Private property owner threatens completion of Sawmill bike path
By Kathryn Reed
Sawmill bike path may never be completed.
“They make some offers and some threats, but I’m not interested in them,” Cass Amacker told Lake Tahoe News. “They don’t want to pay me nothing for buildable property.”
Amacker for years has owned a 20-acre parcel off Sawmill Road.
Sawmill bike path goes for seven-tenths of a mile before needing to get on the road. Photos/Kathryn Reed
Part of his property is being sought by El Dorado County so the remaining nearly 1.3 miles of trail can be constructed. Earlier this summer about seven-tenths of a mile was put in which had nothing to do with the Amacker property.
It’s a curvy trail that meanders just off Sawmill, almost into a wooded area. It meets all the current bike requirements of being 10-feet wide, with 2-foot shoulders. But it abruptly stops with a big white fence and yellow sign that says “End”.
County officials don’t want it to end there. The whole idea of the Sawmill path is to have it link up with the bridge on Highway 50 that crosses the Upper Truckee River before the path takes cyclists and walkers to Meyers.
Brendan Ferry, senior planner with El Dorado County, remains optimistic a resolution with Amacker and the other private property owner along that stretch of roadway will be found so that section of bike trail can be finished next summer.
But those agreements will need to be in hand by the end of the year in order to request the Congestion Mitigation and Air Management funds from Caltrans, and have the Board of Supervisors approve a bid package and then award the contract to a company. Plus, with the next portion being longer, it will require more time to build it so everything needs to be in place that much sooner.
Regarding the negotiations with the Amackers, Ferry told Lake Tahoe News, “I can’t speak too much about it because there is a lot of legal stuff. The right-of-way process is very defined and confined, and involves a lot of legalese, money and contracts.”
Amacker said the county wants 3 acres.
Where the trail goes on Amacker land the whole width of the path is on their property. Whereas the adjacent private property next to the California Tahoe Conservancy parcel, which is at the corner of Sawmill and Highway 50, comes with a dedicated right-of-way from Incline Road to the Highway, so less of their land is needed.
“I don’t see any problems (with the other property),” Ferry said in terms of securing right-of-way agreements.
A small drainage easement is being sought on both properties because of an existing pipe.
Plans for the remainder of the Sawmill Trail are 80 percent designed.
Amacker contends the county and agencies, which he did not name, have cost him too much money and land in the past, so he is not willing to give his land away now. And he added that even if a price were settled on, that doesn’t mean he’ll ever sell.
Amacker told Lake Tahoe News his land is zoned for a 40-unit apartment complex, so he wants to be compensated for the land’s potential, not for bare soil and trees.
However, Carl Weiland, El Dorado County assessor, said the Amacker ranch is zoned TR1. That would make it capable of having a single-family residence.
“I don’t see anything saying he can have apartments,” Weiland told Lake Tahoe News.
The ranch falls under Plan Area Statement 119 of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The allowable uses are residential (not multi-family, which is what apartments fall under), recreation, resource management, and public service.
While the county and Amacker keep talking, the county is also working on plans to develop bike paths along Lake Tahoe Boulevard that would connect to the existing Sawmill path.
Ferry would like to do both sections of that route in 2014, though funding could force it to be built in phases. All of that land is publicly owned and deals are in place for it to become a reality.
The trail will require cyclists to come off the Sawmill Path and cross Lake Tahoe Boulevard. Going right, toward South Lake Tahoe, the path will be built on the dirt U.S. Forest Service trail that already exists. To the left, it will be adjacent to the roadway. It will tie into the class 2 bike trail that ends at Clear View Drive.
Wouldn’t you know it. Only in the Tahoe Basin would a bike path be started without gaining all rights beforehand. I have to also blame the idiots who gave grant money for the project not knowing all land owners were in agreement first. Guys like Ferry must have a silver tongue to be able to start a project without all parties on board. I’m sure Cardinale Toyota could use another salesman like him.
What we have here is a bitter old landowner who doesn’t give a crap about the community. His decades-old anger is obviously clouding his understanding of the facts. 40 unit complex in an area zoned for single family, did he hit his head or something? Pffft- that’s ridiculous.
So a great project is held hostage by that kind of reasoning?!! Doesn’t he operate a business over there?!! Maybe people need to think twice before they give that guy any of their money. So when some kid gets creamed on his bike by one of HIS big trucks on Sawmill Rd. we’ll all wonder what happened.
Yeah Mr. Amacker, this world IS all about you….
You know nothing about Cass and his family Atomic, keep your narrow mind off this board. The county has done nothing but give his family the short end of the stick for years, good for you Cass get what ever you can out of them. If we had more people like Cass things would get done up here.
You would think that the people in charge would have gotten all their ducks in a row before the project was started.
It’s his land not theirs. Amacker is in no way obligated to give it to the govt.
Yeah, like they are trying to steal his land…they’ve made REAL money offers based on REAL world appraisals that factors little details like zoning.
Large landowners do get the narrow end of the stick, no doubt. The agencies have made no friends in the basin in that regard. But this is about a narrow strip of land that the family can’t even see from their home. So where does that leave us, get punished, then punish the community out of spite? Where does it all end FULL TIME? Your assumptions about what I don’t know are the narrow nonsense we don’t need.
I live close to Amacker and they have never been concerned with community, quite the opposite they have the entitlement attitude. They think the basin belongs to them. Not very friendly neighbors.
