clear environmental violation. Placer County totally pulling an ostrich here. Its pretty clear Northstar looks like they want to bankrupt the condos built in the 70s and expand their tacky bourgoisie aesthetic all the way to 267. Northstar is even claiming “hardship” and will not fix their damages after losing the suit
Submitted by Hatz Eastwest (not verified) on Sun, 12/30/2012 – 8:08am “
.
Looking at what the county ain’t doing for locals over at Nstar, Self-determination in the valley is far safer.
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Letter to Michael Johnson @ Placer County re: Aspen Grove
Mr. Michael Johnson Community Development/Resource Agency Director for Placer Co. 565 West Lake Boulevard PO Box 1909, Tahoe City, CA 96145 (530) 581-6280, Fax (530) 581-6282 Community Development/Resource Agency Director for Placer Co. 3091 Country Center Drive, Suite 140 Auburn, CA 95603 (530) 745-3000, Fax (530) 745-3080 Internet Address: http://www.placer.ca.gov/planning email: planning@placer.ca.gov mjohnson@placer.ca.gov Re: Vail/Northstar Expansion & Aspen Grove Development Dear Mr. Michael Johnson: I understand you are responsible for planning and directing all operations of the County’s land development activities, including oversight of the Planning Department, the Building Department, the Engineering and Surveying Department, and the County’s Code Enforcement team. I also understand that you are responsible for the County’s General Plan and various Community Plans; the administration of the Subdivision, Zoning and Grading Ordinances; and the County’s agricultural/land conservation programs. In addition to your role as Agency Director, you also serve as the County’s Planning Director. Given your extensive job description, you must be aware of the continuing nightmare that exists for all of the homeowners of the Aspen Grove community at Northstar. I’m wondering if you were the one who approved the retention pond above our development back in 2004? It seems like it may have fallen under your job description. Clearly, installation of a retention pond just several yards above an 80 unit development doesn’t seem like a good idea. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. I’m wondering further, aren’t there rules and regulations to keep people and/or large corporations from creating water trespasses over entire communities, ruining multiple properties, destroying the environment and then, not being required to fix it? Isn’t this type of situation preventable, if the right processes are in place, sir? So, fast forward, and here we are 8 years later, our properties are beat to hell, the environment is dead, and Vail/Northstar is trying to bankrupt our association by dragging out this lawsuit, year in, and year out. Worse yet, they refuse to stop the water trespass that exists over our property, even though a judge ordered them to do so. And now, they have the audacity to say that they want to “expand” the mountain. With all due respect, sir, this can’t actually be something you are considering, can it? At this point in time, as a homeowner in Aspen Grove, I am totally offended by even the “possibility” of a Vail/Northstar mountain expansion. This is a preposterous idea, and given all of the suffering caused by the negligent behavior from the first Vail/Northstar “expansion” in 2004, and quite possibly, because of you and your department’s lack of oversite, I totally oppose the idea of a Vail/Northstar expansion. Please forgive my frankness, but Aspen Grove is being screwed, and Placer County is sitting by watching. What you should be doing is ensuring the Aspen Grove community that there will be no Vail/Northstar expansion and demanding from Vail/Northstar that they: CORRECT THE WATER TRESPASS THEY CREATED AND FORGET AN EXPANSION ON THE MOUNTAIN UNTIL VAIL/NORTHSTAR ADHERES TO THE COURT’S DECISION AND COMPLIES WITH THE COUNTY RULES THAT PROVIDE THAT AN UPPER LANDOWNER MUST NOT CAUSE DAMAGE TO A LOWER LANDOWNER BY ANY WATER DIVERSION. The fact that the Vail/Northstar expansion is even being considered (in light of everything), makes me think that “someone is in someone else’s pocket.” Is there anyone at the Placer County level who will do the right thing or is everyone so in love with Vail/Northstar that they can’t see straight? Has anyone in your department been able to utter the word “NO?” Or perhaps someone is reaping financial gain or gift for giving Vail/Northstar every little thing they want. I have to wonder…and I know I’m not the only one, Mr. Johnson. You clearly have failed to protect my property and my neighbors’ properties from the reckless trespass of a large, “revenue building,” corporation. Perhaps you can get it right this time, 8 years later, by actually considering the hard working community of Aspen Grove and NOT GRANTING EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING to precious Vail/Northstar. They need to clean up the mess they made all over our Aspen Grove community. It was your responsibility back then and it is your responsibility today to prevent such tragedies, sir. Think about it. Stacy Blair (3173 AG) cc: Aspen Grove Homeowner’s Association
Submitted by Stacy Blair (not verified) on Fri, 12/21/2012 – 9:49am
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TRPA New Compact
If the TRPA’s interest is to work on the Lake’s clarity, Why did they move some lands that were considered “Conservation Lands” to be “Recreation Lands”? I believe they also changed the definition on Recreation Lands to allow building? That along with other changes it sounds like TRPA is promoting development. After reading the article on Aspen Grove, I think TRPA should put more energy into Protecting Our Beautiful LAKE, water storage and BMP’s.
Submitted by Sue Rossi (not verified) on Sat, 12/22/2012 – 10:40am
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Responsible Development Only
I have been an owner in Aspen Grove at Northstar since the early 1990’s. I was an advocate of the resort expansion, and welcomed the new amenities. I would love to continue to see Northstar grow and thrive now and in the future. At the same time, the damage to our property caused by Northstar/Vail/EastWest is beyond disappointing, it is negligent to the point of being criminal. Our community and our property values have literally crumbled before our eyes so that others can prosper. I can not support continued growth at Northstar (despite that fact that I would like to see it) until Vail et al take responsible action to correct the damage done by their prior development efforts. I also would seriously question their integrity when they say the current plan is responsible and won’t harm current owners and stakeholders. Actions speak louder than words, and theirs to date paint a back picture. Future growth should be suspended until the clean up their messes.
