Updated February 2008|
Royal Gorge, A Conservation Community: This future mountain community is envisioned as a gateway to the outdoors and a source for wilderness education and recreational activities in the Sierra Nevada. Royal Gorge will feature trailside cabins and homes in three "camps" organized around specific outdoor recreation. More than 80 percent of the property will remain undeveloped, with open space protected in perpetuity. The new community will help ensure the long-term economic viability of the ski resort. The cross-country ski resort will serve as the central amenity of the new community. Cross-country skiers will continue to enjoy 8,600 acres of land untouched by development. Planned for an area where there's already an existing subdivision and freeway access, the proposed new community of 950 residences will focus on outdoor recreation in all seasons. New residences will access the existing Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort, and a new downhill ski connection will be created at Ski Camp. Approvals for completing the new community will be sought from Placer and Nevada Counties. Royal Gorge has provided preliminary draft planning documents to Placer County and the public, but is still completing its development application. |
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ABOUT ROYAL GORGE Who owns Royal Gorge? Long-time Royal Gorge owner John Slouber retired and sold Royal Gorge lands and Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort. The land and the resort were purchased by two Bay Area companies, Foster Enterprises of Redwood City and Woodstock Development of Burlingame. Company representatives Todd Foster and Kirk Syme are from the San Francisco Bay Area, but have long-term ties to the North Lake Tahoe area. Both have homes at North Lake Tahoe and are avid outdoorsmen. How many acres were purchased and is development planned? The new owners purchased approximately 3,000 acres, as well as Rainbow Lodge and Ice Lakes Lodge. Some portions of the land include zoning, and the new owners intend to seek approvals to develop portions of the property, while leaving the vast majority of the land untouched. The Placer County General Plan holding capacity for the land is calculated at between 1,764 to 3,238 residential units; zoning is for up to 1,197 residential units. Royal Gorge proposes 950 residences. Will Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort continue to exist in the future? The proposed new community will help ensure the long-term economic viability of the cross-country ski resort. Likewise, the cross-country ski resort is the central amenity for the proposed new community. The new owners have improved the cross country ski experience and are looking for ways to continue to make improvements, but the resort is not economically viable. It is hoped that as a result of the proposed development, more "bed base" can be added to the Donner Summit area to help support Royal Gorge, other nearby ski areas and Summit businesses. Will development harm the Royal Gorge cross-country ski experience? Development is being carefully planned to ensure the preservation of the Royal Gorge cross-country ski experience. The existing Royal Gorge cross-country ski resort stretches over about 9,000 acres of public and private land. Development will occur on just 400 acres, leaving 8,600 acres untouched. Where trails are affected by development, new connections will be created to ensure seamless access to popular destinations. All new residences will enjoy ski-in/ski-out trail access. SIZE AND TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT Why is it called a "conservation community"? In a conservation community, the developed portion of the land essentially "pays for" the remainder of the land to be conserved. Conservation communities cluster development onto a small portion of the land, while preserving the remainder in perpetuity. At Royal Gorge, the development will be situated on just 400 acres out of 3,000 acres of private land. In total, 8,600 acres of private and public land where ski trails are located will remain untouched. The community will be centered on a conservation strategy that includes protective or conservation easements and a nonprofit land trust to assure protection from development forever. Even private lots will include open space conservation easements requiring property owners to maintain a portion of their land in an undeveloped and unfenced state so the easement “reads” as a seamless extension of the adjacent common open space. It is expected that on average, about 50 percent of each single family homesite will be subject to open space conservation. How much of the land that Royal Gorge proposes as open space is too steep or wet to build on anyway? The Royal Gorge land holding in Placer County is about 2,600 acres, of which approximately 1,290 is not developable, or about 50%. Royal Gorge will conserve more