Industry News
Homewood Mountain Resort (HMR) in Northern California is one of several ski areas surrounding Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, HMR announced its closure for the 2024-25 season on October 11, 2024.
HMR has always been privately owned but has provided public access that fueled the surrounding community since it opened in 1961. Concerns grew that HMR would become a private ski area grew when the landowner, JMA Ventures, partnered with the Discovery Land Company in 2022.
In May 2024, HMR resubmitted a revised Master Plan Proposal from its original 2011 Plan. Then, in September 2024, things came to a halt when HMR released a statement regarding Keep Homewood Public (KHP), a nonprofit coalition fighting to keep access to HMR public, calling for a “hard reset” of the Master Plan. HMR reported delays from this and even the loss of its financial partner as development slowed and the path forward became unclear. This ultimately led to the October 11 decision for HMR to close the ski area for the 2024-25 season.
Flash forward a few months to January 23, Homewood announced that the mountain will resume its path to open. So what changed for them to move forward with operations for the season?
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) approved a series of amendments to the Master Plan during the January 22 public meeting. One amendment being the ski area would remain open to the public. These approved amendments allowed HMR to pursue its Master Plan and provided clarity for its path forward. The statement below is from TRPA’s January 23 update:
“The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board approved amendments to the Homewood Mountain Resort Master Plan at its public meeting January 22, which include a community access plan that ensures the resort will remain open to the public. The decision also approved a permit for Homewood to begin constructing a new gondola this year to improve skier access. Previously approved projects to add accommodations and commercial uses at the base areas were reduced in size with updated architecture.”
HMR is now on a path to reopen for the 2025-26 season. HMR released a summary on its website about what is to come for the upcoming changes.
“TRPA approved the Master Plan amendment on January 22, 2025, which includes, site plan refinements to reposition the gondola base terminal, open view corridors to the mountain, and reduce building massing and residential density.”
Ultimately, the HMR surrounding community will be able to gain public access to the ski area and HMR can pursue its Master Plan and reopening. Below are key details from the HMR Master Plan.
- Installation of an eight-passenger gondola to replace the Madden Chair
- A mid-mountain lodge with a gondola terminal, which will include a “learn-to-ski” lift, food and beverage offerings, a community pool and sundries
- Replacement of the Ellis Chair
- Improve snowmaking capabilities & mountain maintenance
- Add up to 225 residences
- Add a hotel with up to 75 hotel/condo units
- Add 13 on-site workforce housing units
- Base mountain facilities with food and beverage offerings, lockers, restrooms, ski school, and a rental shop as well as first aid and mountain administration
- A new parking garage offering up to 270 day-use parking spaces
- A mid-mountain lodge with a gondola terminal, which will include a “learn-to-ski” lift, food and beverage offerings, a community pool and sundries
To learn more about the Master Plan amendments, see TRPA’s website for additional details.