Submitted by LWP (not verified) on Sat, 12/29/2012 – 3:33pm
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Pro-Development and Pro-Property Rights
Being a real estate lawyer, investor and developer, I cannot imagine a person who is more pro-development than myself. However, along with all of those biases comes a deep-rooted (no pun intended) drive to protect private property rights. As an Aspen Grove Property Owner, my private property rights have been trampled for which not only do I receive the benefit of directly decreased value, but I have had the priviledge of paying thousands of dollars to defend my property directly inflicted by the actions of someone else. The effect of what is happening is akin to your next door neighbors turning on all of their hoses and running their water directly onto your property 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Whatever one may wish to accuse the Aspen Grove Homeowners of in defending their properties and their rights, this Aspen Grove Homeowner cannot be accused of being anti-development. In fact, in spite of all of the harm and expense that we have incurred, I wish these developers all success in building the project that they propose, but I merely ask that they do so in such a way that neither costs me money or destroys my private property rights.
Submitted by Andrew (not verified) on Sat, 12/29/2012 – 7:26pm
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Northstar changed water table and underground streams
Aspen Grove was given the finger when they expanded-including the parking lots next to the condos. They were supposed to be around 300 feet back but they illegally pushed it to 80 feet. Plus they scrapped plans to divert their excess water to the golfcourse. Instead- contractors( not water diversion specialists) dug a big trench and try to hide the excess water in retention ponds. That water runs under the condos. When called out on their illegal water diversion-developer said,”Sue us.” Now water is running out of a few condo basements destroying foundations and killed the grove of trees. Developer tries to compensate for it by pumping water into the creek-a clear environmental violation. Placer County totally pulling an ostrich here. Its pretty clear Northstar looks like they want to bankrupt the condos built in the 70s and expand their tacky bourgoisie aesthetic all the way to 267. Northstar is even claiming “hardship” and will not fix their damages after losing the suit
Submitted by Hatz Eastwest (not verified) on Sun, 12/30/2012 – 8:08am
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Mark, What’s this in Moonshineink about
“Al Gore Returns to Tahoe, 17 Years and $1.7 Billion Later
About On the Spot News Moonshine Ink brings you Tahoe news straight from the source. Our team of hardworking journalists uncovers North Tahoe and Truckee news stories with in-depth reporting and our authentic “for the community, by the community” spirit.”
Has $1.7 billion dollars boiled down to the “solution” of making poor people catch buses?
Gee whillikers, if they just gave rich folks a million each, they’d pick up hitchhikers in the BMW on the way to Squaw.
Can the roads support the weight of the construction trucks for 15 years comin and going, and will KSL pay for that upfront with a huge bond?
KSL don’t like concrete but aren’t they building a carpark, and employee housing, off SV Road, in Trckkee and where that 64 acres has approval in TC? the concrete at SV could be lined with avenues of beautiful trees
On the topic of heritage, I’m sure I saw a box of absolutely prehistoric arrow heads at the estate. Where exactly is KSL siting the employee housing next to Sq Valley Road
Thanks Dr Gaffney… I respect your courage and integrity for speaking candidly about the Squaw KSL Development. I’ve followed the project as much as I can and heard from both sides. One side coming from KSL representatives that I heard. Was “who are you to tell us what we can and can’t do on private property” If this is really the view that KSL has then they need to rethink their strategy and Squaw must incorporate so there is a balance between the development. Incorporating and having a council of elected officials with voting power on development plans in the valley is democratic and right. KSL is a member of the community and its their responsibility as member of the community to develop within the approval of the community. Thats what makes a community as opposed to just a resort. I’ve worked in the construction and development industry for my entire career and I can assure that trying to steamroll opposition with an army of litigators and more respect to the bottom-line than the community it serves is a recipe for disaster. I worked for a developer that was pushed completely out of town because of the blatant disregard of the public opinion. KSL is walking the tight rope and needs to find balance and so far I am not overtly impressed with their actions and strategy. Read “home from nowhere” and discover that positive development can occur and be successful, so long as it engages the community and enhances the community, hold design charrettes that involve the public, listen to the concerns of the people and find consensus and compromise in the process. I am not anti development in fact in many ways I am pro development. However the process needs to have a more bottom lines than just dollars and cents. In the end neither side is going to get exactly what it wants, but if there is compromise and synergy between the different factions that exist, one can sleep at night knowing that the pendulum has not swung too far in one direction. If the strategy is to outspend and out litigate the opposition, that is wrong and I don’t condone that approach. If KSL can step up to the plate and put forth a plan that the community can ralley behind; if they can collaborate with local business and expand their reach and not burn holes in their pockets…then have at it. If they are just going to take a page from the Vail playbook…we as a community need to step up and plant our feet firmly on the ground and draw the line and tell the KSL executives “this is the line and you will not cross it, and if and when you do, there will be consequences to your actions. Great piece Gaffney…it takes credible members of the community like yourself to ralley the masses to wake up and know they have a voice and have a say and can be part of the process. Good luck to the squaw community and the surrounding communities this development will impact.