The bicyclists act so entitled. I heard they want to build a bridge across Emerald Bay to match the ugly one they built across the river at Elks. :)
Save the money. The bicylists won’t use it anyway. They would rather ride in the traffic and complain about it!
I like the bridge near elks… It has personality… Better than getting killed on hwy 50. I hope they can complete the trail, the community needs it.
Build the darn trail!!! Come on amacker…, its for the community…
I ride this road regularly in the summer, on a bike. the condition of the existing road is pretty poor, with lots of expansion cracks.
Not very safe for bike travel.
The portion of the path already completed was done responsibly, and with a good eye to design.
I do not think Mr Amacker realizes that putting the path in front of his property would be an enhancement, especially if he has long term plans for a multi unit complex.
This us Vs them attitude is disheartening, on both sides. Landowners vs the govt, cars vs bikes.
What ever happened to the idea that some things are done for the public good.
Just ask the folks who were displace by the tahole project just how nice the government is to do business with and how well planned there projects are.I would not get any where near this project. If there is a problem you know who would get screwed and it wont be the government.
Yo Cass maybe you just need to sober up
Cass is and always has been selfish, self interested and got rich off of holding up projects. Check the facts on the millions the state gave him years ago for the golf course property. He holds projects hostage until he gets the money, he doesn’t care about this community, he cares about money, which is what we all need, but he runs his business on sensitive land, he ignores all rules or regulations. Selfish and self centered.
You all are a bunch of entitled folks. The man, like him or not, OWNS THE PROPERTY! It’s his, not any of ours. And this is America where the government doesn’t get to dictate to a private citizen what he gets to do with his own things, at least up to this point. It’s not a kingdom where the “leader” takes from subjects whatever their whim. Want a bike path? Buy some land and donate it for the cause. Otherwise, stop your petty personal attacks on someone for their decision.
Who’s silly idea was it anyway to put a bike path down sawmill rd.? I know that if I’m going to ride a bike from
Meyers to south shore I certanly wouldn’t go way out of my way and use this waste of money and time of a path! Whoever is making these ridiculous decisions needs to STOP AND THINK!!
Shenja, feel free to head straight into town on HWY 50, hope you have good health insurance and pay up your Calstar membership. Riding on HWY 50 is unintelligent-
Yes, the land is his, noone is saying he must be FORCED to sell, save your ‘kingdom’ stories for the 3rd grade class.
If Amacker doesn’t want to sell, that is his right. If he wants to take his frustrations out on the people of this town for whatever injustices occurred in the past, so be it. Revenge is bottomless…and everyone knows it would be nothing for him to take the money and give back a little.
Well, I saw this one coming. I think my exact words when they started building that bike path were “Is Cass really going to give up his land for this bike path?” Nobody, except those close to the family, knows what has happened in the past. Yes, they can be abrupt and rude at times but once you get to know them you admire them for their work ethic. I’d like to see the average citizen out doing hard manual labor all day long at their age. Bottom line, it’s HIS land, not ours.
These recreation paths are wonderful additions to communities. They are called bike paths as a nickname but really are for any type of recreation or slow transportation – walking, running, inline skating, baby strollers, dogs on leashes. They are not suitable for going over 10 mph which is why faster bicyclists use the regular roads. We need to continue to build more of them and landowners need to allow them to cross their property. This land along sawmill road does not negatively impact the Amackers in any way if they allow the path to cross it. They need to stop being selfish spiteful mean spirited landowners. This attitude is much of what makes the US so less pleasant to live in than more cooperative, community minded places such as Europe.
Some of these comments are amazing. if you worked hard and managed to acquire property, it is yours – not the governments! Those of you who bash this private property owner – I’m sure you’d feel far different if it were YOUR property! So, you think it’s okay to coerce private property from a property owner? What makes YOU so entitled? Go buy your own land and offer it up to the government! Owning and enjoying private property is one of the wonderful things about America. This man has a right to do whatever he damn well pleases with HIS personal property! Wait until the government tries to take away YOUR property! He does not owe the government or the community HIS property! What makes some of you people think that what is his, should be yours? THAT kind of thinking and actions is what makes America an unpleasant place to live! Personal property rights are critical for a free people. If the government can take your property, they then own the property and they could keep everyone off the property, down the road, if they so choose. Which side of freedom are you on? What country is this?
It is simple. The man owns the property. The government should have never started the project without all folks on board. If not everyone was on board, they should have made a different plan. Stupid governmental move. Typical governmental move. Would it be nice for him to sell and let the path get completed? Maybe, but property ownership is inherent to our free nation.
yeah yeah yeah, it’s his, all his and he doesn’t have to sell it for 500k to allow the community to have a bike path on a little sliver of land that most likely will ENHANCE whatever grandiose plans he has AFTER he gets it REZONED? for a gawdawful 40 unit mega-whatever…..it’s his, ALL his. You want to talk about what makes this country great? It’s working together, giving, getting. What makes this country pathetic is Me Me Me, selfish crap that lacks any sense of community, any vision or emotion other than axe grinding and greed.
You,re all dumb! How about you cross the street and build the path on the pieshop side? WOW
I agree with Brad build it on the northside of Sawmill Road. I agree with Cass totally. This county is pushing its weight around.
I love the readiness of those w/o to have others give up their property. Bike trails are not a necessity. The road drainage projects are much more important. The county is meeting its mandates to control storm drainage from its roads using the money from the bike trails to put in the drainage improvement. Drainage is needed but bike trails not so much.
I was thinking that today driving by. Build it!!!!