550-site campground proposed atop Tahoe ridge

Lake Tahoe’s first new campground in more than 20 years would be developed on a forested ridge overlooking Lake Tahoe under a plan announced Wednesday by developers.

Mountainside Partners and landowner Sierra Pacific Industries have submitted an application to build a 550-site campground on a ridge south of Northstar California and near the Tahoe Rim Trail.

Brockway Campground would include a mix of tent sites and prefabricated “eco-shelters,” with the project also including a swimming pool, a dining area, pavilions and a general store, said Blake Riva, senior partner for Mountainside Partners.

The seasonal campground would require approval by both Placer County and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency but is an allowed use under existing zoning, Riva said. He said existing zoning would allow for as many as 832 sites but the project being proposed is 34 percent smaller than that.

The campground, Riva said, would address a shortage of camping opportunities available in the north Tahoe area. Currently, there are an existing 18 campgrounds with 2,066 campsites in the Tahoe Basin, with the vast majority located on the lake’s south and west shores.

“Of those, only 46 campsites are located are located between Tahoe City and Zephyr Cove, meaning only 2 percent of all campsites are in North Lake Tahoe,” Riva said. “We’re now bringing North Lake Tahoe more into balance.”

The campground would be located on a parcel of land within the Tahoe Basin where Mountainside Partners and Sierra Pacific had earlier proposed construction of 112 residential units. It pulled those plans in February amid significant opposition but is proceeding with a project to build 760 residential units and 6.6 acres of commercial development on the east side of the ridge and closer to Northstar.

The new project could face opposition as well. Early this year, two Tahoe-area realty groups issued policy statements citing concern over development atop area ridgelines. Critics of the previous project including conservation groups, including the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

Riva insists the project should be far more palatable than the residential proposal preceding it.

“A campground is a permissible use and a campground does not contain the components that seemed to cause concern for some of the basin groups,” Riva said. “Given that camping is for everyone, we have received a lot of positive feedback.”

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