than 80 percent of the land as open space. Aren't radical zoning changes needed to allow this size of development? Current zoning would allow a 1950s-style subdivision. Royal Gorge is actually proposing a down-zone of its land. Royal Gorge is seeking a rezone in order to create a conservation-oriented community that clusters development in three "camps," while preserving the remainder. Is it appropriate to move zoning around so that parcels that were zoned for little or no development end up with hundreds of units, such as Ski Camp?Royal Gorge is reducing the overall number of residences allowed under current zoning, but we propose to shift the units to different locations on the property. Both Ski Camp and Lake Camp are zoned for residential development, but by clustering the residences into camps, some areas where these camps are located will have higher density than current zoning allows; some areas will have lower density. To prevent sprawl, today's neighborhood design focuses on clustering. However, clustering residences is a trade-off. It places more residences on a smaller parcel of land in order to conserve more land as open space. Isn't the current zoning plan old and outdated? Isn't it doubtful that Placer County today would approve that many residential units? Normally, the County conditions its approval of a certain number of residential units with measures taken by the developer to lessen or eliminate certain impacts. The number of residential units is one of many factors the County will weigh in making its decisions. The Environmental Impact Report process will help the County to determine whether the development will be approved, and if so, what the "conditions of approval" should be. Existing zoning for Royal Gorge is outdated as it calls for a 1950s style suburban development. That's why Royal Gorge is seeking to both rearrange and reduce the existing zoning. What is the rationale for 950 residential units? The number of residential units evolved from Royal Gorge planning. Factors that were considered in arriving at the 950 number included:
With so many timeshares and condominiums, isn't this proposal out of step with Serene Lakes and Donner Summit character?It is expected that no more than about 100 residences will be fractionally owned. The Royal Gorge plan is for a mixture of housing types, including single family homes, duplexes, cabins, townhomes and condominium lodges. The surrounding area today consists overwhelmingly of single family homes used as vacation and part-time residences and many single family home owners rent out their homes. Also, the existing Ice Lakes Lodge is located in the adjacent Serene Lakes neighborhood. Royal Gorge is committed to mountain architectural design that fits with the Summit character. There are popular, sensitively designed condominium lodges in some of the most rustic mountain environments, such as Grand Targhee Resort in the Tetons of Wyoming. Condominium lodges provide homes for people who want to enjoy the Sierra but use less land than single family homes. That allows more land to be set aside as open space. Has the Royal Gorge plan increased from 950 units? No. The proposed number of residences remains at 950, and that includes a so-called "condo-hotel," a small hotel with individual residences that can be purchased. Employee housing is not included in the unit count and could constitute approximately 100 units more. Why include timeshares? Timeshares got a bad name in the past, but today’s fractional ownership options are attracting many of the same people who used to purchase whole ownership vacation homes. With fractional ownership, a family or individual owns a share in a residence along with several other families and individuals and they stay in their residence at times of the year that they select. Since it is the same group of owners every year, there is a stability of ownership, but maintenance and upkeep are taken care of for the owners. Fractional ownership is very much in demand today. If home purchasers pay a transfer fee to support open space, then doesn’t that mean Royal Gorge wouldn’t be giving away any land?Transfer fees might be used to manage the open space as well as to support community environmental education and nature exploration programs. What’s most important is that a mechanism be put into place to preserve the land as open space in perpetuity. Royal Gorge is studying a number of options. SKI CAMP Why use a "corporate ski resort model" at Ski Camp, with high-rise condos, lodges, commercial centers and parking lots? Ski Camp is called a "camp" because it specifically is NOT patterned after many existing downhill ski resorts with retail base villages. Royal Gorge does not plan the usual destination retail base village with a "main street" at Ski Camp. There will be neighborhood oriented shops and services sized to serve only the immediate neighborhoods. Ski Camp will be a collection of buildings placed