Executive Summary
Placer County promised transparency.
Instead, CEQA began without public notice, milestone reports were never delivered, and $38.6 million in public incentives were approved without a signed developer agreement or clear public benefit.
I uncovered all this and more – by asking one simple question: Where are the milestone reports?
In late 2023, the County signed a new agreement with Kingsbarn for the Kings Beach Center — the Fourth Amendment — which included performance milestones and quarterly updates. It was framed as a reset. But when those updates never appeared, I started digging.
What I found exposed a troubling pattern of missed obligations, hidden processes, and public decisions made without public oversight. The truth was murky — not only were the milestone updates never publicly released, but even County staff later confirmed they hadn’t received any prior to June 2025. And the one that did arrive came only after I filed a Public Records Act request.
This wasn’t just a paperwork failure. It showed a larger breakdown in transparency and accountability. And it raised the question: If the County didn’t enforce the one mechanism meant to keep the project on track, what else were they letting slide?
This is what I learned, how I found it, and why it matters.
Why I Started Asking — And Never Stopped
I didn’t grow up here — but I grew up for here. From age nine to seventeen, I rode the ski bus with my club every winter weekend, learning every nook and cranny of Alpine Meadows and Olympic Valley. I even begged my parents to send me to the boarding school up here — that didn’t work out, but the dream stuck. For years, I dreamed of living in this place full-time.
Kings Beach wasn’t just a place on a map. It was where we came for family holidays. It was the beach town in the mountains — the best of both worlds. More than anything, it was possibility.
I finally got to live in the place I’d dreamed of for years. And when things didn’t feel right — when public land started slipping into private deals — I knew I couldn’t just shrug. I had to ask questions — and keep asking until someone listened.
As I dug into the history, I kept wondering: when was the public ever meant to make an impact? The timelines were long. The compliance stories were confusing. I had hoped those were just old misconceptions. But as many longtime locals told me — just wait. It’s all unfolding exactly how they expected.
But I didn’t stop there. Because in 2023, for the first time, a real accountability mechanism emerged — and I decided to follow it, closely.
What follows is just the beginning of what I’ve been learning. Like in my past blogs, I’ll stay grounded in facts — but this time, I’m also sharing how I got here, and why I’m still trying.
This story doesn’t begin in 2023. The Kings Beach Center project has long been stuck in a cycle of shifting developers, expired agreements, missed deadlines, and quiet extensions.
But in December 2023, something shifted. That’s when Placer County approved a new agreement with Kingsbarn: the Fourth Amendment. It was supposed to be a reset. This time, they said, would be different.
This time, they added something new: performance milestones to hold the process accountable.
“This is the first time that we’ve embedded milestones to keep that project moving forward… including requirements related to CEQA.” — Placer County Staff, December 5, 2023
I’d spoken up before at public meetings — but December 2023 felt like a turning point. I even spoke at that Board of Supervisors meeting and said:
“Before we sign another agreement, we need a clear way to hold this process accountable.” — Public Comment, December 5, 2023
From that moment on, I started following the process closely — checking agendas, watching meetings, waiting for those milestone reports to appear.
That one missing milestone update became a thread I couldn’t stop pulling. And the more I pulled, the more it unraveled — missing documentation, broken promises, and decisions quietly moving forward without the public’s knowledge or voice.
What I found was bigger than just a missed deadline. Because this wasn’t about paperwork. It was about transparency. It was about trust. It was about making sure public land serves the public good.
The Public Was Shut Out of the Process
I started quietly, just watching for the quarterly milestone updates the agreement required. But quarter after quarter, nothing showed up. No reports. No timelines. No mention of CEQA officially starting.
That stood out — because County staff had made it clear that CEQA was the very reason the Fourth Amendment was needed:
“We needed to bring forward the Fourth Amendment to allow for continued coordination and the preparation of a project description that would enable CEQA to move forward, with the next step being the issuance of the NOP (Notice of Preparation).” — County Staff, December 5, 2023
2024 was also an election year — and getting straight answers wasn’t easy. So in early 2025, I raised my concerns again publicly at the North Tahoe Regional Advisory Council. I asked a few simple questions:
- Had the required milestone updates been submitted?
