Subject:  PONDEROSA RANCH TO BE SOLD!!! |
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Date Posted: 05:47:04 02/28/04 Sat
from the reno gazette journal 02/28/04
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Saturday | Feb 28, 2004 Last Update 11:41 pm
Ponderosa could be sold to government
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/Publicity photo
`West Gone Wild Days` and other exhibitions have been held at the Ponderosa Ranch.
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Ponderosa Ranch Lake Tahoe
Jeff DeLong
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
2/27/2004 11:37 pm
The Ponderosa Ranch, the western theme village based on the famous television series “Bonanza,” could be sold to a government agency in the next major land acquisition at Lake Tahoe, property owners and land-use officials said Friday.
At a price one official estimated at up to $50 million, the near 600-acre property in Incline Village could be closed as an amusement park and converted into a mass transit center and regional park accessing tens of thousands of acres of nearby forest.
The deal could be a major milestone in long-term efforts to preserve Tahoe’s environment and enhance recreation, supporters said.
Or if such a deal falls through, the land could be targeted for major commercial development, including construction of hotels or motels, said David Geddes, co-owner and president of Ponderosa Ranch.
“We’re giving the government the first look at it,” Geddes said. “There would be some huge public benefits.”
An appraisal process setting a price for the possible purchase is ongoing, but “last I heard, it’s in the $40 million to $50 million range,” said John Singlaub, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
TRPA is part of a coalition of government agencies considering the idea. Others include the U.S. Forest Service, Nevada State Parks, the Nevada Department of Transportation, Washoe County and the Incline Village General Improvement District.
Preserving the ranch from expanded development and pursuing transit and public access opportunities at the landmark property would represent major progress Tahoe conservation efforts, Singlaub said.
“It’s exciting,” Singlaub said. “There’s a whole lot of aspects to it and it’s terrific the owners are willing to consider a public buyout.”
A replica of an 1870s frontier town, the Ponderosa Ranch was opened in 1967. The attraction is based on the exploits of the fictional Cartwright family portrayed in one of the world’s most popular television westerns, “Bonanza,” which aired 1959-’73.
More than a quarter-million people visit the ranch every summer, and the attraction — which employs about 80 seasonal workers — remains a success, Geddes said.
“The ranch is a very successful tourist attraction, and it’s also got potential to be developed,” Geddes said. “What we’re looking at is the underlying land value of the ranch.”
If the public buyout occurs, the summer of 2004 could be the Ponderosa’s last season as a theme park, Geddes said. Many of the western-style buildings likely would be removed, but some — including the Cartwright ranch house — likely would remain, he said.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say there were some pangs of regret, but at the end of the day it’s a business, and you’re always looking for new opportunities,” Geddes said.
If the public buyout doesn’t occur, the ranch could be sold to a developer who might retain the western village attraction but also could build hotels or motels, Geddes said.
“It’s probably the most developable private parcel at Lake Tahoe,” said Jacques Etchegoyhen, co-owner of a Minden-based land-use consulting company hired by the landowners.
“If we’re not successful, the property could be very intensely developed,” said Etchegoyhen, who is also a Douglas County commissioner.
On the other hand, if the land is preserved the deal could prove a coup exceeding the environmental benefits of the $50 million acquisition of Lake Tahoe’s Whittell Estate and Thunderbird Lodge in 1998 and last year’s $29.5 million purchase by the Forest Service of a 1,790-acre ranch on Tahoe’s south shore, Etchegoyhen said.
“From an environmental perspective, it’s probably more important,” Etchegoyhen said. “The public use of it could be staggering. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
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