SAVE ROYAL GORGE CROSS COUNTRY SKIING Autumn brought bad news to those who love Royal Gorge Cross Country. The new owners, Kirk Syme of Woodstock Development, and Todd Foster of Foster Enterprises, who do business as Royal Gorge LLC, had sent a letter to season pass holders citing their ongoing economic difficulties in running the resort, and the need to reduce days and hours of operation, and cut back on trails, and daily grooming. These articles in Moonshine Ink and in the Sierra Sun detail some of their dilemma. Further credible problems for the future of Royal Gorge Cross Country became apparent in an email sent by a confidant of the developers in early December, referenced in this editorial.
Perhaps Royal Gorge LLC is hoping the cutbacks at the cross country resort will convince people of their need to "pave to save", to cover the flat areas of the resort with condos and houses, and parking lots and roads. However, many roadblocks stand in the way of their proposed development. Placer County is requiring a second road out, for fire safety, and Royal Gorge LLC has so far failed to find where they will put the necessary second egress.
The South Yuba River remains overburdened with current sewage effluent problems; the Donner Summit Public Utility District's (DSPUD) failures have been highlighted by a recent Nevada County Civil Grand Jury report, and, more recently, by a Notice of Violation from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board for causing fungi, slime, and objectionable objects in the South Yuba River. This could complicate DSPUD's permit renewal, and certainly will make it harder for Royal Gorge LLC to establish a sewage disposal method that will satisfy increasingly stricter NPDES standards.
Royal Gorge LLC has so far failed to identify realistic and dependable water supplies; there is now fear of a community wide moratorium on new water hook-ups, and, moreover, SLCWD's water permit is threatened. Members of the Serene Lakes Community are very determined to prevent their lakes being turned into an ugly, muddy reservoir to slake the large proposed development's thirst, and they are working with environmental groups to call attention to the inappropriateness of a large scale development at Donner Summit. To further complicate matters for Royal Gorge LLC, SLCWD is now considering the acquisition by condemnation in eminent domain of the lake, dam and greenbelt parcels Royal Gorge LLC holds title to. Additionally, the adequacy/quality of Royal Gorge LLC's purported ground water supplies are called into question -- not only did their project manager try to convince DSPUD and SLCWD boards to rescind their approval of a multiple community group application to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) to study surface and groundwater resources on Donner Summit, he had sent a letter to the SNC, a state agency, stating Royal Gorge LLC's intended refusal to allow any access to their lands for purposes of water study should the grant be awarded. He also stated that Royal Gorge LLC will not share any of the substantial data they claim to have regarding ground water, citing concerns about prejudice of the applicant; this despite the fact the proposed study is to be carried out by an unbiased third party affilitated with the US Geological Survey.
For updates on this development, please visit www.SaveSereneLakes.org. For links to the many groups and sites that are monitoring this development, and other informative sites, please visit www.SaveOurSummit.org. For more information about sewer and water issues visit www.dspud.com and www.slcwd.org
Royal Gorge's proposed subdivision map. The blue areas are two artificial lakes, the yellow areas are single family homes, the orange areas are duplex/fourplex villages, and red identifies the commercial core areas containing condominiums, retail shops and hotels. The black line is the resort boundary. Cross country trails, starting from the RG headquarters shown in the middle-left part of the picture, will wind through the housing tract, not forests and open space. For a higher resolution version, go to www.SaveOurSummit.org May 25, 2009 ROYAL GORGE CROSS COUNTRY SKI: GOOD WILL HINTING Printable version... Donner Summit's Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort trod a rocky road in terms of good will and community relations in 2008. Royal Gorge greeted the new year with an article in the Sierra Sun bearing the sunny title: "Develop or Die? Owners Say Project May Make Royal Gorge Profitable," and ended the year with Moonshine Ink's no more cheerful article: "Royal Gorge: Can They Make Ends Meet?"
Betwixt and between, Royal Gorge LLC shuttered the historic and well loved Rainbow Lodge for the summer, with yellow 'do not cross tape' encircling it, with this sad explanation in The Union from their former general manager, "Rainbow is an expensive place to run. With the slowing economy it’s been decided we’re going to keep it closed for the summer and re-open for winter." Read more... STOCKHOLM SYNDROME ON DONNER SUMMIT? Printable version... The infamous December 7 emails of Chris Rust, Silicon Valley venture capitalist and apparent compadre of one of the Royal Gorge LLC partners, certainly enlivened discourse on Donner Summit for a few weeks. The chain of emails he initiated, which were forwarded extensively, and I do mean EXTENSIVELY, supposedly were even pasted up on the Soda Springs Post Office wall.