informally within the trees. The atmosphere will be quiet and woodsy. Individual, free-standing "residential lodges" of two, three and four stories, will be spaced out and will be nestled into trees with unpaved footpaths and trails between them. Why bring downhill skiing and the downhill "culture" to Royal Gorge? The atmosphere of Ski Camp is expected to be quiet and natural. The Royal Gorge plan does not depart from what already exists at the Summit. Today, four downhill ski areas at Donner Summit co-exist in the same area with cross country skiing at Royal Gorge, and Royal Gorge trails already connect to two of them. The proposed Royal Gorge plan would add three downhill runs and connect Royal Gorge to downhill skiing with a lift. Why have so many residential units at Ski Camp? It’s more units than Northstar Village or Squaw combined. Unlike Ski Camp, the downhill ski resorts mentioned are destination ski resorts. They have destination retail villages, more residential units and greater density than anything Royal Gorge proposes. That is not the Ski Camp model. For example, the Northstar community is permitted for about 3,000 total residential units, whereas Royal Gorge proposes 950. In total, all three RoyalGorge camps would have fewer units than the number of homes and homesites at Serene Lakes. Why carve up the land for downhill ski runs that are pathetic and unchallenging?The three downhill runs Royal Gorge proposes are expected to be beginner/intermediate level. Advanced, energetic downhill skiers may warm up on the Ski Camp runs, then conveniently access an entire ski resort next door. Beginners, many families and those who don’t want to ski the entire day will remain on the Ski Camp runs. Are you using the corporate ski model at Ski Camp so it will be more attractive to sell it off to an Intrawest or East West Partners? Royal Gorge is expending significant resources to carry out detailed planning to create something new and innovative at Ski Camp that reflects the Donner Summit environment. What’s planned at Ski Camp does not fit the model of today’s base downhill ski retail villages. Neither Intrawest nor East West Partners has developed anything like Ski Camp. Royal Gorge has no plans to involve Intrawest or East West Partners. If there’s no parking, how will Serene Lakes residents access downhill skiing from Ski Camp? And who’s going to take a shuttle and two lifts? Today, Serene Lakes residents and their guests get caught in the day-skier traffic back-ups on Soda Springs and Donner Pass Roads. On busy holiday weekends, it will definitely be easier and faster for residents to take a shuttle and access downhill skiing via Ski Camp. Also, taking a shuttle and using the lifts uses less gasoline and causes less pollution than driving. There will be parking at Ski Camp, but not large amounts. The goals are to discourage driving, create less pollution and ensure that only Royal Gorge AND Serene Lakes residents—not regional day skiers—access downhill skiing via Ski Camp through use of neighborhood shuttles, leaving their vehicles at home. SERENE LAKES, WATER Are you going to draw down Serene Lakes so we look at a muddy ring? Today the Sierra Lakes County Water District (SLCWD) draws down the lake to serve water needs, but stays within a maximum water drawdown in order to protect recreational uses of the lake. In a water supply alternatives report prepared by consultants for Royal Gorge, obtaining a portion of the new community’s water needs via drawing down Serene Lakes was only considered during the winter months when it would not affect recreation or aesthetics. Any plan to serve Royal Gorge with water derived from Serene Lakes will be developed in cooperation with SLCWD and its elected board. Royal Gorge does not have a unilateral right to modify Serene Lakes to obtain water. Water rights for Serene Lakes are held by the water district for the benefit of customers within the district’s service area, and that includes Royal Gorge. Serene Lakes are totally natural lakes. Why would you propose dredging? A water supply alternatives report prepared by consultants for Royal Gorge identified several supply alternatives that could meet Royal Gorge needs without dredging the lakes. Serene Lakes have been dredged in the past, according to water district documents. For a summary of the water supply alternatives report, see the issue briefing “Water Supply Alternatives.” Please know that whatever water plan Royal Gorge pursues, we are absolutely committed to protecting the lakes—their water quality, their recreational benefits and their scenic qualities. Is it true that Royal Gorge water needs could be as high as 1,000 acre feet per year? No, this is more than triple the likely amount. Royal Gorge has projected a 46% occupancy rate and calculated we would need 235 acre-feet per year (AFY). We also are considering multiple occupancy rates, including 75% and 100%. At 100% occupancy, which we