Last summer, Foothill Conservancy challenged Amador County’s approval of yet another subdivision at the Kirkwood Mountain Resort in spite of the resort’s failure to fully comply with the conditions of its 2003 specific plan (see Fall 2007 Focus).
The supervisors rejected our appeal last June and approved the tentative map for the Martin Point subdivision. But they also told Kirkwood that it must be in “full compliance” with the conditions in order to record the final subdivision map and sell lots.
This winter, the developers secured the county’s agreement that they are now in “substantial compliance” with the conditions of the specific plan—interestingly enough, a claim made by county staff last summer.
That’s closer to the truth now than it was then. But while Kirkwood and the county have made a great deal of progress, there are still missing reports and actions, questionable data, and other compliance problems.
Nonetheless, there is little doubt that the constant push from Friends of Kirkwood and our action challenging Martin Point forced the county and the resort to take many of the actions required by the specific plan approval.
Forest Service plan approved, challenged
In December 2007, the U.S. Forest Service approved Kirkwood’s Master Mountain Development plan, which allows resort expansion on our public lands. The approval includes new ski lifts, blasting of boulders in cross-country trails, logging of old trees for lift construction, and the construction of a dining facility on the Caples Crest between Kirkwood and Caples Lake. The latter was approved despite strong public opposition.
Foothill Conservancy appealed the Forest Service approval of the expansion plan, noting significant violations of federal environmental law. Unfortunately, the regional forester denied our appeal.
We are now discussing whether to take legal action against the Forest Service to protect the unique character of the Carson Pass area. And we will continue to discuss our concerns with officials of the Eldorado National Forest.
