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Truckee planners to hear Waldorf school application, review quarry operations

TRUCKEE, Calif. — Friends of Tahoe Truckee Waldorf will appear before the Truckee Planning Commission Tuesday evening as their application to open a new school will be heard. 

Friends of Tahoe Truckee Waldorf purchased the building at 12640 Union Mills Road in 2019 with plans to relocate Golden Valley Tahoe School, which was an existing Waldorf school, onto the property.

Golden Valley Charter Schools operated GVTS until the school was closed in March 2021 and their charter was revoked. 



In September 2022, Friends of Tahoe Truckee Waldorf submitted a charter application to Truckee Tahoe Unified School District which was denied. Town staff assume, if the application is granted, the school will operate as a Waldorf school. 

The application proposes a 240 student Waldorf school (Transitional Kindergarten through eighth grade), that will operate at 12640 Union Mills Road. 



According to the staff report, the school would operate out of the existing 4,560-square-foot building and proposes to install seven modular buildings on permanent foundations to create four additional classrooms. 

The proposed project also includes widening the existing 12-foot paved entrance road (Union Mills Road) to a 24-foot roadway with a 2-foot-wide shoulder on both sides. A reconfiguration of the parking/drop off area is also proposed, which would provide an additional 13 parking spots, for a total of 22 parking spots, including two accessible stalls.

Some of the issues the commission will be discussing during the meeting include whether the application adequately addresses evacuation of the students in case of wildfire, address access and road maintenance issues, are there vehicle miles traveled concerns and does the school align with future development plans for the area. 

Also during the meeting, commissioners will conduct the required 2-year review of the Martis Valley Quarry. 

The quarry, located at 3879 Joerger Drive, was opened in the mid 1950s. In 1981, Nevada County granted it a use permit for the removal of no more than 25,000 tons of aggregate. The 25,000 ton limit was reached in 1983. 

After the limit was reached, the site received a conditional use permit to allow for an open pit dry harvest mining operation, which had a 5-year review condition. 

“During the February 21, 2017, Planning Commission meeting, concerns were expressed by members of the public and the Planning Commissioners regarding several aspects of the quarry related to air quality, dust, odor, noise, and water quality,” the staff report stated. 

The planning commission changed the condition to require a 2-year review. According to the staff report, several complaints were made in 2021-2022 regarding odor, noise and dust. 

Public comments can be made until 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan 17. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m.

It can be viewed in person at 10183 Truckee Airport Road or remotely via https://ttm.ompnetwork.org/


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