One of the teasers in his emails dealt with the thwarted sale of the entire Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort. His email offered this eyecatcher, "he had someone (another developer worse than [principal's name deleted by me] imo) at signature to buy it for $72m, but their financing fell apart." Read more...
In my April 27 SaveTheSummit.com posting, I referred to Serene Lakes' Property Owner's Association's (SLCWD) "tawdry tango with Royal Gorge LLC." This refers to the actions of the SLPOA president (and SLCWD water board member!), who contacted Todd Foster and initiated negotiations on the heels of Chris Rust's December email. That email, which was widely circulated, threatened that Royal Gorge Cross Country would be fenced off and shut down at the end of the season, in essence to punish those who at least one of Royal Gorge LLC's owners felt had blocked their proposed development on Donner Summit.*
So far this year, the snow being persistent, there are no fences up. However, in a very lengthy and strangely worded letter on their website, Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort's manager has indicated that all the resort's lands will be indeed be off limits to hikers in the summer, with the veiled threat, "of necessity, we will be conducting enforcement of the policy consistent with the laws prohibiting trespass."
What's odd about this letter, aside from the fact it goes to great lengths to detail exactly where people would like to go, but "nyah, nyah, nyah", can't anymore, including Royal Gorge LLC blocking access to public lands that just might have established rights of way to them (easements of various varieties, other agreements, etc.), is the description of ownership interests, and the reasons behind slamming figural gates shut on trails.
References to Kirk Syme, Woodstock Development, Todd Foster and Mark Foster, Foster Enterprises, the putative owners of Royal Gorge LLC are nowhere to be found-- it's now "the current ownership group"And here's an interesting turn of words:
"Recent changes occurring in the financial, banking, and insurance industries prompt our return to the longstanding policy prohibiting Royal Gorge trail use except during winter, when users carry a valid trail pass.Bankers and insurance companies are more concerned about risk than ever. These changes in the business environment are beyond our control." Read more...
April 27, 2009
SOUTH YUBA RIVER, DONNER SUMMIT, AND THE NEW NPDES PERMIT Printable version... It's easy to wear the cynical hat over issues up here at Donner Summit. Between Royal Gorge LLC generated spin, SLPOA hoarding information from their members and the Serene Lakes community as if they were employed by Gringott's Wizarding Bank in the Harry Potter stories, compounded by blocking nonmembers from their forum (it's lonely without you), and, now, the Royal Gorge LLC "current ownership group*" busily hammering up NO TRESPASS signs as fast as possible... well, you get the picture..... Read more...February 20, 2009 SUGAR BOWL AND ROYAL GORGE-- WHITE KNIGHT, OR OUT OF THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE FIRE? Lately, there has been a new rumor blowing on the wind on Donner Summit. Perhaps spurred on by the fact Royal Gorge LLC hasn't contacted Placer County planning for 6 months, and the fascinating email authored by Chris Rust which, while detailing a dire economic scenario for at least one of the Foster partners, introduced the threat that Royal Gorge LLC was going to slice and dice the resort into parcels, and sell them off come spring, quiet talk has begun circulating that Sugar Bowl interests are considering taking over Royal Gorge. Read more... Will Sugar Bowl Be the White Knight that Rescues Royal Gorge Cross Country? (Yubanet.com, February 21, 2009)
Since 2005, when Todd and Mark Foster, of Foster Enterprises, and Kirk Syme, of Woodstock Development, purchased Royal Gorge Cross Country and surrounding properties from Rancho Monterey, Donner Summit has had the sword of development hanging over its head. The Bay area developers, aka Royal Gorge LLC, who purchased the properties stunned the Summit Read More... December 12
WILL ROYAL GORGE CROSS COUNTRY SKI RESORT BE CARVED UP INTO RANCHETTES? Printable version... As a Serene Lakes/Donner Summit homeowner, I try to keep my ear to the ground concerning Kirk Syme's, Woodstock Development, of Burlingame/San Mateo, and Todd and Mark Foster's, Foster Enterprises of Redwood City's plans for development up here at Donner Summit.* For almost two years, we've been hearing of their plans for an extremely large development, that would not only obliterate the best part of Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort, but which would also be environmentally destructive, taking us well beyond water and sewage capacities.