believe is unrealistically high for the proposed Royal Gorge community, water demand would be about 510 AFY. The SLCWD maintains rights to use 1,177 AFY, and today uses about 110-120 AFY. How could Serene Lakes supply some of Royal Gorge’s water needs, and what are some other potential sources of water?Both water supply and demand fluctuate seasonally in the Sierra. The plan that is developed will take this into account. For example, the Serene Lakes fill up with water from snow melt, and once they are at capacity, water “spills” out. When some of the water that spills out of the lake is captured, it can serve a portion of our water needs. Royal Gorge collected water flow information during the last six weeks of runoff during this preceding dry winter (2006-2007), and we found that more than 500 acre-feet spilled out of Serene Lakes during just those last six weeks. The water district has the right to use that additional water currently spilling out of the lakes, up to their water right of 1,177 AFY. |
The water supply alternatives report indicates that the area
has sufficient water supply to serve Royal Gorge needs, but new or expanded
water reservoirs to increase water storage,
or wells, are needed. Wells on Royal Gorge land are another potential source of water supply. The second phase of water test drilling on Royal Gorge land proved successful. Royal Gorge is in the process of working with the water district to collect additional information about Serene Lakes. We have entered into a contract with the district to complete several studies/tasks, now being conducted. Serene Lakes is overcrowded on busy weekends and holidays. Will new residents at Royal Gorge use Serene Lakes for recreation, and won’t this make overcrowding even worse? The Royal Gorge plan calls for new residents to be provided with their own water recreational facilities at Lake Camp, where they’ll enjoy canoeing, kayaking, swimming and other water sports. With Serene Lakes begin crowded, it’s unlikely new residents would want to use them when they have their own facilities. Royal Gorge also expects to create family-oriented programs and activities centered at Lake Camp, such as lessons, community barbecues and other community events. The social nature of these programs will foster a sense of community among new residents and will tend to make Lake Camp their preferred summer recreation destination. Royal Gorge owned a waterfront parcel on Serene Lakes that was sold for single family home construction. Royal Gorge heard from Serene Lakes owners that they were concerned about new residents accessing Serene Lakes. Sale of the waterfront parcel removes the possibility this land could be used to create a swimming beach in the future. Royal Gorge recognizes that the quality of Serene Lakes recreation is a very high priority for Serene Lakes residents, and looks forward to further discussions on this topic. Won’t more development increase hillside erosion and ruin the lakes with polluted stormwater runoff? Development always poses risks to the environment unless safeguards are put into place. This scenario will not be allowed to occur because of today’s stringent water quality protections. Current laws and the County’s and State’s conditions of approval will be designed to protect the water quality of the lakes and to prevent flooding. Unfortunately, the current Serene Lakes subdivision was developed before today’s stringent anti-pollution laws were passed. Snowmelt and stormwater runoff travel over long segments of paved roadway surfaces and through residential home sites where they can pick up petroleum products from vehicles, fertilizers, herbicides and pet waste before reaching the lakes. Thanks to modern design and best management practices, impacts of this nature will be minimized with new development. What effect might the Royal Gorge development have on the South Yuba River? The vast majority of proposed Royal Gorge development is on land that drains into the North Fork of the American River, not the South Fork of the Yuba. Lake Van Norden is located on Royal Gorge lands at the headwaters of the South Yuba. In addition, the current practice of the Donner Summit Public Utility District (DSPUD) is to discharge its treated wastewater into the South Yuba River during the winter months. Initial technical studies propose that DSPUD’s treatment plant be expanded to serve new Royal Gorge development and that the current practice continue of discharging treated wastewater into the South Yuba during the winter. Placer County’s Environmental Impact Report process will study and identify ways to avoid or mitigate all environmental impacts, including any potential impacts to the South Yuba River and the North Fork of the American River. Would one of the proposed Royal Gorge water storage reservoirs be filled with water from a seasonal tributary to the South Yuba River? No, the water storage reservoir Royal Gorge proposes at Lake Camp