HOMEWOOD, Calif. – Homewood Mountain Resort’s (HMR) revised master plan proposal will face its first major regulatory hurdle Dec. 11 when the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) Advisory Planning Commission reviews the updated application at a public meeting. 

“The TRPA Advisory Planning Commission will review the Homewood Master Plan amendment application and associated documents and consider a recommendation to the Governing Board,” according to the TRPA. “The Board may consider the amendments at a subsequent meeting date to be determined.” 

The resort has submitted most required documentation, including draft plans for public access on page 56. The master plan and public access proposals are subject to modification pending agency review and public input, TRPA’s Special Projects Manager Paul Nielsen wrote in an email. 

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Homewood’s community access plan 

Homewood’s draft community access plan was updated on Nov. 22 at 4:30 p.m., according to the TRPA. It ensures public availability of skiing and year-round amenities. All snow skiing products and packages will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis during operating hours. Anyone holding a valid pass or ticket will have access to skiing areas and lifts. 

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The resort will offer year-round public access to facilities including restrooms, lockers, recreational areas, retail shops, rental services, a seasonal ice rink and mid-mountain pool, food outlets, hiking trails, and parking. 

Some amenities may require fees. There will be no charge for restrooms and deed-restricted hiking trails. During peak periods, parking may require reservations. 

The pricing structure follows other Tahoe Basin resorts with dynamic pricing for ski products and parking. Full-priced ski products will be available to all, not just property owners or members, though separate discount programs may be offered. 

Local discount programs 

Homewood Mountain Resort will offer a discounted True Local Season Pass for West Shore full-time residents at 35% below regular season pricing, capped at the previous season’s highest restricted pass rates from Palisades or Northstar. Lake Tahoe first responders, teachers, and military personnel qualify for a 50% discount. Available during a minimum 30-day spring pre-sale period, each True Local pass includes the option to purchase up to six discounted non-peak buddy tickets at 35% below Palisades/Northstar rates. 

Homewood Mountain Resort will offer a five-year version of the True Local Season Pass for West Shore full-time residents, available during the 30-day spring pre-sale period. Priced at six times the annual True Local pass rate, this option requires upfront payment for all five years. Like the annual version, it includes the option to purchase up to six discounted non-peak buddy tickets each year at 35% below Palisades/Northstar rates. 

Homewood Mountain Resort will offer community-focused programs, including $75 non-peak day tickets for Lake Tahoe Basin first responders, teachers, and military (subject to Consumer Price Index adjustments and advance registration). Homewood will provide honor roll students from the Tahoe basin with four free non-peak ski days. A discounted children’s ski team program will be available for West Shore residents who are younger than 18. Employees will receive complimentary season passes with six discounted buddy tickets. 

Homewood will host disadvantaged youth from the Bay Area, Sacramento, Reno, Sparks, and Carson City communities for guided winter and summer activities. 

Rules and eligibility 

All full-price and reduced-price offerings will be available during operational periods, with 12 annual blackout dates including holiday periods. Eligibility for West Shore resident benefits extends to primary residents between Rubicon and Tahoe City, while first responder, teacher, and military discounts apply to those working 20+ hours a week in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The discounted programs require reservations and are non-transferable and non-refundable. Homewood will offer these or equivalent public access programs. 

Homewood’s proposed master plan 

Homewood’s proposed master plan aims to transform the resort into a sustainable four-season destination while preserving its character as a small, family-friendly ski area. The vision includes updating aging infrastructure, creating an on-site bed base, and implementing environmental improvements. Key environmental initiatives focus on reforestation, hydrology, and water quality protection to prevent sediment runoff into Lake Tahoe. 

The plan addresses current challenges, including the resort’s financial struggles as a commuter-only resort and traffic congestion on Highway 89. To ensure viability, the plan proposes limiting peak skier visits and attracting longer visitor stays to reduce traffic. 

Development objectives emphasize maintaining Homewood’s scale, enhancing West Shore residents’ lifestyle, and generating sufficient revenue for improvements. The master plan must comply with TRPA guidelines, which prefer expanding existing ski areas over developing new ones. It also requires consistency with regional infrastructure and environmental regulations. The resort faces a financial challenge where needed modernization requires capital that current operations cannot support, making real estate development necessary for funding improvements.

The project requires review and approval from multiple agencies, including TRPA, Placer County, and environmental regulatory bodies. 

Master plan process 

Homewood’s master plan followed an alternative process approved by the TRPA. It replaced the traditional steering committee with public engagement, which included 30+ community meetings reaching more than 1,000 participants, public site tours, workshops, and newsletters. 