Submitted by kpsvtrue to moonshineink on Tue, 09/17/2013 – 6:26pm
Unofficial, the most recent reward of $14,000,000 is a huge incentive for blowing the whistle. Eveyone on the ground floor will be squeaky clean to make certain someone, somewhere, doesn’t have anything to sqwark about.
SEC whistleblower awarded $14 million
By Richard L. Cassin | Wednesday, October 2, 2013 at 2:08AM
The SEC said Tuesday a whistleblower was awarded $14 million for information that led to an enforcement action ‘that recovered substantial investor funds.’
The whistleblower asked not be identified, the SEC said.
The SEC whistleblower reward program established under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law applies to securities law cases, including FCPA violations.
There haven’t been any FCPA whistleblower awards yet.
In the award announced Tuesday, the whistleblower ‘provided original information and assistance that allowed the SEC to investigate an enforcement matter more quickly than otherwise would have been possible,’ the agency said.
No details were given about the amount recovered, and the fraudsters weren’t identified.
The case took less than six months from receipt of the whistleblower’s tip.
The SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower was set up in 2011. Awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected in a case. At least $1 million must be collected for the whistleblower to be eligible for an award.
In its annual report filed with Congress a year ago, the SEC whistleblower office said it received 3,001 tips during its first year. Of those, 115 were FCPA-related complaints. Corporate disclosures and offering frauds accounted for a third of all complaints.
The SEC hasn’t released new statistics for this fiscal year.
The award Tuesday is by far the SEC’s biggest so far. The first award was made in August 2012 and totaled $50,000. A month later, three whistleblowers split a $25,000 award. That award is likely to grow to $125,000, the SEC said.
‘Our whistleblower program already has had a big impact on our investigations by providing us with high quality, meaningful tips,’ SEC Chair Mary Jo White said Tuesday. ‘We hope an award like this encourages more individuals with information to come forward.’
When whistleblowers request anonymity, the law prohibits the SEC from disclosing ‘any information that might directly or indirectly reveal’ their identity, the agency said Tuesday.
UA,
The Golana Case was verey interesting and thank you for placing it on the internet.
In that case the developers incurred terrible delays, costs and either started all over again or went home.
What happens if the investors become unhappy with previous promises about rivers of gold? Well there are all sorts of laws in some cases like this SEC case http://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2013/33-9443.pdf
Your should ask the investors along to Plumpjack.
Before anyone throws the baby out with the bathwater, Greatwolf build this type of water park http://www.greatwolf.com/ a
It’s wonderful, isn’t it. The park embodies everything the mountains have to offer, but there’s more! With every McMansion you get Fries and a Coke.
If this water park is such a great selling point, why haven’t Vail Resorts gone the same way?
Why do Marriott have nice pools.
Why would anyone buy a $400,000 fractional to live next to it?
I can’t imagine why the whole development won’t collapse. I might be wrong – I didn’t like Burton’s ideas about weird snow board things
by Tom Cal on facebook:
Can a lawyer address this question? Is there any legal requirement that a resort-owner (or golf-course, etc.) such as KSL continue to operate a resort in a way that leaves the resort open to the public?
I acknowledge that public opinion and persuasion might influence KSL and government decision-makers. I am also interested in learning more about the practical legal and regulatory, etc. ways that development can be opposed, constrained or delayed in the courts and at the regulatory and compliance levels:
What are the various approvals, permits, etc. that a developer such as KSL will need to obtain?
Which of these “issues” can be used to oppose development? Are there others?
– environmental impact, rules and regulations (California’s environmental quality Act, etc.)?
– public opinion and persuasion
– zoning?
– impact on public traffic and public infrastructure?
– economic impact on other’s property
– impact on sight-lines?
– others?
Where are our dollars going, Mark.
To put that in context, that’s 4 special half pipes for Shaun White
That”s enough to pay for 312 SV Ski Teamers with a pass.
That’d cover 2000 season passes for underpaid locals.
When are the forensic auditors going thru figures like prune juice.
Mark, there’s a few foreclosures in the valley plus fpreclosures on weeks going for sale at Placer.
If the KSL condos dived in value and if condo owners sank in debt, here’s something that Richmond CA is doing.
Richmond, CA is first municipality to use eminent domain on underwater mortgages. Richmond, California’s leaders approved a controversial plan earlier this month to become the first municipality in the nation to use eminent domain to rid itself of underwater mortgages.
BlackRock Inc., Wells Fargo and other bondholders lost when they challenged the scheme in court. Two weeks ago, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer dismissed the lawsuits, finding that the bondholders’ claims depend on “future events that may never occur.”
The cases are Wells Fargo Bank v. City of Richmond, Case No. 13-03663 and Bank of New York Mellon v. City of Richmond, Case No. 13-03664, both pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Do you think this’d be a good idea if KSL’s condo buyers find that values fall below the debt?
Dear UA,
If KSL runs into a downturn in condos like the one in and after 2008, a legal bloodbath ensues.
Fyi, the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress, in a surprising nonpartisan move, passed H.R. 2600 on September 26, 2013. This bill, submitted by New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, exempts developers of condominiums from compliance with the filing requirements of the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, commonly referred to as ILSA. The bill passed the House with a unanimous vote in favor. It is expected to be introduced into the Senate in the near future. If this bill passes both Houses and is signed by the President, it will eliminate the necessity to file a Property Report with the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and eliminate the possibility of rescission lawsuits by disgruntled buyers for failure to file such report.
Were this bill a law during the downturn beginning in 2008, it would likely have prevented much of the onslaught of rescission lawsuits that followed.
In other words, condo buyers should be vfery careful in case there’s a downturn and in case they can’t escape.
