The hotly contested expansion of Homewood Mountain Resort on Lake Tahoe's West Shore is delayed again, this time because of continued litigation. If the story sounds all too familiar, that's because despite being initially approved in December 2011, JMA Ventures (the resort's owners) has been unable to start construction. Homewood originally opened in 1962 but has struggled in the past decade to turn a profit. According to their 2011 plan, JMA Ventures wants to spend roughly $500 million to build a 5-star hotel, a new base area, and a retail-oriented village.
In 2011, the Homewood Master Plan received unanimous approval from the local planning board. But less than a month later, environmentalists led by Earthjustice sued saying that the developers never adequately considered a smaller plan.
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Despite settling in January 2014 with environmental groups like Tahoe Sierra Club, Friends of the West Shore and Earthjustice, now a different lawsuit is now holding up construction.
According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, the California Clean Energy Committed filed a second, lesser-known lawsuit in Placer County Superior Court against Placer County and JMA in December 2011. Although in 2012 the court ruled in favor of the developers, an appeal was filed and now both parties are waiting for the court. At issue is how the development will contribute to additional strain on local roads, especially those relating to wildfire evacuation.
JMA Founder and Chamber Art Chapman said that now they hope to start the project in May 2016.
· $500 million Lake Tahoe ski resort redevelopment won't break ground in '15 [TDT]
· $500 Million Homewood Redevelopment To Bring Big Changes [Curbed Ski]
· Vote Now: Yay or Nay on the Squaw-Alpine Gondola? [Curbed Ski]