Through this process, revisions were made to the original 2011 plan. It reduced overnight accommodations from 432 to 155 units, residential units from 432 to 184, and maximum building height from 75 to 65 feet. 

Key changes were based on public input, which included reducing South Base density, relocating maintenance facilities, removing day-skier parking from South Base, repositioning workforce housing, scaling back hotel wings, and focusing on neighborhood-scale commercial development. It also moved the proposed gondola terminal location to the North Base. 

Project description 

Homewood’s master plan proposes redevelopment of the North Base, the South Base, and the Mid-Mountain area. The North Base (18 acres) will feature a new 8-passenger gondola, a 75-unit boutique condo hotel, 64 residential units, 13 workforce housing units, 25,000 square feet of retail space, and 685 parking spaces. 

The South Base (6 acres) will be transformed into a residential area with 51 condominiums and 118 underground parking spaces, with day-skier services relocated to the North Base. 

The Mid-Mountain area will have a 20,000-square-foot day lodge, maintenance facilities, and new amenities including a learn-to-ski lift and summer swimming facility. 

The plan incorporates environmental improvements, including more than 600,000 square feet of land coverage restoration, water quality enhancements, and SEZ restoration of Homewood Creek. Alternative transportation features include bike paths, shuttle services, and public transit integration. 

Recreational additions include an amphitheater, cross-country ski connection, ice skating, and expanded hiking trails. 

History 

Homewood Mountain Resort, on the western shore, was developed in the 1960s and expanded in the 1970s by acquiring Tahoe Ski Bowl. The two areas merged in the 1980s. They struggled financially due to aging facilities and infrastructure. 

After changing hands several times, Homewood Village Resorts, LLC, purchased the property in 2006 and began redevelopment plans. Even though there was steady usage, the resort required annual subsidies. 

Following the 2011 master plan approval, the resort experienced declining skier usage and inconsistent performance due to snow conditions.

Homewood currently has 1,000 acres of private land in Placer County, bordered by the resort to the east and roughly 200 acres of U.S. Forest Service land surrounding the remaining perimeter. 

Existing mountain conditions 

Homewood has eight ski lifts with a capacity of 8,238 passengers per hour, including one quadruple chair, three triple chairs, and four surface lifts. The resort sits at 7,880 feet elevation with 1,600 vertical feet of skiable terrain, offering views of Lake Tahoe. The 411 acres include 62 ski trails, with 12.9% beginner, 70.2% intermediate, and 16.9% advanced slopes. 

The resort’s snowmaking system covers 23.8 acres using tower-mounted guns, consuming about 17.5 million gallons of water annually from multiple wells and domestic water sources. The resort’s current Persons At One Time (PAOT) capacity is 1,704. There is a future winter day-use allocation of 1,100 available pending additional permitting. 

Parking facilities accommodate more than 3,000 skiers across seven lots totaling 942 spaces, plus on-street parking. Traffic has decreased from 13,700 vehicles per day in 1999 to 7,500 in 2022. Public transit is limited to hourly TART service between Sugar Pine Point State Park and Tahoe City. 

The resort’s facilities include 21,654 square feet of indoor skier service space divided between the North Base (10,429 sq ft) and South Base (11,225 sq ft). The South Lodge was lost to fire in 2016. The site utilities include water, electric, telecommunications, gas, and sewer. 

On mountain improvements

The proposed updates to Homewood include lift improvements, with the aging Madden chair to be replaced by a new high-speed 8-passenger gondola. This upgrade will increase capacity from 1,800 to 2,400 persons per hour and provide improved access between the base lodge/condo hotel area and the new mid-mountain day lodge. While the recently added Quail chair will remain, the Ellis chair is scheduled for replacement due to age. 

The resort plans to enhance its snowmaking capabilities to ensure reliable early and late-season conditions. The system requires approximately 200,000 gallons of water per acre-foot of snow coverage, with water pressures of at least 300 psi. The snowmaking infrastructure will be updated in conjunction with power system upgrades, with a focus on energy-efficient equipment that meets master plan approval requirements. 

A key development will be the new mid-mountain day lodge located on beginner terrain. This facility will serve as an activity hub for winter and summer operations. Some ideas for the site include night dining, weddings, conferences, and special events like terrain park exhibitions. 

The proposed 8-passenger gondola will provide access to this area, with the base terminal being repositioned north and east downslope to improve accessibility. A new cabin storage facility near the mid-mountain lodge will help extend the gondola’s operational life. 