The town should talk to Professor Patching and the groups who get into resorts like Northstar. http://friendsoflaketahoe.org/documents/NorthstarWorries2.pdf
If you saw on TV those who hate “Obamacare” but also – somehow – support the “Affordable Care Act” (which is Obamacare!), you’ll know the power of a labelling word. Affordable sounds good, doesn;’t it?
Keep any eye out for KSL using Words like “smart growth”.
Here’s a list of spin words to look out for . http://friendsoflaketahoe.org/documents/ResponseToTRPAGBFinal.pdf
here’s more spinspeak codewords used by ceos.
http://www.naturalcapitalforum.com/blog/blog/108/Sustainability-Jargon-Buster-10-essential-terms-for-CEOs
Can the airport ever become a bus terminal and carpark to serve Squaw when a bit of its huge acreage will be a 6 acre carpark, a 80,000 sqft campus, corporate hq and an airport? (Oh, its on 900 acres Mark).
Montgomery should say what the Big Picture and the small picture is, or else she and her Board of Supervisors can resign. We want Solutions, not “green wash” b/s.
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Clear Capital is one step closer to leasing land from the Truckee Tahoe Airport District in an effort to stay local.
The airport board agreed last Thursday to move forward with a non-binding letter of intent with the company to lease property fronted by Soaring and Aviation ways for office building construction. A final letter is hoped to be signed by the end of the month.
“The letter will basically outline the terms under which the airport will move forward toward a final lease negotiation,” explained Gabe Nacht, chief financial officer for Clear Capital.
The company wants to enter into a long-term lease with the airport district and JMA Ventures — which would serve as developer — no later than Nov. 15.
A preliminary timeline by Clear Capital has office construction starting in July 2014, with occupation in November 2015.
Clear Capital, a national provider of real estate analytics and valuations, has outgrown its current 40,000 square feet in office space at Pioneer Commerce Center.
According to a previous report, Clear Capital is looking for a site that can accommodate an 80,000-square-foot campus and 500-plus parking spaces, taking up approximately 6 acres of land.
As property manager, the airport district would have final say on architectural design and landscaping.
Gaffney should ask “What would Gordon Gecko do”? Then work backwards, follow the money and the cosy understandings between a coterie of self-interested band of merry men. Then call in the grand jury to dig deeper into that carpark over a subterranean reservoir.
Gutentag
Approximately 20% of all your region’s visitors fly in, with 9m flight seats to SAC and 4,000,000 seats into Reno. There are 90+ flights to Tahoe-Truckee every day if I recall Mr Wirth should be very careful in case travelers feel they need to drive and feel that bus rides are a pain in the arses.
Thanking you
http://www.squawmag.com/
check out page 79 concerning the inter connecting chairlift (and the rest of the mag says they’re real greenies, not plastic corporate ones).
Question for the armchair experts: if they stop the AM-SV shuttle, how do you get back to AM’s condos after apres in the SV village? Are Tart running up the AM road into the evening because that’ll be a waste of hi polluting gas
I got a code word for KSL, Wirth and ass-ociates. FU
Rofl! And what would you say to the Clown Clowncil of Placater-vile
Robert Scalzi Ridiculous – there’s a GIANT lake and a river pretty close if i recall correctly
Like · Reply · 1 · about an hour ago
Tahoe Skier competing with the proposed one in Truckee and mustn’t repeat the mistakes that plagued similar ‘brilliant ideas’. SV hasn’t been the first place to try a public and/or exclusive members-only pool with food and beverages, water slides, horses, cinema, …See More
Like · Reply · 6 hours ago · Edited
Tom Hicks Probably bankrupt in 2 years…
Like · Reply · 4 · 7 hours ago via mobile
P.J. Lungren I just want to know where I can valet my Maserati…
Like · Reply · 3 · 6 hours ago
Jeff Susman Great piece in the Chronicle today Tom.
Like · Reply · 1 · about an hour ago via mobile
Travis Crosby Will the water consist of our tears?
Like · Reply · 2 · about an hour ago via mobile
Tom Mooers like a nudie bar in Notre Dame.
Like · Reply · 2 · 2 hours ago
Tom Mooers like a billboard on Half Dome.
Like · Reply · 2 · 2 hours ago
Tom Mooers like a Kmart at the Pyramids.
Like · Reply · 2 · 2 hours ago
Kirsten Kemps Warner Ridiculously stupid! The world’s most beautiful natural alpine lake “water park” already exists there…Lake Tahoe!
Like · Reply · 2 · 2 hours ago via mobile
Meg Kiihne While I grew up in the Midwest and as a swimmer and am often upset and irritated by the lack of public pools and swimming programs in the area, I also know the cost of such facilities…which alone make me raise and eyebrow or both! Also for years I have heard about water issues here in California and especially when it comes to snow making season, so I have to wonder “WHERE” the water will be coming from, there there is the power, space, waste issue. My opinion is that the idea is being driven by foreign investors who love their water parks….what’s wrong with utilizing more of the natural resources to create additional revenue streams? Bikes, tours, zip lining, bungee? Europeans seem to love their mountains in all season why do we have to “build another consumer outlet” versus finding creative ways to utilize what is already here?
Like · Reply · 2 · 4 hours ago
Daryl Simms Speaking of the mid-west…Wisconsin Dells….world capital of water parks! FACT!
Like · 2 · 4 hours ago
Meg Kiihne Exactly what I was referring to…..