is not on land that drains into the South Yuba River, and it would not be filled with water from a seasonal tributary to the South Yuba. Isn’t it true that there is no well water available on Royal Gorge property because it’s all bedrock? No, Royal Gorge has successfully located more water on its property than necessary to fulfill the projected contributions identified in the Water Supply Alternatives Report (go to www.royalgorgefuture.com to review a summary and/or copy of this report). TRAFFIC/ACCESS Why isn’t Royal Gorge proposing to provide a secondary access road? Why isn’t Royal Gorge proposing to provide a secondary access road? Information collected to date indicates that topography and land ownership would greatly impede development of a secondary access road. Pahatsi and Soda Springs Roads were sized for significant traffic volumes per the Placer County General Plan in order to serve the significant amount of zoning in the area. Today Soda Springs Road that serves the Serene Lakes subdivision crosses often-used railroad tracks. Royal Gorge proposes to create a grade-separated railroad crossing so that trains will no longer block traffic on the road. Royal Gorge consultants have completed a traffic impact study. To address traffic impacts, the study recommends a number of improvements that include turning lanes and widening of roads. The County’s Environmental Impact Report process will provide more information on how the traffic impacts of Royal Gorge development should be addressed. For a summary of the consultants study, see the issue briefing “Roads, Trails, Transit, Traffic Management and Parking to Serve New Community.” What about emergency access in the event of a forest fire? There are close to 1,000 homes and home sites in the Serene Lakes subdivision and many have been there since the 1960s. During this time, there has always been one road to and from the interstate that serves the area. Emergency evacuation routes and evacuation measures in case of a fire involve many complexities that extend to the region’s entire roads network. Certainly, preventing trains from blocking the road will help both traffic congestion and emergency evacuation. To better understand both of these issues— emergency evacuation and traffic congestion— many questions need to be answered, such as:
SEWER There is very little sewer capacity in the Serene Lakes-Royal Gorge area. How can more development occur? The Donner Summit Public Utility District is pursuing a plan to expand its facilities irrespective of the Royal Gorge project. The capacity of the existing system will need to be yet further enhanced, or a new system built, in order to serve new residences at Royal Gorge. We are in communication with Donner Summit PUD and the Sierra Lakes County Water District and we intend to work cooperatively with the Districts. Will a new wastewater treatment facility be needed and if so, who will pay for it? Royal Gorge will be required to shoulder the sewage treatment costs of serving the population of its new community. Options include either expanding the existing plant or building a new one. Will current ratepayers be negatively impacted by the costs of additional infrastructure? Consultants employed by Royal Gorge have completed a detailed assessment of sewer demand and design options. As mentioned, DSPUD plans to expand its facilities irrespective of the Royal Gorge project. The consultants report several advantages from expanding the existing DSPUD wastewater treatment facility, versus building a new treatment facility. DSPUD representatives have pointed out potential advantages to the district and its current ratepayers as a result of serving the larger population produced by the Royal Gorge community. With a larger population, the treatment facility is expected to operate more efficiently. Also, the Royal Gorge community could result in the area having less fluctuation in seasonal population, and that smoothes out the peaks and valleys in demand and utilization. In addition, cooperating with Royal Gorge on a plant expansion may result in lower capital costs versus the district pursuing the planned expansion on its own. For a summary of the consultants’ report concerning wastewater treatment options, see the issue briefing “Wastewater Treatment Options.” LISTENING TO THE PUBLIC What has Royal Gorge done to reach out to the public? Royal Gorge has engaged in unprecedented community outreach commencing well before submitting a development application to Placer County. The dialogue thus far has significantly influenced project plans, and community outreach and dialogue will continue to help shape the project. Upon purchasing the property in 2005, Royal Gorge identified and met with stakeholder groups and individuals. The royalgorgefuture.com website was created to provide the public with a convenient way to view information and updates about the project. Royal Gorge also asked for volunteers to serve