SAVE ROYAL GORGE CROSS COUNTRY SKIING It's a beautiful Summer up at Royal Gorge Cross Country Resort. The new owners, Kirk Syme of Woodstock Development, and Todd and Mark Foster of Foster Enterprises have not made much headway with their proposed development. The vexing questions of obtaining an adequate water supply, the difficulties of sewage disposal into the already overburdened South Yuba River, and escalating infrastructure costs continue to present major roadblocks. In addition, Placer County is requiring a second road out due to major fire danger concerns in the Sierra, to assure adequate safety, despite Royal Gorge's assertions an extra exit wasn't necessary.
Now further questions are raised by the Nevada County Civil Grand Jury's latest report concerning the local Donner Summit Public Utility District's sewage effluent disposal capacity, in terms of protecting the South Yuba River.
Sadly, Royal Gorge LLC has shuttered the iconic Rainbow Lodge Hotel until next season, opening the restaurant only a few days a week- let's hope the lovely Lodge comes back strong and vibrant again soon!
Frequently updated information about this proposed development may be found at www.saveserenelakes.org. Additionally, many groups including Sierra Watch, Sierra Club and South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) are monitoring this huge proposed development. Please visit www.saveoursummit.org for a list of these groups and to find out ways to work to preserve Donner Summit and Royal Gorge Cross Country Skiing as we know it. Please urge Placer County to preserve and protect this recreational treasure.
Submissions to this website are always welcome, please email them to ktg@savethesummit.com Local residents express their development opinions in this YouTube cartoon: "A Winter Carnival on Donner Summit" NEW: A flyer aimed at cross country skiers can be found at www.saveoursummit.org/flyers Download it now and print it for your friends!
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 April 9: Conservation groups unite over development concerns on Donner Summit. See the article on YubaNet.com: Sierra Conservationists unite to defend Donner Summit.
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...
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 25
PAYING THE PIPER AND CALLING THE TUNE IN PLACER COUNTY POLITICS AND PLANNING (from CaliforniaProgressReport.com) Royal Gorge LLC, the new owners of Donner Summit's Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort, hope to convince Placer County to change the county general plan in order to allow 1000 new units, hotels, commercial areas, new downhill ski slopes connecting to Sugar Bowl, and two artificial lakes, blasted from wilderness and near-wilderness terrain.
However, they are encountering some natural road blocks; they have as yet been unable to resolve the problems of sewage disposal, and access to a reliable water supply. The Donner Summit Public Utilities District sewage treatment facility has reached its limits, and, even if new units were added to process additional sewage, the South Yuba River may be well over its limits regarding how much treated effluent can be dumped into it. Read More.... February 19
ROYAL GREED by Sid Cronin, Sierra Sun, Feb 22 2008 I finally got a look at a hard copy map of the developer’s plans for Royal Gorge on Donner Summit. I was appalled and disgusted. I had naively hoped for some consciousness from the new stewards of this precious landscape, but was none the less shocked at the arrogance, greed and sense of entitlement displayed by the heir to the throne of Foster City.
The developer’s plan calls for almost one thousand condos, that’s more than Squaw Valley and Northstar combined. And that doesn’t take into account the hotels, lodges, restaurants, shopping malls, maintenance facilities, employee housing, endless subdivisions and miles upon miles of black pavement. 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 28
DON'T KNOW WHAT ROYAL GORGE GONNA DO (to tune of Harry Belafonte's "Monkey") Printable Version
Developers came and bought up the land Condos and timeshares are what they got planned They're looking at our lakes with thirsty eyes Don't turn around or they're gonna be dry.
Here on Donner Summit, we're saying to you Don't know what Royal Gorge gonna do Build all those condos and dry up our lakes We're saying to you it's a big mistake.
And if lack of water has put 'em in a jam They'll turn around and build some dams They don't care what critters will die Cause if they make money, they' ain't gonna cry
Here on Donner Summit, we're saying to you Don't know what Royal Gorge gonna do Build all those condos and dry up our lakes We're saying to you it's a big mistake.
Trees get in their way, they cut them down Who wants trees when you're buildin' a town About those trails folks hike 'n ski on All that nature stuff is just a big yawn.
Here on Donner Summit, we're saying to you Don't know what Royal Gorge gonna do Build all those condos and dry up our lakes We're saying to you it's a big mistake.
