After months of gathering public input and conducting extensive environmental studies, Royal Gorge presented their proposal for development on Donner Summit at three public presentations in mid-March. Royal Gorge co-owner Kirk Syme said their desire was to ‘create a community that is about getting people into the wilderness.’
In addition, he said that the cross-country ski center cannot exist long-term without changing its economic model. To provide the number of cross-country skiers the resort needs, Syme stated that a larger bed base needs to be created adjacent to the resort.
However some residents and other concerned citizens claim the proposed development is equal to a new overgrown ski village and will change irreversibly the quiet nature of the Serene Lakes neighborhood, in which Royal Gorge is located.
Royal Gorge’s proposal stated that while zoning for the 2,900 acre property could allow close to 3,000 homes on individual lots, by clustering development and limiting it to 950 homes, over 70 percent of the land will be kept in open space. (Versus the alternative, similar to the types of developments being built in the Truckee area, of large low-density developments of expensive single-family homes occupying hundreds of acres.) Royal Gorge proposes creating a Royal Gorge Land Trust to maintain open space and a program of guided hikes to help enjoy it.
The primary focus of the proposal is to create four ‘Camps,’ or locations where development occurs. Each camp would have a different focus. One would include two new manmade lakes and several hundred homes; the largest would add three chairlifts providing access to Sugar Bowl and would include the densest development; a third Camp would be a smaller, rustic grouping of cabins located in a more remote location and include the Wilderness Lodge; and the fourth would include a nature center and a new Nordic center lodge. (For details, see the Four Camps sidebar.)
The development would also include road improvements, including a bridge over the train crossing and retention of almost all of Royal Gorge’s Nordic trails. Citing Richard Louv’s book, ‘Last Child in the Woods,’ as inspiration, Royal Gorge presented the development as a much needed opportunity for residents of the Camps to bring their families closer to nature. (Louv’s book talks about how computers, television, excessive litigation and a host of other factors have eliminated nature from our children’s lives.) Since most of the buyers of homes in the community would be second-home owners, the premise is that city and suburban dwellers would have a chance to experience nature at its most wonderful.
As with most major proposed changes, Royal Gorge’s plans bring up questions as well as provide answers. Tom Mooers, from the environmental group Sierra Watch, says, ‘clearly the proposal is for a major development which would forever change Donner Summit.’ On the other hand, he says, ‘the proposal is raising really important questions that need to be answered on the future of Donner Summit.’
Dan Wexler, from the Serene Lakes Property Owners Association (SLPOA), expressed some of the concerns of the Serene Lakes Community in an open letter to Royal Gorge that appeared on the SLPOA website: ‘My primary concern is the traffic that will result from the new development along Soda Springs Road, the problem is not the occasional stoppage caused by trains, but instead the shear [sic] numbers of cars on high traffic days.’
Wexler also wrote, ‘I do not want any alpine skiing. I am very concerned that the connection to Sugar Bowl will cause additional traffic impacts on the Serene Lakes region. My final concern regards safety. This development simply cannot proceed without a secondary egress into the Serene Lakes region.’
Based on the reaction from the packed houses that attended the three presentations in March, Wexler is not alone among Donner Summit residents in his concerns. While there are certainly those who would prefer no development at all, if Royal Gorge does develop the property, the next question is what is the best way for it to happen? Some Donner Summit community members on the SLPOA website forum expressed concern about bringing high-density development to the Serene Lakes area. Several homeowners expressed concern about Serene Lakes becoming ‘a Northstar or Tahoe Donner.’
John Eaton from the Mountain Area Preservation Foundation applauded the efforts of Royal Gorge owners and said, ‘I am very pleased that Royal Gorge has initiated a process that engages local homeowners and environmental groups with the goal of a high quality outcome that meets everybody’s needs.’
At each of the meetings, Royal Gorge passed out a Public Meeting Comments form and gathered input from those who attended. At the March 17 presentation Kirk Syme said, ‘Where we are now is a step in the process. We approached the community with a promise to listen. We are intent to listen and then plan. We will take additional comments and be moving the process forwards towards a preliminary application in June.’
Royal Gorge’s Four camps
1) Lake Camp: Just to the west of the current Summit Station, two lakes would be created to become the central focus for a development of several hundred homes. Many of the homes would have direct access to Royal Gorge’s Nordic trails. Pahatsi Road, would be paved and improved through Lake Camp.
2) Summit Camp: A new lodge would be built to replace a closed down Summit Station at the edge of the Van Norden meadow. The new lodge will also include a history and nature interpretative center. Employee housing is proposed near the lodge.
3) Wilderness Camp: In perhaps the most unique part of the proposal, far out on the cross-country ski trail system near Bear Pass, a new Wilderness Lodge is proposed with several cabins and a cookhouse. With great mountain views, unpaved and unplowed roads, and a limited number of cabins, this camp would be a rustic retreat for those looking for a near wilderness experience.
4) Ski Camp: In what appears to be the most controversial part of the proposal, Ski Camp would be located between Serene Lakes and the top of the ridge to the southeast (Razorback trail). On the slopes where Nordic skiers currently struggle up to Lola’s Lookout, two chairlifts would be built. At their base, condos, houses and some commercial development, would be constructed, creating a mini village. Some Nordic trails would be eliminated, while others would be relocated. Ski Camp is designed to provide a unique combination, downhill skiers going down the middle of the slope, and Nordic skiers going around the outside to the top of the ridge. In addition to the two chairlifts providing access to the beginner and intermediate downhill terrain, an access lift would be built to take Ski Camp residents over to Sugar Bowl. Royal Gorge estimates that about 60 percent of the 950 units proposed would occur at Ski Camp.
Other key components of the plan include:
• No golf courses or gated communities.
• Almost the entire Nordic network of trails would remain, including the more remote locations that provide the most dramatic views (many of the most popular views such as Devil’s Peak and Point Moriah are actually not on Royal Gorge property).
• Access corridors would be created so that the public can gain access to Forest Service lands through Royal Gorge’s private land. Access issues have been a bone of contention with Donner Summit residents for a number of years. Some Donner Summit organizations feel that the public already has legal access, but is just not aware of it.
• The train crossing just to the south of the intersection of Donner Pass and Soda Springs Road, would be put underground or below grade with a bridge so that trains will no longer stop traffic.
• In addition to the nature/history museum proposed at the new Van Norden lodge, Royal Gorge is proposing to provide guided hikes and snowshoes from Ski Camp.
