By ANN NICHOLS
We all know how important location is. I do. I’m in the real estate business. I also love camping and own a RV. But Mountainside Partners’ proposal to plop 550 campsites on the ridge 1 mile west from the Hwy. 267 summit will become a blemish that the Tahoe Basin will regret forever. It will open a precedent for developers to exploit our precious ridges that define the Tahoe Basin.
Adjacent to the 100-plus acre campground area is the same developer’s Martis Valley West proposed gated community, which includes 760 units and 6.6 acres of commercial density. More than 4,000 people could potentially inhabit these two spaces. As a comparison, Yosemite’s family campground’s 459 sites accommodate 2,754 people. The animals will pretty much move on. The recreational open space we have enjoyed will be gone, its character defaced.
The Brockway Campground proposal is up for review by Placer County and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Picture, if you will, the camper traffic on Hwy. 267 coming from Truckee or backed up at the Kings Beach traffic light. This ridge and the Tahoe Rim Trail that threads through it are admired for their wilderness profile. The ridge at night would be violated by the glare, headlights moving like ants across the sky.
The trend is all too clear. If you look at the prospect of high-rises in Olympic Valley, 1,000 new units surrounding the Ritz, or a multi-story development encroaching on tiny Crystal Bay, you might agree with me that all of this development is not in the best interest of the Tahoe Basin and its residents. This is all about money, exploitation, and a few making decisions for the many.
The future of this glorious lake and surrounding mountains is in our hands. Sign the petition at savetahoeforests.com and be counted. Please attend public hearings.
~ Ann Nichols is president of the North Tahoe Preservation Alliance, owner of Ann Nichols and Company in Crystal Bay, and a 45-year Tahoe resident.