Like · 4 hours ago
Tahoe Skier
Write a reply…
William Filer when Rocky left the Chammy, game over…
Like · Reply · 2 · 6 hours ago
2 Replies · 6 hours ago
Kyle Jorgensen Unnecessary. Ridiculous.
Like · Reply · 2 · 7 hours ago via mobile
Bryan Denman Not Squaw!
Like · Reply · 2 · 7 hours ago via mobile
Gary Davis Terrific!
Like · Reply · 2 hours ago via mobile
Jamie Jamison Freaking stupid…
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hours ago via mobile
George Hjelte LAME
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hours ago via mobile
Jeremy Thomas Wet
Like · Reply · 4 hours ago via mobile
Bryce Wilson In the way of great skiing, hiking and nature.
Like · Reply · 4 hours ago via mobile
Shalia Buxton A waste of money and space!
Like · Reply · 1 · 4 hours ago via mobile
Brian Bales the worst thing for Squaw
Like · Reply · 1 · 5 hours ago
Dave Johnson Hideous.
Like · Reply · 1 · 5 hours ago
Josh A. ^I hear they have plenty of valets at Bear
Like · Reply · 1 · 6 hours ago via mobile
P.J. Lungren Perfect!
Like · 6 hours ago
Tahoe Skier
Write a reply…
Deb Kittrell Keep the Cantina instead
Like · Reply · 1 · 6 hours ago via mobile
Louisa Pickering Surfing wave?
Like · Reply · 7 hours ago via mobile
Josh A. more fun than the fingers.
Like · Reply · 1 · 7 hours ago
Tom Hicks F-ING awesome!! Bikini parties. Here we come!!
Like · Reply · 7 hours ago via mobile
Nic Nelson so much better than Tahoe.
Like · Reply · 1 · 7 hours ago via mobile
Faith Sprague e-coli laden … jk … couldn’t resist as fecal matter loaded water parks freak me out.
Like · Reply · 1 · 7 hours ago
Daryl Simms more suited for the base of white wolf along with a gondola base to service both squaw and alpine and more parking.
Like · Reply · 1 · 6 hours ago
Kathleen Jeanette Herman Wrong. F#@&ed up. Senseless.
Like · Reply · about an hour ago via mobile
Gary Jeong Umm..would they have wet t shirt contests? Like the squaw back in the day?
Like · Reply · about an hour ago via mobile
Maureen Wyzykowski An ins
Like · Reply · 2 hours ago via mobile
Jennie Kraemer Wrong & ugly
Like · Reply · 3 hours ago via mobile
P.J. Lungren Not as cool as a Cabo Wabo and Sammy Hagar’s supreme intelligence soaking our valley.
Like · Reply · 6 hours ago
Mike Jackson Dumb!!! Just to have the thought is “so dumb”. Flog whoever had the idea.
Like · Reply · 6 hours ago via mobile
Michael Thompson stupid
Like · Reply · 6 hours ago
Adam Haupt Stooopid
Like · Reply · 6 hours ago via mobile
Michael McElroy Nice
Like · Reply · 7 hours ago via mobile
Peggy Sue Towns better just an indoor swimming pool for lap swimming and athletic training. The issue is water. Too much water required… In the summer people go to the lake, not to the pool so it might be a waste of money
Like · Reply · 7 hours ago
Kathleen Hart strange
Like · Reply · 7 hours ago
Eric Peterson Fucking bs
Like · Reply · 7 hours ago via mobile
Chris Read ill stick with the high camp pool and hot tub
Like · Reply · 7 hours ago via mobile
Randy Rogers Piss pool
Like · Reply · 7 hours ago via mobile
Jeremy Fleming Wave pool…
Like · Reply · 7 hours ago
I don’t want my Escalade catching rust from your clunkers!!!!
TARP’s brilliant planners have a solution. We’ve tried everything. The low wages didn’t starve you out. Winter didn’t kill them en masse, and we can’t use rat bait on locals near the lake. Geez, why not just build a giant trailer park out of sight somewhere, like Alpine Meadows.
There’s a public meeting on 11/29/2013 for stakeholders in the Northstar/TahoeDonner group of 20 odd associations like the Lahontn Community Assocn (who lives there I wonder?) and other groups. I assume they’ll update on this slideshow about a partnership and the updated log books from wells. They’re factoring in climate change effects, somehow. Speak to Brown and …. in Truckee Hydrologists or the Desert Research Inst and ask whether the region can support KSL without using the 3000 gal/week per condo in that Well under the carpark.
http://www.martisvalleygmp.org/index_htm_files/2012-11-29%20Public%20Workshop%20Notice.pdf
http://www.martisvalleygmp.org/index_htm_files/2011-12-10%20SWG%20Presentation%20-%20Physical%20Conditions.pdf
http://www.tdpud.org/home/showdocument?id=332
It’d be nice if KSL told us what the solution is, and where all the pipes and roads and carparking will be.
What aren’t locals on topof whatever the overlords are planning?
For Immediate Release
Local water agencies adopt Martis Valley groundwater management plan
Truckee, Calif. (March 12, 2014) – The Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD), Northstar Community Services District (NCSD), and Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) in partnership with the US Bureau of Reclamation have been working for almost 2-years to develop a groundwater management plan and model for the Martis Valley basin. The local agencies each recently adopted the joint groundwater management plan.
“The collaborative effort between the TDPUD, NCSD, and PCWA to align groundwater policy and improve coordination between the three public agencies will bring significant benefits to our community.” said Michael Holley, TDPUD general manager, “Ensuring a reliable and cost-effective water supply for our community going forward is critical for our future.”
