Tahoe Donner is planning to spend $23 million on a 28,000 square foot ski lodge to service a two-lift ski hill. Many of the members have opposed it for the size, cost and need to invest in other aging amenities, but here is why it should matter to you whether you live in Tahoe Donner or not.

We have a major labor shortage due to cost of living/housing and cannot even staff many of our amenities. The larger the facility, the bigger the staffing needs, taking away labor from other businesses.

Tahoe Donner is Truckee’s largest neighborhood, and should HOA dues skyrocket to pay for this Lodge, it will price out renters and homeowners such as teachers, firemen, hospitality workers.

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Tahoe Donner owns an enormous amount of land that is open to the public, but our fire abatement policies are not enough. Home insurance policies are being canceled due to fire risks, Tahoe Donner should be investing in fire abatement, not building a massive lodge for a small hill. Tahoe Donner trails benefit all of us.

Snow making is critical to this program, but at its low elevation, this may not be possible due to climate change. Further, we should all be concerned with water considerations and warmer winter temperatures.

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Tahoe Donner already has a traffic/overcrowding problem, with only two ingress/egress roads and now required reservations for amenities; inviting more skiers will compound this, causing safety hazards in the event of an emergency. This affects all of us with limited first responder resources.

The new ski lodge should be right-sized for what we have. I think it is time to take stock of where we are, how Tahoe Donner plays a role in Truckee, macro trends that affect our community and rebuild appropriately. Write to the board with your view: MemberLetters@tahoedonner.com

Joe Bono

Truckee