PRESS RELEASE
Northstar California Resort announced on Feb. 21 that the Placer County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 in favor of the Northstar Mountain Master Plan. A roadmap for the next two decades, the plan is designed to help lengthen current guest stays and solidify Northstar as a premiere destination resort. It provides guests with a wider, more diverse array of terrain offerings and recreational activities, facilitating an improved and extended vacation experience for the destination and day-use guest.
“Northstar would like to thank the Placer County Board of Supervisors, Placer County Planning Commission and numerous community stakeholders for their unanimous support of the Northstar Mountain Master Plan, our 20-year vision to provide a premier destination resort experience,” said Nadia Guerriero, vice president and general manager at Northstar California. “We’ve worked diligently with our community partners for more than a decade to create a plan that meets the changing needs of the ski industry, while still focused on conservation priorities and community issues.”
Components of the plan include:
- New terrain: Increasing the variety and improving the balance of beginner, intermediate and expert terrain by creating a wider, more diverse array of terrain offerings, such as access to the Sawtooth Range. Approximately 293 acres of new groomable ski trails are proposed with over 700 acres of new skiable terrain, resulting in approximately 3,870 acres of total skiable terrain.
- New lifts: Adding new lifts to improve the distribution of guests across the mountain, facilitating circulation while reducing congestion and crowding in higher-use areas on the mountain and on trails returning to the Village at Northstar.
- Snowmaking advancements: Improving quality of snow surface conditions through additional snowmaking coverage, further enhancing the resort’s snowmaking system with new and improved technological and energy efficiencies.
- Skier services: On-mountain skier service site improvements to provide additional seating, restrooms, and enhanced food service.
Northstar wants to maintain its competitiveness as a resort destination by upgrading existing services, amenities and operations. This includes providing a better balance of skier amenities, improving lift technology, and increasing the variety and mix of recreational activities. This will be accomplished by implementing a plan that respects and adheres to the habitat and land use goals defined in the Northstar Habitat Management Plan (HMP).
An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) examining the proposal has been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) statutes and guidelines, and Placer County’s Environmental Review Ordinance. The EIR identifies feasible mitigation measures to reduce or avoid impacts, considers project alternatives, and evaluates the project’s potential to contribute to cumulative impacts in the region.
More information is available on the Placer County website.
