Never one to mince words, Mountain Area Preservation President John Eaton summed up the proposed Canyon Springs development adjacent to the Glenshire subdivision this way: ‘Wrong thing, wrong place, wrong time.’ Along with the sound bite, Eaton elaborated on a few of the key downsides he sees with the project. A new water tank would need to be built to serve the 284-acre parcel. The property is rife with seasonal watersheds that drain into Glenshire pond to the west. It would generate about 1,700 new vehicle trips a day. And the Verdi mule deer herd (now estimated at between 800 to 1,200), which returns to the area each spring and summer for fawning and forage, would be impacted.
‘Is the town willing to exchange deer and wildlife for development?’ wrote wildlife biologist Sara Holm in a comment letter submitted to the town on behalf of the California Department of Fish and Game. ‘Although it is unknown exactly how the deer will respond, it’s exactly what NDOW (Nevada Department of Wildlife) and DFG are trying to find out,’ Holm continued. ‘I believe this development will be detrimental in the long run to the survival of these deer.’
The Canyon Springs development application, deemed complete in July, now sits in the Truckee planning department while the town waits for proposals from three firms vying for the contract to complete an environmental impact report for it. If approved as currently proposed, the 284-acre subdivision’s maximum allowable density would be 1.5 dwelling units per acre. Including a density bonus for affordable housing, 320 units could be built in total on 185 lots during the project’s three proposed phases.
Though all seems quiet on the surface of the Canyon Springs parcel, now blanketed under snow, tensions continue to brew among concerned groups and individuals. When developer Christopher ‘Chip’ Huck moved the Martis Peak homeowners gate and mailbox cluster 1,000 feet up Martis Peak Road in October, the action infuriated many. The move, done to improve access to Canyon Springs, was legal and across property the developers owned, but caught folks off guard. Martis Peak resident Marianne Ryan, who helped poll homeowners about the gate relocation over the summer, said those who responded were overwhelmingly opposed to it. ‘He [Huck] could have cared less about the survey we did. He was going to do it anyway,’ Ryan said. She is primarily concerned about the traffic and safety risks the development will create, especially in the event of a wildfire. Canyon Springs would have only one access point with traffic entering and exiting at the intersection of Martis Peak Road and Glenshire Drive.
‘If the Town approves the proposed emergency fire-gate at the Edinburgh entrance, then yes, Martis Peak Road would be the primary access and exit point. In case of a fire, the Edinburgh entrance would be opened and would provide a second way for Glenshire residents to exit the subdivision,’ Huck said.
Huck, originally from Minnesota, moved to Truckee two years ago. While he has become the public face of the development, Canyon Springs is a joint venture made up of two LLCs — CST Holdings, a Minnesota LLC, and Duke/Huycke Properties, an Oregon LLC. ‘Including myself, there are five partners within the two LLCs,’ Huck said. ‘My partners and I, on a separate individual basis, have been involved in multiple developments in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Oregon, consisting of custom homes, master-planned and age-restricted communities, and commercial developments.’ Huck and his partners acquired the property, formerly known as Tahoe Boca estates, when it went into default in 2008.
‘Improvements along Martis Peak Road were made recently as part of an acquisition agreement and there are no current plans to further extend the entry road prior to development of the property,’ Huck said.
Huck is standing behind Canyon Springs as a responsible, sustainable development that will offer a multitude of community benefits such as public trails (four miles) and open space (over 60 percent of the total project), habitat preservation, property restoration, LEED design, town and district fees and revenue, and opportunities and support for the local building industry.
Huck says he has formed an advisory committee of local individuals who are ‘helping to make Canyon Springs the best project possible.’
The best outcome for one group, SOS Glenshire, would not be a completed project but the permanent preservation of the land by purchasing the property from its current owners. ‘I would love to go to Chip and give him a fair market price for it,’ said SOS President Leigh Golden. While the group is engaged in fundraising and has talked to potential partners like the Truckee Donner Land Trust, ‘In these tough economic times, it’s not easy,’ he said. Golden guesses that a price of around $8 million to $10 million might be in the right range, but his group has not gotten a formal assessment.
Huck confirmed that the while the property isn’t being actively marketed, it is available for purchase. ‘It’s important to note that a significant investment in the property has been made, and would therefore be factored into an updated purchase price for interested parties,’ he said.
In the meantime, SOS, MAPF, and others continue fundraising and organizing, the developers wait for the town process to inch along, and the critters residing on the 284-acre parcel they know only as home sweet home, burrow in for a long winter.
Info: townoftruckee.com, canyonsprings.com, sosglenshire.org
