Proposed Brockway Campground off the table as USFS offers to buy the land

A controversial proposed 550-site campground on the ridgeline of the Lake Tahoe Basin at Brockway Summit appears to be history as the US Forest Service announced today that they have entered an agreement to purchase the 120 acre site between Truckee and Kings Beach.

“Today’s announcement of the cancellation of the proposed Brockway camping resort complex, and the sale of the lands to the United States Forest Service, is a major win for Lake Tahoe," said Darcie Goodman Collins, PhD, Executive Director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. "This deal preserves the large swath of forested open space, which has been used for years for low-impact outdoor recreation, and maintains the scenic beauty of Tahoe’s ridgeline."

The owners of the property, Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) and the proposed developers, Mountainside Partners, made the announcement Wednesday after discussions facilitated by the California Tahoe Conservancy led to the agreement to pursue a sale and purchase were signed by USFS and SPI.

No funds have changed hands, and it could be more than a year before a purchase price can be agreed upon. Burton-Santini funds will be used by the USFS to purchase the property.

"The League to Save Lake Tahoe has been advocating for nearly two years against proposed massive developments on this pristine ridgeline, in a remote location relative to Tahoe’s communities," added Goodman Collins.

Fears of added congestion, traffic and elimination of scenic backcountry areas used by hikers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers brought heavy protest to the proposed campground resort complex. The site is adjacent to the Tahoe Rim Trail and has sweeping views of Lake Tahoe.

“This parcel is one of the last remaining undeveloped large parcels of private lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin and will result in a contiguous block of National Forest System Lands,” said Jeff Marsolais, supervisor of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

“We are moving forward with this sale to ensure land SPI owns within the Tahoe Basin remains accessible to the public forever,” said Blake Riva, managing partner of Mountainside Partners. “Although an improved campground is permissible under current zoning and would provide significant recreational benefits, we have listened carefully to the community and have decided that the parcel should be permanently protected through a sale to the Forest Service.”

Once the sale is completed, the large parcel will be permanently protected from future development.

“This acquisition shows how the partnership between the California Tahoe Conservancy and the US Forest Service, along with Sierra Pacific Industries, can result in significant benefit to the public we serve,” said Jeff Marsolais, Forest Supervisor of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. “The parcel is one of the last remaining undeveloped large parcels of private lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin and will result in a contiguous block of National Forest System Lands.”

The Brockway Campground application hasn't completely gone away though, and it will remain active until the completion of an appraisal of the property by USFS as well as other pre-acquisition activities. Once those items are completed, SPI will enter into a purchase option with USFS, and then once sold, SPI and Mountainside Partners will withdraw the application for their campground development.

“We are pleased to have helped facilitate this vital acquisition,” said Patrick Wright, the Conservancy’s Executive Director. “It will be a spectacular addition to the public lands of the Lake Tahoe Basin.”