West Shore, California — It’s been a drama-filled past few months at Homewood Mountain Resort. After announcing that it wouldn’t operate this winter because of a financial supporter backing out, the blowback has been fierce. Groups like Keep Homewood Public believed this move was to show that the ski resort planned to become private, which they previously showed an interest in doing. In response, Homewood Mountain Resort has increased its advocacy, issuing an apology for past attempts to go private, and released a new slogan:
“Smile, Homewood will always be public.”
Last month, Homewood Mountain Resort revised its master plan application to the Tahoe Regional Planning Authority (TRPA) request for more documents, as they marked Homewood’s application as incomplete. Here’s a summary of what’s part of the master plan.
On-Mountain: Homewood has acquired a new gondola and plans to install it up to the mid-mountain. The new eight-person gondola, which would start near the North Lodge, would replace the Madden Chair. Next to the gondola’s top station would be a learning area with a magic carpet. The Ellis Chair would be replaced by a high-speed quad chairlift. A new snowmaking system is also planned, which will help them open more terrain earlier in the season and produce snow more efficiently.
Real Estate & Lodging: Extensive real estate and lodging developments are planned. Homewood plans to build 225 residences across the ski resort. A hotel/condo building with 75 units is also envisioned.
On-Mountain Facilities: A new lodge could be next to the top terminal of the gondola. This would include food and beverage outlets, a sundries shop, and restrooms. An outdoor recreational pool would be open to the public in the summertime.
New Village Facilities: New buildings are planned to modernize the North Base. For skiers, new lockers, bathrooms, ski school, and ski patrol office are planned. This North Base village area would also feature a grocery store, hardware shop, and ice cream parlor. An outdoor ice-skating rink is a core part of this proposal, with the plans being for it to be open to the public.
Parking/Traffic Improvements: Homewood is planning various improvements to help mitigate traffic woes that have recently impacted the region. If fully realized, there would be 400 parking spots at the ski resort for guests: 238 in a planned garage and 162 in underground parking. A new daily shuttle is planned that would connect spots around the rest of the West Shore to the ski resort. Other plans include more walking/bike lanes, supporting public transit, and reserved parking spaces for lodging guests.
Benefits To Locals: As part of the PR push that promises to keep Homewood publically accessible, four new disocunts are planned. The first is the True Local Season Pass, which will offer season passes at a 35% discount for West Shore residents. 5 Year True Local Passes will also be offered, offering further discounts over a half-decade timespan. Discounted day tickets will be offered for first responders, teachers, and members of the military. Tahoe Basin students who got on their school’s honor rolls would get four free days. Homewood also plans to offer discounted programs for underserved youth.
Local Response: While some are happy about the plans and Homewood’s PR push that emphasized public accessibility, others are less excited. Some wanted to see Homewood implement the 2011 plan, which never did happen, as they didn’t like the architectural proposals of the new plan.
“Original (approved) plan was ‘Old Tahoe charm’ with granite and wood, for the public. Now, it’s contemporary design with engineered stone & metal (a carbon copy of most newer resorts), for members
”
Keep Homewood Public remains skeptical of the ski resort’s intentions. This group believes that the wording in documents contains loopholes and workarounds that could still allow the California ski resort to become private.
In response, Homewood Mountain Resort has started a petition to show support for approving the new master plan, which you can view here.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Advisory Planning Commission is scheduled to meet today, December 11th, to discuss the changes to the master plan.
Image Credits: Homewood Mountain Resort, Keep Homewood Public
