Massive Controversial Ski Village Approved For Tahoe: Reports

PLACER COUNTY, CA — A massive ski village was approved this week for Tahoe’s largest resort after over a decade of controversy, according to reports.

The development to be built at the bottom of Palisades Tahoe was approved unanimously by the Placer County Board of Supervisors after a nine-hour meeting Tuesday in Kings Beach, where more than 100 people spoke, SFGate reported.

The project will include about 1,500 bedrooms and 300,000 square feet of commercial space, according to the publication, which reported the development will be built on roughly 90 acres of what is now mostly parking lot space, include housing for nearly 400 employees, and create 750 jobs.

Community members have objected to the plan due to concerns about its affect on housing, traffic, infrastructure, Lake Tahoe’s clarity, and public safety in the event of a wildfire evacuation, SFGate reported.

During over six hours of public comment, residents spoke out while wearing matching shirts that said “Tahoe Truckee True” and holding signs to express their opposition, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

“We serve at restaurants, we shovel snow, we operate lifts on the mountains, we run the rivers and we make outdoor adventures possible, and we usually do it with a smile on our face,” seasonal worker Tiffany Pearson said, according to SFGate. “But at the end of the day, the majority of my friends live paycheck-to-paycheck.”

The development is anticipated to generate $7.5 million per year for county transportation and workforce housing investments, SFGate reported. The plan would require a new fire station or improvements to the existing one, according to the Chronicle, which reported Palisades President and Chief Operating Officer Dee Byrne said the resort would be willling to pay for the necessary staffing and equipment.

Dozens who spoke supported the plan, the Chronicle reported, although SFGate noted even more voiced their opposition.

Palisades employee and Truckee resident Kristin Cooksey argued the development offered solutions, according to SFGate.

“I ask our communities to work together and not chokehold progression but move forward for a brighter future,” she said, SFGate reported.

Tuesday’s vote was a long time coming, after the project was approved in 2016, then rescinded under court order after environmentalist group Sierra Watch sued the county, according to SFGate.

The development is set to be built in phases and take 25 years to finish, the Chronicle reported.