Dispute over road at Northstar leads to lawsuit

A group of Northstar homeowners has filed a lawsuit against Placer County, the developers of Martis Camp and others.

The TRUST – Tahoe Residents United for Safe Transit – is seeking to overturn a November decision by Placer County and its Community Development Resource Agency to convert an emergency vehicle access-only road to one for non-emergency use by any vehicle traveling to and from Martis Camp and Northstar ski resort. This road goes through The Retreat-at-Northstar, an exclusive subdivision with 18 lots – one of which has been built on.

“The approvals and environmental reviews for both the 650-lot Martis Camp and the 18-lot Retreat projects provide solely for an EVA connection between the two subdivisions. No one has submitted a plan to open the road connection for non-emergency vehicles,” Chris Carr with the law firm Morrison & Foerster said in a statement. “In contrast to the very public, collaborative and time-consuming process to develop, review and approve the Martis Camp and The Retreat projects, the county’s attempt to change the status of the road had no public input or environmental analysis, violating the public trust and flouting CEQA and California’s planning and land use laws.”

Placer County supervisors discussed the case in closed session on Feb. 5.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report