And when it's all gone, if you're feeling sad What I'm saying to you should make your really mad Cause the roads and pipes they put in today In your taxes tomorrow you're gonna pay and pay.
Here on Donner Summit we're saying to you Don't know what Royal Gorge gonna do But if you feel you can't take anymore We all gotta show Royal Gorge the door.
* if you're planning on attending mardi gras parties in the next week or so, this is a great song to sing--in addition to the Harry Belafonte version, the Animaniacs cartoon series had a great version--
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.
People gamble all the time, some in Reno, some on the stock market. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose.It seems, though, that only developers expect counties and municipalities to bend over backwards, change zoning, ignore environmental damage, and do whatever it takes to make sure they're guaranteed a tidy bargain on their gambles, no matter how risky.Marilyn Jasper, of the Placer Group of the Sierra Club has coined a pithy phrase that covers this situation,"there's no such thing as the FLSIC- the Federal Land Speculation Insurance Corporation." Well, that's news to the Royal Gorge developers. They bought high, and they want to sell higher, no matter if they destroy the fragile Donner Summit, and ruin an iconic cross country ski resort in the process.
Take a short walk on any street in Serene Lakes, and you'll quickly see real property worth more than the $13 million dollars Royal Gorge LLC paid for their Summit land. Add in the existing infrastructure, the "sense of place" of the community, and the environmental damage this area will suffer from over development, and you'll see that the current community has a much larger investment in the area, both tangible and intangible, than do developers from the bay area who seek to make good on a speculative investment.
Then, stroll up Pahatsi Road to one of the most beautiful cross country ski areas in the country, and imagine the clearcutting for the two artificial lakes blasted from granite, and the sprawl of roads, condos and houses- where the developers have the chutzpah to call the privately owned space between buildings "open space"!How, by any stretch of the imagination will constructing that tangle of buildings,parking lots, and roundabouts be "saving" Royal Gorge Cross Country?
Royal Gorge LLC, if you truly wish to preserve the treasured resort you purchased, please consider a non-profit/public partnership modeled on Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area on the North Shore. At the very least, if profit is your chiefgoal, rather than saving the resort, at least do us the decency of retiring your tired charade of "having to develop in order to save" a cross country resort your proposed development will only destroy.
May 7, 2008 WHY IS ROYAL GORGE LLC SELLING EMPLOYEE HOUSING? Printable Version Of the many houses currently for sale in Serene Lakes, there are two whose potential sales give cause for concern. When Foster and Syme bought Royal Gorge Cross Country a few years ago, they discovered (whoops!) they also needed a place for employees to bunk, and so they purchased a house on Spruce, and one on Lake. 5598 Spruce is now on the market for $589,000, and 1162 Lake Drive is for sale for $629,000.
Here's a pretty obvious question. If Foster and Syme sell these houses they've used for Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski resort employees, then where will staff find places to stay next year? Were these houses superfluous? Does Royal Gorge LLC have other places for employees to stay, such as the currently closed Rainbow Lodge? Is Royal Gorge LLC even planning on opening the cross country resort for business next season, or is this all part of showing what a money loser it is? Who actually believes Royal Gorge LLC when they say they have to develop the cross country resort in order to "save" it? And doesn't this all remind you of the kid who breaks the beautiful piggy bank someone gave him as a gift, just to get all the small change out? Only Royal Gorge Cross Country isn't "small change"- it's one of the best cross country ski areas in the country, and it will be a real shame if it's sacrificed to subsidize suburban sprawl, which will do anything but "save" the resort. "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.
In 43 pages of assiduously courting the wealthy (the book even had hand-built covers ), not once was the Community of Serene Lakes, about to be engulfed by what is essentially a private club for the well-heeled, mentioned. The only glimpse of the actual lakes is provided by, "Ice Lakes Lodge- located at the southern end of the Serene Lakes includes a private beach... the intent is to incorporate Ice Lakes Lodge into the community amenity package." What was once a restaurant and bar open to the Serene Lakes Community (non-designer flannel shirts, and all), whose money even helped build it, will be yet one more private "members only" clubhouse.