- Was there a cost/benefit analysis?
- When would the public be told what’s really happening at Kings Beach Center?
- Despite County staff promising to help, no one gave a straight answer after months of back and forth — and finally, another Strong North Tahoe leader said what I was beginning to suspect:
“You might need to file a Public Records Act request.”
So in May 2025, I did. I wasn’t trying to be difficult — just determined. If the County wasn’t going to show us what was happening, I was going to find out for myself.
And I still believe: it’s not too late for this process to become what it was meant to be — open, honest, and shared.
If the County wasn’t going to show us what was happening, I was going to find out for myself.
The County Knew Milestones Were Missing — And Said Nothing
On June 13, 2025, in response to my May 23 Public Records Act request — which had already been marked “closed” — the County sent me a two-page “milestone summary” dated June 4, 2025. But it didn’t meet the standards in the Fourth Amendment: no tracking, no forward-looking schedule, no confirmation of compliance — just a retroactive summary, created only after I asked.
When I followed up, County staff confirmed in writing:
“The County did not receive quarterly updates prior to the June 04, 2025 update.” — Placer County Staff, June 13, 2025
That’s a direct breach. Yet for more than a year, County staff accepted private verbal updates in closed-door meetings — even though the agreement required written, public reports.
In their own words, the developer said:
“It was discussed at these bi-weekly meetings that the continual dialogue and meeting updates would continue to suffice for the quarterly updates.”
That means the County knew the milestones weren’t being met — and they let it slide. They didn’t flag the breach. They didn’t notify the Board. They didn’t inform the public.
But they did notify the developer — who then created something retroactively to fill the gap.
So on June 19, Strong North Tahoe submitted a formal letter to the Board of Supervisors outlining the violation and requesting accountability: Read the full letter here.
The Public Raised the Alarm — The Board Stayed Silent
A few days later, I stood before the Board of Supervisors — raising the issue during the opening minutes of public comment, before the incentive vote even took place. I asked the Board to pause, to acknowledge the breach, to do the right thing.
“This milestone wasn’t just a checkbox. It was the accountability mechanism this Board insisted on — because the public deserved it.” — Patricia Orr, public comment, June 24, 2025
Instead, I was met with blank stares.
That silence stayed with me. In my recap later that week — “A Turning Point for 39° North and Kings Beach” — I focused on the outcome. But what I didn’t say then: the day was profoundly disappointing. Not just because the vote moved forward — but because the questions didn’t. And because, at that point, it had become painfully clear: this wasn’t about oversight or readiness — it was about keeping the developer from walking away before the math could pencil.
Still, I left more determined than ever to keep going. That day, I spoke up not once but four separate times — raising concerns, pressing for transparency, and trying to explain to the Board what they might not fully be aware of — what County staff and the developer had been leaving out of the public story.
I know now: they’re not telling the full story. They’re only sharing part of the truth.
But I still believe they can. That’s what transparency is — not a gotcha moment, but a chance to build trust again.
Because the biggest issue here wasn’t just the missed milestone. It was something far more consequential: CEQA had already started — and no one had told the public.
CEQA Started Behind Closed Doors
Here’s what alarmed me most: CEQA had already started months earlier — without any public notice, documentation, or engagement.
What the developer’s own milestone summary quietly revealed was that by late 2024:
- An Initial Environmental Checklist was submitted to TRPA (Oct 28)
- TRPA requested technical studies (Nov 14)
- Studies on Recreation, VMT, and Hydrogeology were submitted (Jan–Mar)
- A strategy meeting with TRPA and County staff took place (May 12)
None of this was disclosed to the public. No Notice of Preparation (NOP). No scoping meeting. No CEQA documents. No community engagement. Just a quiet process that treated CEQA like a formality — not a safeguard.
