- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Lake County Planning Commission approves Lucerne resort project
At its meeting on April 14, the commission unanimously approved Nicole Farb’s application for a design review permit for the Nikki Island resort project.
The resort is planned for a 1.5-acre property at 5835 and 5825 State Highway 20.
Planner Eric Porter said that while it’s not a large property, it’s large enough for the proposed resort development, with the land appropriate for the project’s size and development.
He said it’s also in accordance with the general plan, shorelines plan and zoning ordinance, and is compatible with existing development.
The resort will include nine overnight lodging units or one story “casitas.” Porter said that hotels and motels are a use by right when they don’t exceed 15 units.
The property also includes a one-story house that was the longtime residence of well-known Pearl Harbor survivor, Jim Harris, who died in 2011.
The plans include converting that house to a social gathering room, lobby, kitchen and dining room.
Several large and significant trees on the property will be maintained as part of the resort, with more trees and shrubbery to be planted, Porter said.
New amenities also will include an outdoor kitchen, in-ground pool and hot tub, new landscaping, parking and pedestrian paths. An existing driveway and some asphalt will be removed, which Porter said received support from Caltrans.
Porter said the county received no adverse comments on the proposal from the state clearinghouse.
However, an adjacent neighbor, Dr. Doug Reams, submitted a letter for a March hearing on the project — which was continued to the April meeting — over his concerns about noise, traffic, lighting and a host of other issues. Porter told the commission that mitigation measures will be put in place.
Staff recommended the commission approve the design review, Porter said.
Commissioner John Hess asked about whether the property has a boat dock. Farb, who attended via Zoom, said they do and that they are working with a local boat rental company to encourage use of the lake.
Commissioner Batsulwin Brown asked about when the last cultural resource study was completed. He said there is a known historical village site from the precontact era in the area and he was concerned about cultural resources being protected.
Noting that the site was previously developed, Farb said a cultural resource study was completed in 2020.
Commissioner Everardo Chavez Perez asked Farb how her idea for the resort came about and what she hopes to bring to Lake County.
“That question makes me so happy,” said Farb, a mother of two who owns the property with her husband.
She said that when she was a child, her family, which is from San Francisco, used to camp at Yosemite Park.
Farb wanted to have a resort but areas like Napa and Tahoe have priced them out. She said she’d been looking at Clear Lake for about seven years to find the perfect destination for the resort she wanted to build.
Brown offered both motions for the project, one to approve the initial study and the second for design review approval, with Chavez Perez seconding both motions.
The commission unanimously approved both motions.
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