By ALEXIS OLLAR
The vision statement for Truckee touts an inclusive public process, engaging with the community to develop land for housing, connectivity and affordability, while protecting important natural resources and avoiding sprawl. I question how the Canyon Springs development meets these vision statement goals. “As Truckee residents, we cherish our natural environment, the Truckee River, and open space areas, and are dedicated to safeguarding these resources,” the vision states. “We know our town is attractive and growth is in our future. We will meet the challenge of managing growth while enhancing the beauty, history, and small town flavor that attracted many of us here.” The general plan was created to ensure we are making the right land use decisions, balancing development with our sensitive and unique environment.
The Canyon Springs housing development is proposed at the very eastern edge of the town’s boundary, in an established migratory deer corridor for the Loyalton-Truckee deer herd. The project proposes 203 units, adjacent to 850 acres of land known as Planned Residential Development 2 — also known as the Teel property — in unincorporated Nevada County. The Truckee General Plan designates 850 acres of Planned Residential Development 2 as a future-receiving site for an additional 275 homes and 10 acres of commercial space. Not only has this cumulative environmental impact not been analyzed; it has never truly been disclosed to the community.
The Canyon Springs Final Environmental Impact Report fails to account for this unprecedented growth, yet the environmental document and the Town of Truckee have confirmed utilities will be sized to accommodate future growth on the Teel Property if approved. It is clear that there is more at stake than just the approval of a large subdivision in Eastern Truckee. Canyon Springs is the catalyst for sprawl beyond Truckee, creating a physical utility and transportation connection, allowing the Teel Property to develop.
What does this mean for Truckee? Isn’t there enough housing stock for future development without ruining a wildlife corridor at the edge of Town? Existing subdivisions such as Elkhorn Ridge have sat fallow in Glenshire, with approved and un-built housing lots, poorly developed infrastructure that creates runoff, and unmitigated impacts to the Glenshire pond and surrounding environment. Failed subdivisions like this give no assurance to the community that Canyon Springs will have a different outcome. Despite a glut of existing, vacant lots in and around Glenshire, we must entertain an application for more of the same and likely bear the brunt of another failed housing development — a detriment to both the environment and the economy.
The community at large needs to uphold the policies of the Truckee General Plan that helped create a vision for our town. Remind decision makers of the challenge of managing growth, and why open space, wildlife preservation, and good planning are needed to protect our unique home in the Sierra. Canyon Springs is not just a Glenshire issue; it is a growth issue for all of Truckee. Join Mountain Area Preservation and take a stance against sprawl. Attend the Town of Truckee Planning Commission hearings on Monday, Nov. 16 and Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m. at Truckee Town Hall. Make your voice heard. Canyon Springs = SPRAWL!
~ Alexis Ollar is the executive director of Mountain Area Preservation, a non-profit that preserves and protects open space in the Truckee region.