Additionally, maintenance facilities for snow cats and other heavy equipment will be relocated from the south base to a new mid-mountain maintenance building. This facility will include work bays, parts storage, offices, a welding shop, and lift maintenance space. The rubber tire maintenance will be outsourced to a local garage. 

Base area transportation 

The transportation program includes extending the West Shore Bike Trail, implementing employee shuttle services, offering free public transit passes to employees, and operating scheduled shuttle services between Homewood and Tahoe City. 

A North Base-South Base shuttle and electric/hybrid car rental service will be available, along with a free bicycle share program. Winter services will include a West Shore Dial-A-Ride service and skier intercept shuttles. Summer will feature parking control measures and real-time transportation information systems. 

Density reduction 

The development plan significantly reduces residential density, with South Base decreasing from 235 to 51 units (78% reduction). The North Base will feature a 5-star boutique condo hotel with up to 75 units, 13 workforce housing apartments, and 25,000 square feet of commercial space. The South Base will be transformed into a residential enclave with no day skier facilities. The project adheres to TRPA height ordinances and emphasizes the classic Tahoe lodge architectural style. 

Sustainability initiatives 

Sustainability initiatives include potential micro-hydro development on Madden Creek, biomass heat recovery, biodiesel use for mountain groomers, LEED certification for commercial buildings, and green building practices. The development will focus on energy efficiency through proper building orientation, material recycling, efficient mechanical systems, and high-efficiency lighting. 

Social sustainability is addressed through workforce housing, potential childcare options, and extensive transit systems. 

Timeline 

The master plan implementation is scheduled over 10 years, with Phase 1 (North Base) occurring in years 1 to 7 and Phase 2 (South Base) in years 7 to 10. The phasing includes progressive implementation of environmental improvements, transportation infrastructure, and water quality measures throughout the development period. 

Overview 

Placer County and the TRPA approved Homewood’s master plan in 2011 after a four-year review process. It operates within the regulatory framework of the Tahoe Regional Plan. The plan area is in the West Shore of Placer County Tahoe Basin Area Plan (TBAP) and adheres to environmental thresholds established in 1982 for water quality, air quality, soils, wildlife, fisheries, vegetation, scenic quality, and recreation. 

The plan utilizes PAOTs as a quantifiable measurement of recreational capacity. In TRPA’s 1987 regional plan, Homewood was assigned 1,100 PAOTs. The resort’s expansion plan aims to address current deficiencies, including insufficient interior space and aging lift infrastructure. 

Policy requirements include demonstrating consistency with regional plans, ensuring adequate infrastructure for visitors, and avoiding expansion of day-use parking. The master plan incorporates amendments to the plan area boundaries and allowable uses, including the addition of multi-family dwellings and special height districts. It also addresses transportation needs through existing TART service and proposed dial-a-ride systems. 

The implementation required several regulatory adjustments, including expanded TRPA and Placer County plan area boundaries, modified allowable uses, changes to the TRPA code of ordinances regarding height and density, and amendments to the North Tahoe Fire Protection District service boundary. 

Operations and management 

Homewood’s Operations and Management Plan outlines public access and responsible operation, including traffic management, commercial activities, grooming, snowmaking, and emergency planning. The resort has already treated more than 450 acres of forested areas to reduce wildfire risk, with plans to eventually treat all 1,000 acres using state-of-the-art chipping equipment that helps maintain forest health and reduce stormwater runoff. 

The resort plans to upgrade its snowmaking system to ensure reliable snow coverage. The system requires 12 inches of packed snow minimum, ideally four feet, for quality skiing conditions. Water requirements are estimated at 17.1 million gallons for initial operations and between 51.3 to 68.4 million gallons per season, with average operating consumption of 1,900 to 2,100 gallons per minute.

Watersources include the McKinney well (1,000 gem) and supplemental domestic water from both base areas.

In partnership with Integrated Environmental Restoration Services and UC Davis, Homewood has developed a watershed protection program that considers the entire ecosystem including streams, drainage areas, uplands, forests, meadows, structures and other elements to see how each watershed is functioning, how it can be protected, and improved.

The master plan implementation is expected to reduce sediment yield by 69 tons per year across Homewood Creek, Madden Creek, and Quail Lake Creek watersheds.

The stormwater management system exceeds TRPA’s requirements by providing the capacity to capture between 116 to 292 percent over the capacity required for the 20-year, one-hour storm event.

As required for earning additional height under TRPA code section 37.5.9.C.6, “the project shall retain and treat up to the 50-year, 1-hour storm utilizing on-site and offsite systems incorporating best available technologies.”

To comment, email homewoodplan@trpa.gov. Comments will be included in the public record and to the Advisory Planning Commission and Governing Board.