timeshares proposed for tahoe vista

Amazingly, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Placer County have approved a developer’s application to convert the Sandy Beach Resort campground in Tahoe Vista, consisting of 6 wooded acres on the North Shore, into a “fractional ownership” resort.  The gated resort, to be known as “Cerulean Lake Tahoe” would include 39 large units (up to almost 3,000 square feet each), many of them 2 - 3 bedroom units with an additional game room (that can be converted into a 4th bedroom), with detached garages, numerous parking spaces, and a large exclusive clubhouse.  

If the project goes forward, the quaint and rustic setting of Tahoe Vista will be permanently altered and traffic will be substantially increased by an average of 300 vehicle miles traveled per day.  This area will also be significantly impacted by the addition of over 165,000 square feet of hard impervious coverage replacing compacted dirt and soft coverage.  The project would also require the removal of up to 61 percent of the trees and native vegetation on the site and would result in the loss of one of the only campground facilities in the entire North Shore.

Another significant issue with this project is that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Placer County are allowing for Tourist Accommodation Units (TAUs) that were originally 300 square feet motel rooms to be “morphed” into 2,800 plus square foot units with 3 or more bedrooms.  TRPA Chapter 2 Code of Ordinances defines TAUs as “one bedroom or a group of two or more rooms with a bedroom with or without cooking facilities, primarily designed to be rented by the day or week and occupied on a temporary basis.”    This TAU conversion obviously falls outside the intent of the TRPA Code.  Nonetheless, the project has been approved by both Placer County and the TRPA.  The League and other groups are examining the legality of the TAU conversion. Click here to read our comments, and check back often for the latest updates. For more info, email Flavia Sordelet, Communications Specialist.