Welcome to Royal Gorge LLC's repellant vision for the future of Donner Summit, where there will be two classes of wilderness access- access for those who have the money to purchase their housing, and stay at their luxury hotels, and thus buy membership in their private clubs, and access for all the rest of us. As a good portion of the cross country resort is on land leased from the Forest Service, and other rented lands with Placer County roads running through them, Royal Gorge LLC's planned exclusionary domain will prevent the public from hiking on and enjoying lands that are rightfully public property.
It is morally repugnant to take something that is rare and valuable, the granite fastness that is the Sierra Nevada, the backbone of our state, and attempt to turn it into a club for the haves. It is inexcusable to seek to lull concerned locals, who wish to protect a treasured environment, with a story of a development designed to enhance wilderness access, while at the same time selling it to investors as the montane cousin to a yacht club whose memberships are handed down in the family. Royal Gorge LLC, please don't cheapen the heritage of Donner Summit by denying real public access to all who cherish its transcendent beauty with your "members only" private clubs, hotels, and timeshares.
"Moral principle is a looser bond than pecuniary interest." -Abe Lincoln
The preservation of our Sierra heritage should be a strong moral principle, and pecuniary interests should be subservient to protecting the heritage of John Muir's "Range of Light" 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
Printable Version 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.
Mr. Livak, and his employers would like to paint a pretty, frost etched Christmas card picture of white knights who providentially skied in to rescue a distressed cross country resort. If that were indeed the case, they would have sought to rebuild the venerable and fabled Wilderness Lodge, and perhaps some other lodging, on a scale that was both reasonable and respectful of the Summit, and oriented towards preserving cross country skiing. But no, in order to "rescue" the resort, they currently propose over 1000 dwelling units, hotels, restaurants , at least two artificial lakes, and, what every cross country ski resort needs to remain viable, downhill skiing (there apparently being a shortage of downhill ski opportunities at Donner Summit).
None of this is aimed at shoring up an ailing cross country resort. The two planned artificial lakes will require a large clear-cutting of trees, and will result in the obliteration of cross country trails. Parking lots, roadways, and driveways will certainly not add to the cross country skiing experience, as rubber mats just don't substitute for real snow, and incessant traffic certainly doesn't substitute for icy solitude.
Mr. Livak, in a September 4th interview with the Truckee Times raised the specter of Royal Gorge not even lasting the season, "even the future of the cross country area is in doubt. Royal Gorge will open this winter, but says grooming its 100 miles of trails for an average of 30 skiers is not cost effective, Livak says."
Can this patient be saved? Yes, and if not as a money maker, I'm sure there are lots of organizations willing to explore running Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort as a nonprofit. Royal Gorge LLC, stop talking the cross country ski resort down in an attempt to convince Placer County nothing but condos are a viable business at the Summit. If you can't make a go of the resort (which you surely must have known prior to purchase), start talking to land-trusts who might be happy to rescue the resort. Please don't pull the plug on Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort.
December 26, YubaNet.com
Boxing Day in England, and also St. Stephen's Day- which brings us one of the most beautiful Christmas Songs of all- Good King Wenceslas, who brought food and wood to a poor man and his family, right against the forest fence, near Saint Agnes' fountain- here, the Donner Summit version.
GOOD KING WENCESLAS ON DONNER SUMMIT
Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the feast of Steven, Donner's snow lay round about , deep and crisp and even, So bleak was the sky that night, and knowing the task was grave, he wondered how, in spite of all, the Summit he could save.
Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou knows't, telling how we save the Summit from Royal Gorge's selling? Sire, they've played a funny game, in the Placer County Needs we must go now to work, for to assure true bounty.
Bring me pen, and paper now, lawyers' words advising, me thinks we can phrase it well, against their clever devising, All of Donner Summit will be thinking of uprising Ski runs, and 1000 houses --we must be chastising.
Willow flycatchers all, in their willows withy, Pacific Martens, hiding so, in old-growth so swiftly, The beauty of this Summit must not be destroyed by Royal Gorge's schemes , er'r how artfully employed.
Sire, they're bewildering me, with their words so clever fearsome am I Donner Summit will be ruined forever. Dear page, don't distress yourself- all will turn out well These ugly houses and hotels- Royal Gorge can't sell.
As for wrecking granite Mountains so shining that would be a modern version of brutal strip mining, Golden will these Mountains stay, so loved by John Muir All of us will fight so well, that they may endure.
