OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. – Placer County has scheduled two public hearings in August to discuss the controversial Village at Palisades Tahoe Specific Plan. 

The first, a virtual community meeting, will take place on Aug. 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. County staff will present information on transportation, transit, fire and emergency evacuation, and water supply. Participants can submit questions through an online chat. 

The second hearing, a joint meeting of the Olympic Valley Municipal Advisory Council (OVMAC) and the North Tahoe Regional Advisory Council, is set for Aug. 17. This meeting will be held in person and virtually. The purpose of the meeting is to present information on the proposed specific plan project, answer project questions, and to receive a project recommendation from the OVMAC. 

The OVMAC recommendation will be included in the county staff report presented to the Planning Commission later this summer or fall. The OVMAC meeting location and time has not been announced. 

Sierra Watch is opposed to what it calls a “Vegas-style development.” 

Sierra Watch said the ski industry giant Alterra Mountain Company has been pushing for more than a decade to secure approvals for an unprecedented development project in the Tahoe region that would dramatically transform Olympic Valley. 

Sierra Watch cites issues with hotel, condominium-hotel, and fractional ownership residential units up to eight stories tall; a 90,000-square-foot indoor water park; construction time; increased traffic; fire safety issues; and water usage. 

“The bad news is that Alterra is doubling down on its nightmare vision for the future of Tahoe,” said Tom Mooers of Sierra Watch in a news release. 

“The good news is that day after day, year after year, we are proving that we work together to stand up for the Sierra and defend our mountain culture.” 

Palisades Tahoe Public Relations Manager Patrick Lacey wrote in an email to the Sierra Sun that until this date, the community doesn’t have access to the most recent and accurate information. 

“Sierra Watch is again spreading their same false narrative about the plan,” Lacey wrote. “Extensive community feedback is what got us to the current plan. The community will have more opportunities to hear the truth about the plan and engage in the process at upcoming meetings in the next month after Placer County releases the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR).” 

Once the county releases the EIR, Alterra Mountain Company will consider participating in media requests. 

“Since Placer County has not yet released the final Environmental Impact Report, neither we nor Sierra Watch have access to the most recent and accurate information,” Lacey emphasized in another email to the Sierra Sun. “We cannot comment on something that hasn’t been released yet.” 

According to Placer County’s project overview and background on its website, the Village at Palisades Tahoe Specific Plan is located within the 4,700-acre Olympic Valley General Plan area in northeastern Placer County. The plan area encompasses about 93.33 acres consisting primarily of the 85-acre resort village located at the west end of the Valley within the existing Palisades Ski Resort base area. 

In addition, an 8.8-acre area called East Parcel, is located about 1.3 miles east of the main village area and 0.3 miles west of the intersection of State Route 89 and Olympic Valley Road, across the street from the Olympic Valley Public Services District offices and fire station. 

The specific plan would implement a hospitality and recreation-based, all-season mountain resort community with up to 850 hotel, condominium-hotel, and fractional ownership residential units and a maximum of 1,493 resort bedrooms. 

The project includes development of new commercial, retail, and recreational land uses similar to uses currently allowed under the Olympic Valley General Plan and Land Use Ordinance, the community plan which establishes land uses and policies for Olympic Valley. 

Some of these land uses include skier services, retail shopping, restaurants and bars, entertainment, and public and private recreation facilities. New and replacement commercial uses in the plan area would total up to 297,733 gross square feet. 

The project was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 15, 2016, and was subsequently litigated. The appellate court determined the EIR had deficiencies with four specific analyses and directed the county to take action to decertify the Final EIR and un-adopt project approvals. On Nov. 8, 2022, the Board of Supervisors took action to decertify the Final EIR and rescind the project approvals in accordance with the appellate court decision. 

The project proponent, Alterra Mountain Company, has worked with county staff and an environmental consultant to revise portions of the EIR analysis in response to the appellate court decision. The 60-day public comment period for the partially revised Draft EIR closed on Jan. 30, 2023. County staff and an EIR environmental consultant are reviewing comments received during the public comment period and will provide written responses to all comments in the Final EIR. 

There is no schedule for when the project will be presented to the Planning Commission and subsequently to the Board of Supervisors. 

Additional hearings before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors are anticipated for late summer and fall 2024. 

The Planning Commission will first consider certification of the final EIR and approval of project entitlements and will provide their recommendation on these actions to the Board of Supervisors. 

To read the Village at Palisades Tahoe Specific Plan on Placer County’s website, go to http://www.placer.ca.gov.