Coldstream Canyon In Truckee, CA
The Coldstream Specific Plan hybrid option for building multiple houses near Coldstream Canyon was approved by the Truckee Town Council at their hearing on August 25, 2014. The development plans for up to 300 residential units, including affordable housing, and commercial space.
The implementation of the Coldstream Specific Plan will provide a major link to the Truckee Legacy Trail that will ultimately connect to Donner Memorial State Park and Coldstream Canyon through the Plan Area.
While additional trails and other incentives are often offered by developers, the overall impact of new housing and commercial development on the fragile ecology of the area and the environment is bound to be negative. The ultimate question is how much more development can this area sustain and whether such development is truly needed by the local community and the local economy or designed to generate profits for developers and revenues for the Town of Truckee.
There are no easy answers to such question, but development has its price and its limits, especially for an area that hopes to remain attractive to tourists because of its beauty and unspoiled nature. At some point, the nature and the economy lose if tourists and residents no longer find the area pristine, unique and attractive. It will be important for local environmental groups to monitor how the Coldstream development plan is being implemented.
To view a copy of the approved hybrid option, please click here.
The Introduction to the Coldstream Specific Plan says:
“The Specific Plan was prepared under the direction of Stonebridge Properties, a subsidiary of Teichert Land Co. who is a long time landowner and community partner. Teichert Land Company has served the region with quality aggregate material for over forty years and is committed to enhancing and revitalizing the Plan Area. Materials harvested from the former mine site supplied a number of important private projects and public improvements within the Truckee and North Tahoe region, including the construction of Interstate 80, Tahoe Donner, and the Squaw Valley Olympic site. The Coldstream Specific Plan is an infill project and mixed-use development that aims to restore, enhance, and revitalize the environmental quality of the area while concurrently preserving the historic traditions of the community.
The Specific Plan has been designed to capitalize upon the remnant site features of the project site, in order to create a project that promotes true environmental stewardship. The Specific Plan strives to embody a creative and thoughtful approach to development, through the implementation of a mixed-use community that directly contributes to a comprehensive program of environmental preservation, restoration, enhancement, and recreation. In order to further this purpose, the Specific Plan identifies land uses, development standards, design guidelines, infrastructure improvements, and a project approval structure for the 178.6± acre Coldstream Plan Area.”
“The implementation of the Coldstream Specific Plan will provide a major link to the Truckee Legacy Trail that will ultimately connect to Donner Memorial State Park and Coldstream Canyon through the Plan Area. The provision of this critical link will provide local and regional outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to bicycle, hike or walk from Glenshire to Donner Memorial State Park and Coldstream Canyon.”
More information on the Coldstream Specific Plan can be found on the Town of Truckee website.
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