We were told — again and again — that CEQA would be our time to engage:
“Any development project will be subject to CEQA and will require full CEQA review. That will be the opportunity for the community to be involved.” — Placer County Staff, February 6, 2018
“This is the first time that we’ve embedded milestones to keep that project moving forward… including requirements related to CEQA.” — Placer County Staff, December 5, 2023
But now we know: CEQA didn’t bring the public in. It shut us out.
CEQA is supposed to be the public’s moment — a legal pause that demands reflection, analysis, and accountability. In Tahoe, it’s not red tape. It’s the last line of defense for our lake, our air, our traffic, and our future.
That’s what makes this so alarming.
The “Aligned” Project — and the Review We Were Told to Expect
For years, the public was told that once the Kings Beach Center project aligned with TRPA rules and the Tahoe Basin Area Plan, the environmental review process would begin — and that would be our time to engage. That alignment was consistently presented as the threshold to transparency and participation.
Back in 2018, County staff pointed to a promising design, saying:
“This is the first time we have a proposal that aligns with our Area Plan and zoning.”
— Placer County staff, March 6, 2018
But that version never moved forward. Instead, the project cycled through redesigns — increasing height, requesting zoning changes, and seeking public subsidies. When many of those efforts stalled, the developer returned with a version that appeared more compliant. In June 2025, County staff described the latest design as finally “aligned” — and many expected the long-delayed environmental review to begin in earnest, with full public input.
But here’s the real kicker: just as the project finally appears to meet the rules, that compliance is being used as a strategy to fast-track approval — not strengthen the process.
Instead of launching a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR), references in TRPA’s public project portal show that the County and TRPA discussed shifting to a lower-level review:
“emails and documents associated with TRPA/Placer County’s change from an EIR and the existing scope in the 4-way agreement to an IEC or EA.”
— TRPA staff, May 2024
In TRPA’s framework, an Initial Environmental Checklist (IEC) or Environmental Assessment (EA) can lead to a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) — a much more limited process. No scoping. No alternatives. Just one 30-day public comment period, with no hearings required.
And then came a more concrete sign: On June 23, 2025 — the day before the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved $38.6 million in public subsidies for the project — TRPA quietly opened a new file labeled “Environmental Review” for 39° North:
👉 ADMIN2025-0028
That file suggests environmental review may already be underway — without any public announcement, without confirmation of a finalized project description, and without indication that the earlier milestones have been fulfilled.
To be clear: the community isn’t demanding a particular outcome. But it has long been told that a full EIR would be the process — a standard laid out in the 2024 Four-Party Agreement between the County, TRPA, the developer, and the environmental consultant.
If that has changed, the public deserves to know why.
A shift to an MND wouldn’t just shortcut process. It would sidestep the public entirely. And after everything — the turnover, the delays, the quiet deals — we need more than just a compliant design.
We need the transparent review we were promised.
Promised Housing Isn’t Guaranteed — Or Even Required
As I tried to understand what the public benefit actually was, I asked the developer again in June 2025. Kingsbarn offered this:
“That’s for the County to determine.”
“We believe once we build it, others will come.” — Kingsbarn, June 5, 2025 Meeting
But that’s not a housing strategy or a public benefit. That’s not a revitalization plan. That’s hope — and hope isn’t what this community was promised.
So what are we actually left with?
In that same meeting, Kingsbarn also made it clear:
“Only 12 affordable units are required.” — Kingsbarn Representative, June 5, 2025
That’s because TRPA only mandates a one-for-one replacement of what’s already on the Kings Beach Center parcels. The rest — the often-repeated “63 affordable units” — aren’t required, funded, or guaranteed.
Even County staff acknowledged during the meeting for the last purchase agreement extension:
“The housing program has not been finalized at this point.” — County Staff, December 5, 2023
So let’s be clear about what the public actually has in hand after seven years, four developers, and multiple contract amendments:
- No binding housing agreement
- No financing plan
- No operating covenant
Just a conceptual design and a collection of vague intentions — unless I’m missing something.
Which is entirely possible, given the tangled web this story really is.
And now — with the County and developer’s pattern of missed milestones, broken promises, and disappearing accountability — we have to ask: is this the public return we’re expected to accept?