This week, communications from someone purporting to be a friend of one of the three developers who purchased Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort have been blazing a path around the ether. Blaze is the right word, or, maybe, scorched earth is more apt. Here's how it's put:
"Royal Gorge loses $1 million per year operating as a ski area..... This will be the last season Royal Gorge exists as we know it. He told me to tell anyone I know up on the Summit, 'Congratulations, you have won. Now you have to be prepared to live with what that will mean - no Royal Gorge Ski area'." Read more... September 7, 2008
SEPTEMBER PREDICTIONS FOR ROYAL GORGE DEVELOPMENT Printable version.... This is just a guess, and anyone's guess is as good as another's. Royal Gorge LLC has been a long time coming with their plans-- when Placer County sent them back to the drawing board, they really sent them back to the drawing board.
I think we're going to see a new "concept" rolled out quite soon, and they're going to ditch those silly little "camp" concepts-- who over the age of 12 or 13 really wants to go to camp? (unless the counselors are really cute, of course)
My bet is they're going to revive Wilderness Lodge, if not in fact, at least as a marketing concept. This could be good, or it could be very, very bad. If the Wilderness Lodge that rises from the ashes is a class act, and not huge (cross your fingers), it will be welcomed by the community-- IF. That's a big if-- if it's not window dressing for a ridiculous amount of sprawl, and what sprawl there is is arranged in a way to preserve access to trails, a semblance of wilderness, and, maybe, the Emigrant trail. (actually, there's no maybe about that one-- Placer County will stand firm there.) Read more....
April 1, 2009: SCORCHED EARTH AND GRASS ROOTS ON DONNER SUMMIT (also on YubaNet.com) Scorched Earth Early last December, a Sand Hill Road-Menlo Park Venture Capitalist fired off an email concerning the Royal Gorge LLC proposed development which absolutely galvanized the Donner Summit community. This email was forwarded extensively, and, apparently, ultimately even posted in the lobby of the Soda Springs Post office.
Here's a portion of the email's opening paragraph, Read more.... April 9, 2008: Conservation groups unite over development concerns on Donner Summit. See the article on YubaNet.com: Sierra Conservationists unite to defend Donner Summit.October 20, 2008 IS THE ECONOMY'S "PERFECT STORM" SAVING ROYAL GORGE?
There's an old saying, "It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good." Whether that phrase necessarily applies to our current economic situation is questionable, as it seems as if we're truly being buffeted by something far... Read More... October 21, 2008
WILL 2008 HAVE INDEED BEEN A "DEVELOPER FREE" YEAR AT ROYAL GORGECROSS COUNTRY RESORT?
Last December, folks with obviously way too much time on their hands (and/or a drive to get the news out about what over-development Kirk Syme, Todd Foster, and the new Royal Gorge LLC had planned for the future of Royal Gorge, Serene Lakes and Donner Summit), made a video entitled "A Donner Summit Night before Christmas", which ended with the jolly old man in red wishing all, "a developer free year!"
Here we are, a few weeks from Halloween (remember Don't Pull the Plug on Royal Gorge?), and still no plans before Placer County. According to a county spokesperson, there hasn't been a peep out of Royal Gorge for months. Perhaps Royal Gorge LLC's inability to come up with a second egress, as required by Placer County, has put a damper on the big plans. Read More...
April 15, 2008 WHEN WILL ROYAL GORGE LLC WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE?
It's been a few weeks since Sugar Bowl made the announcement they were pulling their letter of intent regarding ski lifts out from under Royal Gorge LLC, but as we're now well on into April, and springtime, one does wonder why Royal Gorge Future's Qs and As still blithely describe "Ski Camp" with lifts, slopes, bells, whistles, and, presumably, ski rental shops and all the other downhill trimmings? Are Royal Gorge LLC's plans frozen in amber? Read More... "MEMBERS ONLY" AT DONNER SUMMIT Yubanet Nov 15 2007, The Union Nov 27 2007 Printable Version In "Introducing the Vision- Royal Gorge- A Wilderness Edge Community", which Kirk Syme's Woodstock Development published for a brief time on the internet, Royal Gorge LLC paints a picture of their planned resort that is permeated with exclusivity. Kirk Syme and Mark and Todd Foster, in their public presentations last March earnestly promised locals that their "conservation community" would not be a gated development. What they didn't tell the public is that there is more than one way to "gate" a community. At the same time as they were reassuring listeners of continued access to Royal Gorge lands, they were providing investors with an entirely different vision, that of a preferential and privileged enclave. Their planned "members only" development will be as effective as a guarded gate in limiting public access to recreational resources.
