Renovation plan for ski resort at Lake Tahoe approved
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOMEWOOD, Calif. -- Regulators have approved a major makeover of Homewood Mountain Resort on Lake Tahoe's west shore, despite concerns about traffic and air pollution.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's governing board unanimously approved the master plan prepared by JMA Ventures, which owns the 50-year-old ski area.
The decision last week paves the way for the biggest hotel on the west shore since 1901, when the Tahoe Tavern was built in Tahoe City, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The plan is to bulldoze the current facilities and turn the 1,253-acre property into a destination resort with a four-story hotel, ski-in condominiums, two lodges and retail space.
JMA Ventures touts the $250 million plan as the most environmentally friendly project ever at Lake Tahoe.
Supporters hail the project, saying it will provide a boost to the economy and help revitalize the area.
Critics complain it will boost traffic on two-lane Highway 89, worsen air pollution, disturb the area's quality of life and send runoff into the lake, which is across the highway from the resort.
