Intense public backlash has greeted the Martis Valley West project, currently under review by Placer County. At a June 9 planning commission hearing that ran six hours, public testimony was overwhelmingly not in favor of the project. At a second commission hearing in Kings Beach on July 7, Moonshine Ink asked people what they foresaw as being the potential benefits or impacts of Tahoe proposed developments under consideration by Placer County right now. For more, read Two Developments Tip the Scales here.
Brad Sherman, Tahoe Vista
Contractor
The benefits are for Placer County in Auburn. They get more tax base, more property taxes, more occupancy taxes. As you can see today, you can’t go more than 5 mph through Kings Beach. Our area can’t sustain any more traffic.
Ann Nichols, Brockway
Realtor
We are over the tipping point. Our infrastructure cannot handle this many people. If there were a fire, it would be a certain tragedy.
Gus Bean, Tahoe Donner
Party Planner
I see no benefits to these developments. The impacts I see are natural habitat destruction from logging and traffic congestion on 267 and 89 with too many people. My thoughts on the Squaw development are that it’s purely for the money, and the developers have no consideration for the people who live here full-time.
Mary Cushing, Tahoe City
Bookkeeper
I’ve lived here 40 years and we already have far too much congestion in the high seasons. The danger of not being able to leave in an emergency is very real. One of the things they brought up at the last meeting was these projects are not intended to benefit our community.
Holly Langley, Carnelian Bay
Nanny
Putting [the Brockway Campground project] on the top of 267 is absurd, traffic-wise. We don’t need any more places for second homeowners or visitors. We need places for people who live here year-round.
