Email Homewood + TRPA

Now is the time to tell Homewood + TRPA to deliver public recreation at Homewood!

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guestservices@skihomewood.com cindygustafson@placer.ca.gov homewoodplan@trpa.gov

Homewood Developers,

I am very concerned about your proposed Community Access Plan not adequately protecting public access. I see several problematic loopholes in your proposed language and omissions.

I’m particularly worried about your plan not containing defined pass types for visitors, including second homeowners, short-term vacation renters, or skiers from outside the area. The Master Plan says that the resort is to be “enjoyed by local residents and visitors alike”!

Therefore, I would like you to add several items to your proposed Master Plan & Community Access Plan, which include:

Defined Number of “Non-Members" Skiing At Any Given Time: As written, there is no committed usage or capacity for non-members, which means the entire property could be dedicated to members only. Enable ~1500 non-member pass- and ticket-holders to ski at any given time, on a first-come first-served basis, while enabling HMR to also accommodate HOA members, future offsite members, and other uses at HMR's discretion.

Full-price, non-blackout season passes + day tickets: The current Community Access Plan makes no provision for full-priced, non-discounted season passes or day passes among the resort's "snow skiing products and packages." It only uses non-committal "e.g." language. HMR could simply choose to sell only memberships, and refuse to sell season passes or day passes. In fact, the CAP is silent on who gets to ski on blackout days. This would deny recreational access to everyone except the locals, teachers, first responders, and ski team participants whose discounted pass types are well-defined. It particularly affects part-time residents/second homeowners and visitors, since they don't qualify as full-time residents, and there are no defined pass types in the CAP that they could purchase.

No Extreme Pricing: Season passes and day tickets to be priced dynamically and comparably to Mt. Rose and Diamond Peak equivalents. Without this, HMR could charge $10k per pass and comply with their regulatory documents. HMR has already suppressed demand at the resort by charging the highest ticket prices in the country for lifts that break down and dilapidated facilities. They have cited the resulting drop in demand as proof that the resort is no longet viable as a 100% public resort. If Homewood truly intends to drive demand from the public "like all other Tahoe Basin ski resorts," they should have no problem agreeing to this.

I support KHP and would like you to close the complete list of loopholes they have identified. The list is below.

I am also appalled that you have not yet concluded your required development agreement with North Tahoe Fire. The LA fires remind us that it's just a matter of time before the West Shore faces the same fate. Delaying HMR's committed investments is not just a bad look - it threatens the safety of everyone on the West Shore.

I am a huge lover and supporter of Homewood Mountain, and I look forward to the mountain being redeveloped (including the gondola). But please address each of these reasonable asks - your actions will show the community (including me) that you have our best interest at heart, and that we can trust you to protect public access.

Thank you for your attention.

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Defined Number of “Non-Members" Skiing At Any Given Time: As written, there is no committed usage or capacity for non-members, which means the entire property could be dedicated to members only. Enable ~1500 non-member pass- and ticket-holders to ski at any given time, on a first-come first-served basis, while enabling HMR to also accommodate HOA members, future offsite members, and other uses at HMR's discretion.

User classes: The Master Plan must contain clear definitions of "members" and "non-members," and define privileges for each.

Full-price, non-blackout season passes + day tickets: Commitment to selling full-priced, non-blackout season passes and day tickets targeted at visitors.

No extreme pricing: Season passes and day tickets to be priced dynamically and comparably to Mt. Rose and Diamond Peak equivalents. (We support the proposed discounts for locals!)

Access to other amenities: Local residents and visitors to have equal, first-come first served access to skier services, hotel room reservations, and the North Base, South Base Shuttle.

"Always" language: The developers' "Homewood will always be public" PR promise must be embedded in the Community Access Plan.

Monitoring frequency: Monitoring must be executed monthly during ski season and once in the summer.

Closure for all: Any closure for "Operational Constraints" or TRPA enforcement must apply to everyone (i.e., can’t just affect non-members).

Shelter in place: fire evacuation area location must be identified in the application documents.

“Old Tahoe”: The original Master Plan language citing examples of the “Old Tahoe” architectural style should be retained.

Trees: The proposed tree plans need to minimize removal of heritage trees throughout the Master Plan area, especially at the North Base. In addition, HMR should replace trees with more mature specimens that are taller than 10 or 16 feet as currently proposed.