Development of the Martis Valley Groundwater Management Plan began in summer 2011 and the collaborative effort included: the three partner agencies; a Stakeholder Working Group consisting of over 20 community members representing local land-use and other agencies, developers, and environmental interests; and multiple public meetings. Groundwater sustainability, overdraft protection, groundwater recharge rates, and understanding the impacts of climate change are among the goals of the project.
“Sharing resources and leveraging federal grants to improve our understanding of the Martis Valley aquifer will improve operations today and help reduce uncertainty in the future.”, said Mike Staudenmayer, NCSD general manager, “One objective of the groundwater management plan is to pursue and use the best available science and technology to inform the decision making process. I think that is really important.”
The three local water agencies set out with a goal of developing a groundwater plan and model to ensure the long-term supply of water for their customers. The partner agencies contributed a total of $250,000 to the initial costs, based on their number of connections. This collaborative effort then successfully leveraged an additional ~$750,000 in federal funding from the Bureau of Reclamation. This funding enabled sophisticated groundwater modeling from the Desert Research Institute (DRI), a climate change model integrated into the groundwater model, and a radio isotope aging study from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) bringing the total project funding to over $1,000,000. The groundwater model is scheduled to be completed later this year.
“PCWA has been working closely with the Bureau of Reclamation on other projects and we were thrilled when this funding opportunity became apparent.” said David Breninger, PCWA general manager, “The partnership between PCWA, TDPUD, and NCSD – along with our ability to bring in outside resources – will help all of our customers.”
The Martis Valley aquifer includes a 35,000-acre area in both Placer and Nevada counties. It is the main water supply for numerous public and private entities. This area has seen significant growth in the last two decades with more planned for the future. Maintaining an adequate water supply and protecting water quality are critical for the region’s future.
Groundwater Management Plan information can be found at http://www.martisvalleygmp.org. Contact project manager Tony Firenzi at the PCWA, 530-823-4886; Steven Poncelet at the Truckee Donner PUD, 530-582-3951; and Mike Staudenmayer at the Northstar CSD, 530-562-0747.
The TDPUD is a non-profit, publicly owned utility agency created in 1927 and overseen by a locally elected board of directors. TDPUD provides the greater Truckee area with reliable and high quality water and power services while guiding the community to conserve resources. For more information about the TDPUD, call 530-587-3896 or visit http://www.tdpud.org.
The Placer County Water Agency was created on September 11, 1957 by a special act of the State Legislature. The Agency’s mandate is to develop and protect the water resources within the County, for the people of Placer County. The Agency provides raw water for irrigation customers, retails and wholesales treated water for residential, commercial and industrial purposes and owns and operates a power system on the Middle Fork of the American River which generates 1.03 billion kilowatt hours annually.
The NCSD was founded in 1990 under Government Code 61600 as a local government entity to serve the Northstar Community with governmental services. The District currently provides fire protection, fuels management, water, sewer collection, snow removal, road surface maintenance, recycling services, solid waste management and trail construction and maintenance.
Dear UA,
According to a photo in ThevillageatSquaw.com, the creek ran in the middle on two huge carparks, one on each side of the creek. Please look into these easement laws because, I think, KSL can’t stop 55 years of public parking.
http://search.tb.ask.com/search/redirect.jhtml?action=pick&ct=GD&qs=&searchfor=right+of+way+over+land+in+california&cb=ZO&pg=GGmain&p2=%5EZO%5Exdm014%5EYYA%5Eau&n=77fd345a&qid=5b1e54602693495fa08f61942171e035&ss=sub&pn=1&st=bar&ptb=C45A6CB6-D12D-4C0C-BAF7-831D236F5B53&tpr=&si=translateye&redirect=mPWsrdz9heamc8iHEhldEZChs5xv8ysKnqhvoF40BrK6NTsjFUVzG5dPa00s46VlqNq8mW9Ps1JZ2mPAANNiu8RtwYwWXeCEKtHPf%2BGDDiZ5YhjHsUDkEtIgOCux5vgp&ord=2&
Can anyone see the Chammy in the latest Presentation?
Can heritage laws save the Cantina and the Chammy forever?
Where is the Tesla refuel bowsers gone? I think they’d need a re filling station in those plans too for all the green cars they want from Priusville.
I’m looking at a few placs to purchase, however those at AM have one problem: I want a parking place, not a carpark full of people.
Similar goes for condos in the poulsen region, lus there’ll be 20 years of noise and dust and trucks.
As for apartments in the village itself, who wants construction workers AND music and movie crowds under your bedrom window.
No sale.
In Physics, “resonance” can amplify the destructive force of shocks. The planners and engineers should turn their reports over to IOV’s lawyers in my view for a thorough check. http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/activezone/liquefaction.html
Does KSL have any data to back up their claim the destination tourists will catch a bus to Truckee and around the lake?
To be successful, Squaw Valley, Tahoe City and Truckee must attract more destination visitors. This will require a more dynamic, livelier village, more lodging options and greater lodging variety, as well as additional and upgraded services, activities and amenities. By attracting more destination visitors, we bring visitors that stay longer, spend more during their visit, and who are more likely to make use of environmentally considerate modes of transportation such as a shuttle. Destination visitors also tend to arrive and depart during non-peak travel times. These visitors are also more likely to want to experience the majesty of Lake Tahoe, to hike the Tahoe Rim trail, to paddleboard at Donner Lake or shop and dine in the authentic Western ski town of Truckee.
UA,
1. When will phase 3 be built in this 15 year building project? I ask because KSl-SV Realty’ FAQ say:
“Question:Where will resort guests and day visitors park?