on an ad hoc committee to help identify locations for public access to public lands through Royal Gorge land. Initial comments and concerns were recorded in the first Public Input Report and copies distributed to key officials, groups and individuals. Based upon the land, technical studies and community input, a Concept Plan was developed and presented at public meetings. A Meeting Input Report was compiled, summarizing the input on the Concept Plan. Also, a peer review process was conducted to allow stakeholder organizations to review Royal Gorge technical studies. Royal Gorge continues to provide website, emailed and mailed updates to a database of thousands of interested neighbors and community members. Once a formal development application is submitted, Royal Gorge’s proactive community outreach will continue and will complement the extensive Placer County review process. How has the plan changed as a result of community input? In the initial comments Royal Gorge received, people asked that the community have no golf and no gates, that Van Norden Meadow be protected from development, that the railroad crossing on Soda Springs Road be upgraded, that there be designated locations for the public to access public lands through Royal Gorge private land, that the cross-country ski experience be preserved and a downhill ski connection added. These requests were reflected in the Concept Plan that Royal Gorge presented. Additional public input was received concerning the Concept Plan. Pre-submittal documents recently shared with Placer County and the public reveal additional changes to the plan as a result of public input. These include an increase in open space, plans that have been revised and refined to protect sensitive areas, adjustments to road alignments and residences to further minimize impacts to cross-country trails, limiting shared ownership residences to about 100, ensuring that Ski Camp contains only neighborhood-level services, identification of viable water supply sources sufficient to serve Royal Gorge without dredging Serene Lakes, a larger buffer between Ski Camp and the existing Serene Lakes subdivision, no additional Serene Lakes beach access for Royal Gorge residents, improved alignments for downhill trails that minimize tree cutting and contribute to a more natural appearance, remodeling Summit Station day lodge, eliminating Summit Camp and homesites near Lake Van Norden, and ensuring that Wilderness Camp complies with current zoning. For more information, see the issue briefing “Listening to the Public: How the Plan Changed.” What’s the best way to provide Royal Gorge with my comments and get my questions answered? The best way is to visit www.royalgorgefuture.com website and click on “Contact Us.” Royal Gorge responds to every comment or inquiry. Many comments we have received have resulted in face-to-face meetings, phone conversations, tours, etc. Also, you can call Royal Gorge at 530-426-3871. In addition, when Royal Gorge submits its development application to Placer County, a comprehensive review process will commence that includes numerous opportunities for the public to provide input. Royal Gorge will publicize these opportunities at royalgorgefuture.com and in emailed and mailed updates. If you have not signed up to be on the Royal Gorge email and mail list, please do so by clicking on “Contact Us.” BENEFITING THE PUBLIC How would the public benefit from development of the Royal Gorge community? Here are some of the ways that the Royal Gorge community benefits the public: The Royal Gorge community is proposed by a responsible developer who seeks to create a gateway to the wilderness. As part of the plan, five new permanent easements would be created that would forever run with the land to provide the public with access to public lands across private land, and would include three parking areas and trail-related services. The new community would preserve more than 80 percent of private land as open space forever. To create a community that is oriented toward learning about the culture, history and ecosystem of Donner Summit, the owners propose a community that includes affordable housing and housing diversity, and respects the unique natural resources of the area. It’s a responsible approach to development on land that has been zoned for development for many years. With this community, Donner Summit gains a true asset that fits into the existing rugged, outdoors-oriented culture and the public gains assurances that no additional development will occur on these lands – forever. In addition, the new community will support the long-term economic viability of Royal Gorge cross-country ski resort—indeed, the central amenity of the entire community is the cross-country ski resort. By helping to shape an ecologically oriented community located on land that is slated for development, the public can help create a plan that will have lasting benefits for generations to come. |