Judge Halts 6,000-House Martis Valley Development

A Placer County Superior Court judge this week temporarily blocked Placer County from proceeding with a 6,000-house development project in the Martis Valley, handing a partial victory to environmental groups that oppose the plan.

In a 31-page tentative decision, the court deemed that approvals for a development plan for an area between Truckee and the Tahoe Basin violated state law and ordered the county to suspend development activities.

“It’s an extremely important milestone in the effort to protect, Tahoe’s Martis Valley from irresponsible development,” said Tom Mooers, executive director of Sierra Watch, a conservation group that opposes the scale of planned communities in Martis Valley.

Noting the fragile nature of the valley and its importance to wildlife, Judge James D. Garbolino said the county’s environmental impact report failed to consider the potential scope of development in the valley and, as a result, understated the project’s effects on the environment.

“This is a judge who had a very careful reading of the report and understood the importance of the resources that are at stake,” said Rachel Hooper, an attorney representing the five environmental groups in the case.

But Richard Crabtree, an attorney representing Placer County, said his client “respectfully disagrees” with the decision issued Thursday.

In particular, the county objects to an estimate made by the plaintiffs and supported by the judge.

The environmentalists say that, conceivably, up to 19,000 housing units could be built in the area covered by the Martis Valley development plan, more than double the number predicted by the county.

“It assumes a theoretical maximum that we don’t believe at all,” said Crabtree.

Also in dispute is the court’s determination that the county cannot rely on zoning regulations to restrict density and maximum build-out. That conclusion “effectively ignores more than 100 years of California zoning law jurisprudence,” Crabtree said.

Martis Valley is an area of about 70 square miles, lying directly north of the Tahoe Basin and spanning Placer and Nevada counties.

Local environmentalists have long been opposed to the scale of the development of golf and ski resorts in their area, warning that population growth, traffic and shortage of affordable housing would destroy the area’s serene and rustic appeal.

Roger Lessman, managing partner for East-West Partners, Lake Tahoe, one of the project’s developers, said plans were being made to limit the amount of disturbance to local residents, such as relocating parking lots.

The judge described his decision as tentative and invited the various parties to present oral arguments on the ruling next month. Truckee Mayor Craig F. Threshie said the hearing would allow the county, developers and opponents to explore options that might be acceptable to everyone.

In the meantime, conservationists are basking in their success.

“It’s a tremendous victory for the people of Truckee,” said Stephanie Olivieri, 61, a lifelong Truckee resident and director of the Mountain Area Preservation Foundation.

“We recognize that it is a tentative decision and things could change, but for today we’re very excited,” she said.