JANUARY 23 UPDATE:
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board approved amendments to the Homewood Mountain Resort Master Plan on Wednesday.
The new master plan allows reinvestment in the historic Lake Tahoe ski resort while ensuring Homewood will continue to be open to the public.
Previously approved projects to add accommodations and commercial uses at the base areas were reduced in size with updated architecture.
The Governing Board also approved a permit for Homewood to begin construction of a new gondola to replace the main chairlift at the resort’s North Base to improve skier access.
The ski area will also work with fire officials to expand services and assist with wildfire evacuation.
Hundreds of in-person and online attendees participated in the meeting. Previous meetings were held in September and December of 2024, and the agency and Governing Board received more than 1,500 individual comments overall.
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board will consider proposed amendments to the Homewood Master Plan during their public meeting Wednesday morning.
We've been reporting on this in the last few months. This comes after Homewood Ski Resort has announced they are not opening this ski season due to permitting issues and their financial partner pulling operating funds.
This master plan hasn't been touched since it was approved by TRPA back in 2011. So, a lot of these changes are updates for the business model to accommodate things like wildfire safety plans and preventing the resort from becoming a private recreation area.
Jeff Cowen, public information officer for TRPA, says, "There's a concern also with Westshore citizens and residents Homewood would somehow change and become something other than the family-friendly, small, central part of the Westshore."
Cowen says they've been working with the applicant to ensure their proposal is going to maintain public access to the resort. He tells us they're also making sure all operations are compatible with the resort and the environment. Some of the benefits in the master plan include new gondola bays and new commercial uses on property to help reduce traffic.
If the new master plan is approved, Cowen says the amendments can take effect in 60 days.
"But if the Governing Board takes action, they'll be approving a permit for a new gondola at the base which is something that we've heard from the resort is a big priority for them to go forward."
The entire meeting will focus on this one item to ensure all public input is heard. You can find the link to the meeting by clicking here.