At the fabled Royal Gorge, yet still a world-class cross country ski resort, hundreds of private houses and timeshares are planned. Cross country skiers will be thwarted by private property encroaching onto the former trails, and private lakes drowning meadows and hillsides. Pity the poor skier, looking for a place to warm up, when he arrives at what appears to be a public lodge, only to find out, as described in Royal Gorge LLC's "Introducing the Vision", that, "in the winter the Lake House will serve as the private cross-country ski lodge for club members." The non-member skier had better have the foresight to pack a thermos of hot cocoa, and perhaps a nourishing cheese sandwich.
Down hill skiers braving the vertically challenged (a pitiful maximum 500 foot vertical) Ski Camp slopes may turn their gaze to the restaurant perched at the top of Razorback Ridge. The smell of charbroiled burgers might entice, but, alas, the poor skier will be turned away at the door. According to Royal Gorge LLC's "Introducing the Vision", the "mountain-top restaurant is planned, open to Club members at lunch, and to the public at dinner." Perhaps, when they let the lucky public in for dinner (but of course only if wearing appropriate apres-ski garb), they'll charge them to park in the private parking lots accompanying the restaurant Royal Gorge LLC will have marred the hillside, and viewshed to build. Read more...
May 3 IS ROYAL GORGE LLC MARKETING "FAILURE" AT DONNER SUMMIT AND SERENE LAKES?
Sometimes it's hard to figure out exactly what Royal Gorge LLC is aiming at up at Donner Summit and Serene Lakes. Theoretically, they want to do a couple of things: First, they wish to bring development plans before Placer County, and convince Placer County to change the General Plan and zoning to allow them to build over 1000 units (counting employee housing) in an area that is currently either pristine land, in the case of their proposed "ski camp", and "wilderness camp", or a cross country ski resort. They then wish to sell this on in some form, either as entitled raw land, or finished houses, condos, duplexes, and hotels to other purchasers. Royal Gorge also, if news articles of the last year are to be given weight, still entertains hopes of selling Rainbow Lodge to a new purchaser, as they'd indicated in past articles that they're not hoteliers. Read more.... April 4
IS ROYAL GORGE LLC BUILDING A HOUSE OF CARDS ON DONNER SUMMIT? YubaNet.com April 4, 2008 CaliforniaProgressReport.com April 5, 2008 In 1992, Queen Elizabeth, in her presentation to the Guildhall, described the preceding year as an "annus horribilis," no doubt as the many negative situations in the royal family that year showed the world that the rich, even the royal have just as many family complications as anyone else, compounded by the incessant glare of publicity.
Now, Royal Gorge LLC, perhaps royal in name only, but richly endowed with the natural treasures of the Sierra, is experiencing what looks like, at least if these first few months are anything to go by, their own "annus horribilis." Read More.... April 2
IS ROYAL GORGE LLC'S "SKI CAMP" CONCEPT AS DEAD AS A DODO?
The Union newspaper reported yesterday that Sugar Bowl Ski Resort had decided to back out of their agreement to have a lift link to Royal Gorge LLC's "ski camp," saying, "the full impact of the proposed project was not fully evaluated." The Sierra Sun reported Robert Kautz, Sugar Bowl's CEO's as saying, "Our position is we think development is needed for the vitality of the Summit, but it needs to be sound, well-planned development."
How will this news affect Royal Gorge LLC's investors, Read More.... February 6
WILDERNESS ON EDGE- THE FATE OF DONNER SUMMIT Counterpunch.com, Yubanet.com, CaliforniaProgressReport.com In 2005 Mark and Todd Foster, of Foster enterprises, the firm responsible for filling in a large swath of San Francisco Bay wetlands to build the eponymous Foster City, and Kirk Syme, sole owner of Woodstock Development of San Mateo County, purchased the Read More....
January 15, 2008
SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI, SIC TRANSIT ROYAL GORGE
Please view the colorized map that details the area where the present Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski area is. This map, which was submitted to Placer County, shows what the ski resort will look like after development. The maps are listed near the bottom of: http://www.saveoursummit.org/development.html
January 9, 2008
DESTROYING A CROSS-COUNTRY SKI RESORT IN ORDER TO SAVE IT
The Union, Jan 13 2008
The constant whine emanating from Royal Gorge LLC, as evidenced in the Sierra Sun Article, "Develop, or Die?", that if they aren't allowed to apply the bandage of more than 1000 new units to their "lagging" cross country ski resort it will drown in a sea of red ink, is getting tedious.
