|
Time, process will bring best project to Crystal Bay
May 4, 2008
 Print  Email
Like many “destination resort” projects before it, Boulder Bay’s proposed development in Crystal Bay is undergoing a barrage of community and governmental scrutiny.
No project in the Tahoe Basin or its surrounding environment is ever given a free pass to build, without an intense public review. Just consider the planned community developments in the Truckee area, such as Lahontan and Old Greenwood, or the Chateau at Heavenly Village, and over a decade ago, the Resort at Squaw Creek in Squaw Valley.
The public review process, with approvals needed from Washoe County and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, will be thorough and time-consuming. Boulder Bay LLC realizes the the regulatory process it will have to undertake to redevelop the Tahoe Biltmore and the former Tahoe Mariner sites.
What needs to be understood by those who disagree with the proposal, or who want portions of it to change — be it the height, the density, the road alignments, or the traffic numbers — is that Boulder Bay stands at the beginning of a long, and very public, road to construction.
This is private property, and ultimately, the owner will be able to build some type of resort on it. What type of destination resort will be approved is up to Washoe County and TRPA — and the community voice.
We commend Boulder Bay for its willingness to share with the community the details of its project, and the forums it has held to inform the community since November 2007. The developer is also offering a “fact sheet” to anyone who wishes to learn more about the proposal, and has been willing to meet with private citizens concerned about issues.
We commend those who are questioning the project, as well. It is early in the planning stages, and now is the time to bring up concerns and present them to Boulder Bay LLC, Washoe County and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Those who care about the Crystal Bay and Incline Village community need to speak up about its future.
The first approval which Boulder Bay is seeking is to realign the roads around the Tahoe Biltmore property. The Washoe County Planning Commission will decide whether to grant a variance at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at 1001 E. Ninth Street in Reno. We urge the community to attend.
The destination resort that will become Boulder Bay needs to have community support and public review. The process is in place for that to happen; the developers have shown they are willing to listen. The end result will be the best project for Crystal Bay.
|
M/CLOUDY 52°
