Palisades Tahoe Expansion Approved

After years of community pushback and legal opposition, the expansion of the Palisades Tahoe Village was approved last week by the Placer County Board of Supervisors. The resort can now move forward with their plan to build a world-class village and base area.

The Village at Palisades Tahoe Specific Plan includes 93.3 acres of land in Olympic Valley, with a main village area of 84.5 acres and an 8.8-acre east parcel. The plan proposed up to 850 lodging units including hotel, timeshare units, condo hotel, and fractional ownership.

Originally proposed in 2011, the developers faced immense community opposition, and the plan was revised multiple times. In 2014, the number of bedrooms was reduced from 3,187 rooms to 1,493. While the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved the specific plan in 2016, the county faced a lawsuit from Sierra Watch. They had argued and won on the basis of better environmental analysis, which rescinded all of the prior approvals.

The most noteworthy changes to the current plan includes the removal of a water park and the use of an already disturbed natural area for redevelopment. The large, asphalt parking area at the base of the mountain will be developed into hotels, timeshares and condominiums.

The plan seeks to reduce traffic in the Tahoe basin by allowing more visitors to stay in their facilities. They also envision additional retail and restaurant space, with a plan for pedestrian pathways and parks.

One of the items approved in the plan will create affordable housing for 386 employees with 287 new beds for employees and to 99 replacement beds. This deed-restricted employee housing will be completed in the first phase and kept in perpetuity.

The plan also includes a maximum of 206,211 square feet of commercial space for the Mountain Adventure Center (MAC). The MAC is intended to be a year-round, state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor mountain training facility. Initially, the MAC included a water park, but this was one of the items removed because of enormous community pushback.  

The MAC will include conference spaces, performing arts areas and other resort amenities such as a pool, soaking tub and climbing wall.

In addition to 450 new employee parking spaces, and new day skier parking structures, they plan to restore Washeshu Creek, add a seasonal playground and a new fire station in the west end of the valley. 

The plan seeks to enhance the North Lake Tahoe community with significant funding for regional workforce housing, transportation, tourism mitigation, and other Olympic Valley and regional priorities. 

Future planned improvements of the Village include 9 acres of active park land, 17 miles of new and existing multi-purpose trail improvements, and a creekside interpretive trail.

The North Lake Tahoe community has always sought to protect its vital and natural resources through groups such as Sierra Watch, Keep Tahoe Blue, League to Save Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Truckee True. The new Village at Palisades Tahoe promises to balance a vital economy, while protecting our natural resources.

Contact me today for more information about available homes for sale in Lake Tahoe. I represent all areas of the lake, from Truckee to the North and South shores of Lake Tahoe.