Millions Committed — Without Public Return
Just days after Strong North Tahoe submitted its letter outlining the milestone breach, the County moved forward anyway.
On June 24, 2025, the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved a package under the North Lake Tahoe Economic Development Incentive Program (NTEDIP) — a program designed to exchange public investment for measurable public benefit.
Here’s what the developer received:
- A 15-year exclusive option to purchase publicly owned land
- Up to $38.6 million in public incentives — including 106 Tourist Accommodation Units (TAUs) and $30 million in Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) rebates
- All for a $1 option fee — not a typo
An option agreement doesn’t transfer ownership — but it ties up public land for the next 15 years. That means no competing proposals, no community alternatives, and no guaranteed path to public return. And despite being tied to the old PSA, this new deal carries no clear timeline, no performance standards, and no binding public commitments.
Supervisor Gustafson explained the decision as “reserving the incentives so the developer can see if it pencils.”
So, was this really about economic viability — or just about keeping the deal alive? This was the developer’s third time applying for these incentives. The first two were denied. Did enough really change this time?
Because while the developer got time, land, and tens of millions in public benefit — here’s what the public still hasn’t seen:
No binding agreement.
No timeline.
No clawbacks.
No pro forma.
No defined public benefit.
But we haven’t seen the pencil. Or the paper. Or the math.
And that matters — because June 24 was the County’s moment to secure it all. Forty public letters were submitted. More than twenty speakers showed up to ask questions, raise concerns, and call for accountability. Strong North Tahoe was one of them. Read the letter here.
And still, the County gave the green light — without answers, without protections, and without explaining how this deal benefits the very community that’s footing the bill.
The Only Oversight Came from the Public
This all started with my simple question: Where are the milestone reports?
When no one could answer, I filed a Public Records Act request. And when that uncovered even more questions, I filed again. On June 26, I submitted three more PRA requests — asking for documentation of milestone tracking, access to CEQA studies, and insight into what’s being considered behind closed doors.
We’ll see what comes back. And when it does — I’ll share it. Because someone has to.
👉 Want the full backstory? Check out our 39° North Timeline for a year-by-year breakdown of how we got here.
It Starts with Just One Voice
I didn’t set out to become a watchdog. I just wanted to understand how a public land deal this big — and this important — could move forward with so few answers.
So I started asking. And when I couldn’t get answers, I kept going — reading agreements, filing records requests, and writing down what I found.
Even though I’m not a lifelong local, my roots here run deep. I grew up in Roseville, spending weekends on the mountain. I live in Kings Beach full time now. This is my forever home.
That’s why I care.
And I believe Kings Beach deserves a public process that reflects this community — not just a closed-door deal. This isn’t about stopping development. Kings Beach deserves revitalization.
But it also deserves honesty. It deserves transparency. It deserves a seat at the table for the people who live here.
Because until this process is truly public — I’ll keep asking.
And if you’ve ever wondered whether one person can make a difference, here’s proof: you can. You don’t need credentials. Just curiosity, persistence — and a community that refuses to be silenced.
That’s what Strong North Tahoe is here for.
And I’m here too — not as an expert, but as a neighbor who loves this place enough to speak up for it.
Gratitude Is Where This Story Ends — and Continues
To everyone who’s reached out — thank you. Truly.
Thank you for the emails. For the quiet nods at the post office. For the long conversations at Safeway, the pickleball courts, or after Music on the Beach. For the hard questions. For encouragement when I felt small. For every person who said, “Keep going.” You helped me keep going.
Thank you to the new neighbors who are learning this history for the first time — and to the longtimers who pulled me aside to share what came before. I carry them with me.
So keep listening. Stay ready. And stay with us. Because we won’t let the next moment pass us by — however it presents itself to our community.
And yes — to our County officials and Board of Supervisors — I thank you, too. Not because this process has been easy, but because I still believe it can get better. You have the chance to lead differently. I still hope we can find common ground, and work toward transparency together. We’ll be here, watching — and hoping you meet that moment.
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