Edgewood Companies tweaking hotel project; golf holes to move into South Lake Tahoe

 

By Kathryn Reed

To accommodate the Edgewood Lodge, which could break ground in August, some changes to planning documents are necessary. And this involves South Lake Tahoe because part of Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course is in the city limits.

Holes 8 and 9 cross into California from Stateline. Part of No. 8’s green complex is in the city as well as the tee boxes for No. 9.

Edgewood owns about 10 acres on four parcels in South Lake Tahoe that go from the lake to about Manzanita Street. The parcels are odd shaped. The Julia Morgan-designed house that is on one parcel will not be touched.

Edgewood Companies is now planning to alter holes 7-8-9 to accommodate the 159-room hotel. The hotel will be repositioned slightly.

“It’s not a big change, but it hits all the right buttons. It will be a better hotel guest experience, better community guest experience and it reduces the impact to beach soils,” Patrick Rhamey, executive vice president of real estate for Edgewood Companies, told Lake Tahoe News.

By modifying Hole 9 more than what was approved in 2012 it will add 130 lineal feet of public beach access to the already 500 feet that was allocated. It also means having more of the golf course on high-capability land and not on beach soil.

Hole 7 is being altered for the entrance road to the hotel. It will generally be in the same location, but have better exposure to sun.

The big change for Hole 8 is that the tree in the middle will be on the right. The creek along this hole will also be restored.

Hole 9 will have the most dramatic changes. Today it starts in California, plays south to north and finishes by the parking lot. In the future it will dogleg right near Lake Parkway in a westerly direction and end with a dogleg right to finish in front of the hotel.

By June 2015 all the changes to the course should be ready for golfers to test.

Because there are changes to the original plans the company will need the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to approve an amendment. South Lake Tahoe officials must vote on the negative declaration as well as changing the Edgewood General Plan and approve an amendment to the plan area.

The Tourist Core Area Plan that was just approved does not cover this area. In the past, Douglas County incorporated the California part of the golf course in its plans. That was eliminated last year when its area plan for Stateline was approved.

The changes affect Plan Area Statements 70 and 89. The changes would allow golf where it currently is prohibited. No additional development would be permitted.

Changes to the course will not occur until after the July celebrity golf tournament. It’s possible for a bit the course will be 15 holes or the three affected holes could temporarily be modified.

The lodge is expected to take 20 months to build. It could be open in May 2016.

Expanding the south banquet room in the clubhouse is also planned. It’s likely that won’t happen this year. It will not impact the restaurant.

“We have put a hold on taking weddings after the second or third week of September until we figure out the schedule for the south room,” Rhamey said.

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Notes:

• Feb. 13 3pm South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission meeting at Lake Tahoe Airport regarding Edgewood General Plan/Plan Area amendment.

• Feb. 24 is the deadline to comment on the draft negative declaration for the proposed General Plan and Plan Area Amendment. Send comments to South Lake Tahoe Planning Department, 1052 Tata Lane, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.

• March 13 3pm South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission meeting at Lake Tahoe Airport regarding negative declaration.

• March 18 the South Lake Tahoe City Council will take up the Edgewood negative declaration. The meeting starts at 9am at Lake Tahoe Airport.

• The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency could hear the changes at its March meetings.