Kirk Syme, and Mark and Todd Foster paid in the neighborhood of $34 million dollars for a whole grab-bag of land purchases on Donner Summit, and for the ongoing value of Royal Gorge Cross Country from various LLCs. The land value of the various parcels came in around $13 million, with the price of Royal Gorge/Rainbow Lodge, independent of real property, somewhere in the vicinity of $21 million. Their project manager, Mike Livak, has been quoted in both the Union, and the Reno Gazette Journal, as indicating Royal Gorge Cross Country was considered a money pit from the get-go. In other words, these investors knew what they were buying, and bought it on the gamble they'd get to turn it into a mega-development. Read more...
DON'T COVER OLYMPIC- CLASS CROSS COUNTRY SKI TERRAIN WITH TIMESHARES YubaNet.com Oct 19 2007, Sierra Sun Oct 21 2007 Printable Version The Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition has been working since 2002 to bring the 2018 Olympics to the Reno-Tahoe area. Residents have mixed views about hosting a Winter Olympics, many fearing this would cause additional pressures for development and sprawl in the area, and consequent environmental damage. On the positive side, governmental entities, such as Placer County, support the drive to host the Olympics, as they see potential for economic growth, and improved infrastructure.
We'll be debating, probably for some time, whether hosting an Olympic Games in a little over 10 years would be a benefit, a burden, or both for our Sierra. It could indeed prove a benefit if it causes local decision makers to step back, and consider how such a valuable resource as Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort could be squandered today on unwise condominium development, when its highest and best use is as recreational terrain.
It is widely accepted that Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort is one of the best, if not the best locale for the sport in the entire country--there are those who claim it is the best in the world. Because of its location on the west side of Donner Summit, it receives quantities of snow other resorts can only envy. It is an expansive resort, with a combination of private land and leased land that yields miles of trails. The scenery is superb, and it is a few short miles from HWY 80. Spectators staying in Truckee , North Lake Tahoe, and Reno would enjoy easy access to all events.
Unfortunately, there's a worm in the apple. In several recent newspaper articles, Mike Livak, project director for Royal Gorge LLC's overwhelming development plans, has 'damned the resort with faint praise', basically saying it's a money loser, and was when they bought it--ergo it must be developed. The proposed development involves, among other things, two artificial lakes in the heart of the resort, and tangles of roads, driveways, and parking lots. Rubber mats will be laid out in order to ski cross all the hard-scape--hardly an ideal Olympic venue!
Documents filed with Placer County in 2005 (liquor licenses, actually) show that Kirk Syme, and the Foster cousins Mark and Todd paid a business value (not including land and fixed assets) of $20.1 million dollars for Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort. In light of Mr. Livak's assertions (Nevada Union; Truckee Times) that the resort is a subsidy-sponge, one wonders if they ever intended to make a 'go' of the resort?
Realtors have a saying about land in California to reassure customers , "they're not making any more of it." When it comes to Olympic calibre cross country ski resorts, this is more than true. To the decision makers who are confronted with requests to change county general plans, and zoning so as to enable developers to pave over Olympic class cross country ski terrain, so they can sell lots of timeshares : Please, step back, look at the good of the county, and the state, and don't change the rules so the country's best Olympic class cross country ski terrain can be covered with timeshares, fractional ownerships, and sprawl. DON'T PULL THE PLUG ON ROYAL GORGE The Union Oct 13 2007
In the October 1st Nevada Union article, 'Summit Impasse', Mike Livak offers a grim prognosis for the patient in his care, Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort. The article states, "when Foster and Syme bought Royal Gorge, the high cost to groom hundreds of miles of trails and the loss of a wilderness lodge to a fire a few years prior to the sale made the business unviable, Livak said." and "Without the wilderness lodge, Royal Gorge was a loser. This is a very modest operation. It requires a significant subsidy each year, Livak said."
If one weren't aware of the malignancy of Royal Gorge LLC's plans (see their Royal Gorge Future web-page) for the cross country ski resort, one could almost imagine Misters Foster, Syme, and their employee, Mr. Livak ministering tenderly to the ailing ski resort. A more apt analogy might be of Royal Gorge Cross Country as a patient on life support, about to have the plug yanked by relatives eager to divide up the spoils-- an heirloom trail here, a scenic overlook there, all about to be despoiled by parking lots, condominiums, timeshares, and fractured-ownership dwellings. Read more...