Answer:It is proposed that the majority of existing surface parking lots be replaced with lodging facilities and related village services and amenities, with enclosed podium parking structures underneath. The podium parking structures will be constructed partially sub-grade (below ground level), in order to minimize overall building heights, and to allow for construction of sub-grade walking and driving corridors within the village. In Phase 3, the podium parking structures will be “wrapped” by lodging facilities, in order to minimize the visual impact of the parking structures, as well as to provide convenient parking for lodging guests. The majority of the Phase 3 podium parking spaces will be dedicated to day visitor parking.”
2. The plans in september changed to delete one parkng area in buildings towards the creek down to one 2 level park for level 1 day parking and level 2 was for staff. There were also 150 spaces at the front of the hotel near the conference centre, 20 near the new kiddies area up next to SVLodge, and 350-500 down SV Rd at a proposed parking area with employee housing. As of 24 hours ago, the FAQ had a note from John that asked how many parking places were there. Please ask him.
3. Are they building on the arse end of Chamonix Place, ie over a road that turns into Shirley canyon? How do you build over a road?
4. I think Amador’s big buses are ‘going’. Hyatt in Incline won’t pay for buses and there’s no known parking or areas for big buses to turn around. Aren’t big buses good when they take up condo space?
Mark,
In the FAQ they say these destination tourists spend money around the lake, but
– people use cars, not buses
– I thought KSL said they wanted people to spend more in OV itself ie rather than in towns like TC and Truckee?
– With my aging bones, I’m lucky my family and grandkids will over my lifetime ski Heavenly and Kirkwood with other families who rent whole floors for weeks of our members only condo block.
I’d like to know where day trippers can park – free – in the village as we’ve done for 55 years.
If places like Nstar and Kirkwood have 30%-40% discounts on lodging, – plus der epicpass to ski half the world – won’t these destination tourists go there? Here’s the link to Kwood latest deal. if you want a peek.
http://click.email.snow.com/?qs=b6f5d6ca577cad24048a46f6c0aaa5b72a84e0a819c2bc176aabe1dd1411c6c4d64d8a1db43e6611
I throw parties and want the grandchildren to be taught be a real pro – me 🙂
If they can’t park nearby easily, I’m not buying a fractional.
Referring to their time scale for walking distances, I will also be too old to walk their ‘2 minutes” in 2 minutes, specially on ice. But I won’t be too old or frail to call my lawyer in LA about suing their sorry asses if I slip. He won $4m offset by $1m in contributory negligence, but $3m ain’t bad I suppose. It’s almost better than “free” skiing when you cash that $3m check 🙂
They’re seeing it’s good business to get this approved sooner before the townfolk do.
Jennifer Montgomergy and her Board of Supervisors will face the electoral lash and maybe a grand jury investigation: the jury can find things that really help a town planning case more often than not, and makes great reading in the led up to elections of all sorts of officials.
he’s not happy. The places are still listed for sale 90 to 180 days and there’s no takers. Anyone want a place over the river going cheap or one of the handful of foreclosures? in the village. How aboutr the ones at Placer auctions for unpaid taxes?
Unless you want to live a bus ride from the lake, or unless you think there’ll be snow in 10 to 40 years, why buy in SV? Japan and canada are safer bets.
I can’t see the words “free parking” on that land we’ve parked on for free for 50 years.
Not even Facebook can find “Freinds of KSL”. I’ve tried spell checking “Fiends” all to no aVail.
Hello,
When I see AW, he’s not backslapped having a beer like the managers and ceos of an older generation of resort owners (with more money than Croseus). Hmmm, and KSL want a vibrant village. Have they looked into all the facebook photos of the really successful places midweek. They need to get back to the people. Take Obama’s success with people power and ask yourself, how do they do it. Then ask yourself if you’d go to AW’s for a bbq or to Barack’s and Michelle’s? KSL’s Amex lady isn’t the one imo to turn SV into a vibrant place.
Moonshine’s story about agents of change has more readers than Gaffney’s!
How many “views” did Tom Moeers get in SF Gate-Chronicile
this initiative is again an attempt to claw destination travels into lodging at the ski lift’s hotels. When are u people gonna see that locals are the cheap grunt labor force?
who in their right mind will write donations to helpski bums pack out the free parking, the roads and the lift lines???? Cheapskate ski bums should get used to paid parking or get the bus to Northstar. KSL knows that people power ain’t nuff
http://www.moonshineink.com/sections/spout/surreal-nature-tahoe-politics-and-tahoe-summit is about the tactical infiltration of niave green groups by developers. Fairly apropos don’t you think. There’s no bio diesel or Tesla Superstation, no recycling plan, no extra water storages or ponds for snowmaking. Where are the solar panels, or the wind turbines or solar powered chairlifts,. There’s no power generation into the grid. All there are are green reasons that justify parking Bay Area Escalades under big airconditioned villas. Placer County needs to face the electoral backlash!
There are photos of whistler’s monstrosity village on the new squaw website. Who hear likes the Whistler-BC “village”??
I am shocked Ms Jennifer Montgomery that your Board didn’t tell UA or Moonshine that the model was 15% lower than it will be in the real world.
Hey if we cut their salary by 15%, do you think the Board of Supervisors will notice?
MS report again on the concerns with KSL’s plans in this article .about the stables. (Does anyone actually object to Mike’s ideas?)
http://www.moonshineink.com/sections/spot-news/quest-improve-squaw-valley-stables
Andy’s presentation was amazing!
