Condos proposed near Van Sickle Park
By Kathryn Reed
What was going to be a hotel project at the edge of Van Sickle Bi-State Park in South Lake Tahoe is now going to be 22 condominiums.
The South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission on June 9 at 3pm will have a public hearing about the project. The meeting is at Lake Tahoe Airport.
Commissioners will be considering a negative declaration addendum and a request to grant a variance from the front yard setback standard and trash enclosure requirement.
Lucky Look LLC is the owner and applicant. The Washington state-based corporation is a partnership of Michael E. Pegram and Robert S. Over. Pegram is a partner in the Carson Valley Inn in Minden and Bodines casino in Carson. The company’s name is a play off of a horse Pegram owned — Lookin at Lucky — the 2010 Preakness Stakes winner. Neither man was available for comment.
They acquired the property in foreclosure.
Sloan Gordon of Gordon Consulting in Stateline told Lake Tahoe News, “I work for the owner. I’m not going to make any comment.” According to his website, he was a principle planner for Lake Tahoe Development Company. That is the Randy Lane-owned firm that created the Ta-hole – aka failed convention center project.
Lane has been brought in as a consultant for the condo project because at one time he was going to build what was known as the Gondola Vista Boutique Hotel. This was going to be a time-share. Those permits have expired.
When the permitting agencies approved the old project time-shares were an allowed use and whole ownership condos were not. The Tourist Area Plan that was approved in the last couple years now allows condos there. (Time-shares are also still permissible.)
“They called me because I have knowledge of the process. Beyond that I don’t have any involvement,” Lane told Lake Tahoe News.
Attorney Lew Feldman will be representing the project applicants at Thursday’s meeting.
The current project is called Gondola Vista Estates, which will be at 20, 30, 40 Lake Parkway. The units are each two-story and 2,670 square feet.
“The applicant will develop the site using existing residential units of use that are being transferred from the old Colony Inn site,” John Hitchcock, planning manager with South Lake Tahoe, told Lake Tahoe News.
The parcel can be located by going into the state park and taking the access road near the gondola.
“We have different alternative designs. They are going to have to figure out ingress/egress to the loop road if it ever gets built,” Hitchcock said.
(The loop road is a proposal to bring Highway 50 behind Harrah’s-Mont Bleu and in front of the park. Carl Hasty with the Tahoe Transportation District, which is the lead agency on the loop road, did not respond to LTN’s inquiries.)
TRPA has sent a notice to neighbors asking for comments.
“The notice will only ask for comments and does not include a public hearing date because if there are no substantial comments submitted, we can approve at staff level since it is re-permitting a project that was previously approved several years ago,” Tom Lotshaw, TRPA spokesman, told Lake Tahoe News. “The new permit does not have to be issued to the previous applicant/owner.”
Oh really…this entire project has already been approved and doesn’t need approval except for staff?
Say what? The entrance will be off the LOOP ROAD?
It just keeps getting better!! RANDY LANE & LEW FELDMAN of THE HOLE #1 fame?
GREAT
This project is not ripe for approval. STPUD has an iron clad easement they need to use, their setback request, if approved, could make for a big buyout from loop road advocates, it will interfere with the parks scenic quality and they need to get approval from STPUD to use their land. There is no affordable housing in plan, which was in previous plans. How could the planning commission give approval to a project that the developers don’t have approval to build on. STPUD has not been contacted about the projects easement issue let alone the transfer of sewer units. Is the Feldman fix in?
If they get approval on the easement variance, and loop road goes, they could get a big payoff from the TTD. These people have more moves than rattlesnakes, you never know what their up to.
No welfare housing,ops, I mean affordable housing now or ever. I am tired of working by behind off so others can live off the government that extorts taxes to pay for all this.
“When the permitting agencies approved the old project time-shares were an allowed use and whole ownership condos were not. The Tourist Area Plan that was approved in the last couple years now allows condos there. (Time-shares are also still permissible.”
ALLOWING condos there now is NOT the same as what was approved before they were allowed. Additional environmental analysis and public hearings besides approving a negative declaration MUST BE REQUIRED. Call TRPA to get an accurate interpretation of what is allowed in writing.
Van Sickle was not there when the project was proposed, it opened in 2010.