On Wednesday, July 13 we received the final Writ and Judgment in our case against Martis Valley West, directing the rescission of all approvals for the North Tahoe development proposal and effectively closing this chapter in our ongoing commitment to Save Martis Valley.

The Martis Valley West project proposed 760 new gated units in a “very high” fire hazard zone on the northern rim of the Tahoe Basin.  It would have added 3,985 new daily car trips to Tahoe’s gridlock, diminishing the Lake’s water quality. And it would have made the region’s workforce housing crisis even worse.

In its Writ and Judgment, the court applies clear language to affirm that Placer County “committed a prejudicial abuse of discretion” when it approved the development in 2016.

The court commands the County to “vacate and set aside” its “approvals of the Project, including the Specific Plan, the Development Agreement, the Large-Lot Vesting Tentative Subdivision Map, amendments to the Martis Valley Community Plan, zoning change, development standards and design guidelines, and related resolutions and ordinances” and “certification  of the EIR.”

And it mandates that the County and developers “and their respective agents, employees, and persons acting in concert with them are enjoined from all activities that are based upon, or related to, the Project Approvals and that could result in any change or alteration to the physical environment.”

The Writ and Judgement do more than finalize an important legal victory for Sierra Watch and our co-plaintiffs League to Save Lake Tahoe and Mountain Area Preservation. 

They mark a major milestone in our 20-year effort, spelling out in black and white what we can accomplish when we work together to defend the places we love.

Read more about the Martis Valley West project, and the League’s decade-long effort to keep it from impacting the Tahoe environment.