Have a look at these budgets and the political support and the money from theme parks like Disney. $6.7m in advertising is nice! (You deserve a raise).
Look at how those international visitors from Scandavia, Brazil, France, Germany, Australia and Britain are worth jobs and over 100 billion to the State economy. More than locals can raise.
So where do you think KSL are going with this whole bus-plane-roads-condo thing?
http://search.tb.ask.com/search/redirect.jhtml?action=pick&ct=GD&qs=&searchfor=rob+lowe+california+snow+specialist&cb=ZO&pg=GGmain&p2=%5EZO%5Exdm014%5EYYA%5Eau&n=77fd345a&qid=01c1828720c646b9b76c750e237ed8f1&ss=sub&pn=1&st=bar&ptb=C45A6CB6-D12D-4C0C-BAF7-831D236F5B53&tpr=&si=translateye&redirect=mPWsrdz9heamc8iHEhldEUMGfuijP2cyEYDU6zzp5qINoGD4uIcVBN2TQ6vbBiOl4BIFUWrqkFZukt6Q2pOHD1QZoPLfqIkQasjRSbl5dfqrdpIwHOkI2fWkr%2BtWJDnrHml8QiXj7utlivHNF46pzA%3D%3D&ord=3&
IOV need a strategist y’reckon? UA have been ahead of the game with scoops almost as if youre a fly on the wall.
Dear Unofficialalpine.com,
A nice (free?) pool at SV appeals to some, but there’s a $7m aquatic centre in Truckee as Moonshine report. Question: Has SV released any sketches to show what type of pool they have in mind?
Aquatic Center Project Heads to Truckee Planning Commission.
TRUCKEE
The Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District is moving ahead with plans to build a $7.2 million aquatic center alongside the new community center.
The project is currently scheduled to go before the Town of Truckee Planning Commission at the Nov. 19 meeting, and could go out to bid in late November or early December. That schedule would set up the project to break ground in the spring of 2014, said Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District General Manager Steve Randall.
The 25,840-square-foot aquatic center project would also add 99 parking spaces to the triangle of land that the current new community center sits on. The plans include locker rooms, administrative offices, recreation and lap pools, spa, and lounge area. The building would be separate from the new community center, but a walkway would connect the two buildings, Randall said. ~ David Bunker/Moonshine Ink
Dear Editor
As I read your coverage about Squaw Valley, I think I should tip my limo driver because Aspen was cheaper to get to by limo than your buses charge.
I recall a snowstorm diverted planes away from Aspen. The limo cost $800. On my maths, your County and your resorts are paying $1200 ($290.14 per seat) for that same family of four to ride four bus seats to Squaw Valley and Northstar on the Squaw-NS route.
How could expert resort executives on expert committees and experts on TARP and Boards of Supervisors subsidy bus seats at rates that would make a limo driver blush with shame? Then we see the Counties and the resort executives on various committees and the TARP experts estol the virtues of an unsustainable bus system. We see that unlicensed lobbyists were “facilitators” of public ‘consultations’. We see KSL’s website say that executives can derive incentives. Then the Board of Supervisors’ Ms Montgomery says she wants the County to broker a solution, however her County may have been asleep at the wheel. Something does not add up. Do you think the County Auditors and a Grand Jury could tell me if my limo driver to Aspen deserves a bigger tip?
Thank you UA for linking the presentation to Cali theme parks and hotels about the great benefits of a Reno-Tahoe Winter games. BUT! If California and Placer, Washoe and many more are making locals pay for it through taxes and time wasted on buses, someone should have the decency to say so.
Hello but where’s the water if there’s a drought like 87-92.
You’ll remember when the lake was down 1/4 mile from the normal shoreline, and who forgets the fires and the rim and american fires, but where’s the recycled greenie water for snowmaking and fire fighting?.
Mark, these have solar and recylced rain water for near-zero carbon footprint. Why cant SV have employee housing near the main village bars rather than the boondocks?
I’ve seen many attempts to dig out of holes, Col. Hogan.
Some say “only 29% signed the petetition” but the video that says over 50% signed up in 30 days.
One link worked out gross income, where Springs are, …information galore.
I saw one thing on the Fair Politcal Practices Act. And SEC rules.
And where to put carparking, and where to put employee housing!
And where to run a 8 mile pipe
And how NOT to fill landfill with glossy brochures.
UA is Uber Alpine!
If you need a Presidnt-Kommandant, call me at Stalag Valley Skier Holding Camp 🙂
– Col Klink
What isn’t KSL and Montgomery telling us. The truth is out there Agent Mulder
http://www.moonshineink.com/comment/25425#comment-25425
Cows and sheep don’t pay to ride the truck to the slaughterhouse, but small hotels are paying for the bus scheme that’s decided to hel KSL turn SV into a semi-private gated community?
Oh, will they be serving kool aid at the next KSL Presentation?
Mark , the Letter by the “27” people was vewed on facebook 4300 times in only a day!
There’s up to 55 ‘comments” to a solitary post on Friends of Squaw Valley facebook page.
Tetongravity’s thread “Friends of Squaw Valley” has 29,000 views.
You’re site is prolly rocketing along too.
Placer’s Treasurer Jenny Windeymaur must be very annoyed with her naughty Supervisors poked an ant hill.
Stating clearly for the record, I am not involved in questioning KSL’s plans only to gain page views. I truly am fearful about KSL’s plans for the Tahoe region. Nonetheless, October was our busiest month ever at UA. Our traffic continues to build, hopefully KSL will figure out we’re not just an irritating fly that will go away.
Mark, the LA Times has a letters column 🙂