HomeMy Public PortalAboutPublic Comment #13 (Didricksen)Apr 08 13 09:35a Jan Didriksen
Saturday, April 06,2013
Town of Truckee Planning Commissioner
Jenna Endres, Associate Planner
Phone number: 530-582-2922
Fax number: 530-582-7771
10183 Truckee Airport Road
Truckee, CA 96161
i ~m[rc.;s:(/tm vno ilrw.;k~~.ct a i ·1
Tahoe Donner Marina Facility Improvement Project Scheduled for the Planning
Commission
Dear Jenna:
We closed escrow on May 2009 buying our cabin at 12095 Donner Pass Road. This
property is located right across the street from Tahoe Donner Marina Facility. Over the
years we have noticed the changes which occurred, some for the positive and others on
the negative side. The busiest months are when the schools are out with the highest over
the July 4th holiday. We have seen ski boats line up at 4:30 in the morning to insure that
they are the first to launch their boat and get a parking place inside the marina area And
at the end of July 4th they are pulling their boats out after the fireworks end on the west
end of Donner Lake. July is by far the busiest month of the year. Families are getting
there about 10:00 AM to get their place on the beach. The parking along Donner Pass
Road is filled with all the cars diagonal parked with the car front pointer east. That was so
they can back out and be pointed in the correct direction for traffic. Right now they park
on native soil. That is the correct way in order to not have more sealed surface for
drainage into Donner Lake.
Mondays the garbage is collected at Donner Lake. The staging area for the large garbage
trucks is across the road from our cabin. The garbage is picked up around 10 AM and the
large truck is parked and loaded till about noon. In the summer months there are any
problems as far a parking with the Tahoe Donner beach crowd. But the garbage will
move a couple of spaces to let a car out. Tahoe Donner should not let them feel that they
have control over a public road.
Several years the teenagers played volleyball near the fence area near the road. When a
ball went over the fence they would just jump it and get it before it went into the road.
Back a pickup truck and they would jump over to start play again. So much for Tahoe
Donner badge system for allowing only their members access.
Last year Tahoe Donner installed a Public Address system to call out for fountain or food.
orders out. They could have a lighted sign board the customers could see. I don't know if
all of their drinks are served in plastic cups or aluminum cans. The one thing that must be
sure of is that glass is kept off any beach.
p. 1
Hpr 08 13 09:35a Jan Didriksen
In the August 2012 time frame there was a wedding near the area where the volleyball
games were played. The wedding used a public address system to over come the traffic
noise coming from Donner Pass Road, the Ski boats on the lake and the compression
breaking of the big truck coming down highway 80. The public address system tried but
by several glances from our cabin the audience had a hard time hearing the ceremony.
And after all the guests have left someone had the task to load the chairs into trailers by
the gate that takes up two parking places on Donner Pass Road. So one wedding took
away a lot of limited real estate space that families could use for beach time with their
children. lfl was the father of the bride I would not have picked Tahoe Donner Marina
for the wedding but would go to the west end of Donner Lake where the beach that is set
up for weddings. Quieter, less wind, parking, dance floor under a tent, place for a band
and a great view of Donner Lake! And be married on the edge of Donner Lake.
In looking over the plans for the Marina Project I have several questions. On sheet C3
(Preliminary Site and Grading Plan) there is a large area with two natural gas fire pits
in it, it is in front of the food vending area. Is that not taking away prime beach area for
families to use? In the section of Typical Paver Section you only show an 8 inch drain
rock section. In the area where are home is in Portola Valley they require a full foot of
rock and filter material under the rock to prevent the rock from filling from back water
pressure. They also require a reinforced steel cement perimeter footing that was shown to
the full depth of the drain rock. That is so the pavers will not move down the graded area.
I also noted that in the Typical Rock Wall section that is not in Town of Truckee zoning
prohibitions of slopes of20-30%. The proposed wall is steeper then the slope which
Truckee would like-so it would fail. Also it does not show a railing system which will
prevent children from falling over the wall. When I have built cement with rebar inside
them the rough rule ofthmnb is the key should be half the distance in that the wall is tall.
The key underneath has a minimmn depth of 18 inches of depth. That insures that the
wall will hold back the horizontal earth pressure. There is not a detail of how the draining
of the water pressure behind the wall is done. At our cabin we have an artesian well
behind the hill side of the foundation. It will flow all summer long. Being that Tahoe
Donner Marina is down hill from our cabin I am sure that there are water problems that
must be addressed.
In section A-A on sheet C3 there is a glass back support that is 42 inches tall. There are
not any supporting posts for this wall. And it is supported by pavers or natural stones.
When a person supports their back against the glass there is a large bending stress. Glass
wall of this type are 3/8 thick tempered glass with panels only four feet wide. There is a
four inch space underneath to blow out the pine needles for cleaning. And when you have
tempered glass if it breaks it will fracture into thousands of little pieces. So you will have
to sift the sand to make sure that all of the pieces are out because all you need is have a
child to step on glass. That is a bad idea.
On sheet L2.2 (Landscape Site Plan). There is an area called "reinforced turf paving".
That is the same area where they use to load chairs, tables and vendor food for weddings
and other special events. That is ok but it will take two to three parking spaces from the
Donner Pass Road. Also it ends under a tree so the tree roots might have a problem.
p.2
Hpr 08 13 09:35a Jan Didriksen
In all we feel that this project is taking away from is basic theme of the Marina. That is to
have families with children have a good time in the summer time at Donner Lake. Swim,
kids plying on the rocks at water edge, lying on the sand and families just having a good
time. It appears that the Tahoe Donner Directors are.trying to go after the Wedding
business, starting to set up a restaurant. And I am sure that they will want longer hours at
night to operate. This is a disturbance to those of us that have houses on Donner Pass
road. With this activity there will be increased traffic on Donner Pass Road during the
crowded summer season.
Th4' yoy; _ ~ /6~~
Neal and Jan Didriksen
12950 Donner Pass Road
Truckee, CA 96161
p.3