“Tahoe is surely not one but many. … I am reminded of all the mountain lakes I ever knew, as if this were a kind of water heaven to which they all had come.” – John Muir, 1873
When John Muir wrote this, the Tahoe Basin was already in decline. 1800’s logging and mining would give way to development pressures of the 1950’s and 1960’s, leading to an estimated loss of 75% of its marshes, 50% of its meadows, and 35% of its stream zone habitats.
Spanning one-third of a mile of the sensitive Lake Tahoe shoreline, The Lodge at Edgewood embodies a new economic future and provides tangible environmental improvements for both the environment and the community. A ten-year collaboration between the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and the design team led to a significant reorganization of the site including water treatment, public access, protection of old growth forests, and a blueprint for a new economic model for the revitalization of the South Lake Tahoe community.
The Beginning
The origins of the Edgewood Lodge project begin with a community group that pushed forward a new paradigm for a region that had undervalued its rich and sensitive ecology while simultaneously falling victim to the pressures of short-sited development. The community process that emerged in the wake of this period identified three priorities for the area: restoration of degraded sites, water quality improvement, and a dramatic transformation of the visitor experience.
“An environmental project that happened to have a hotel”
The environmental foundation of The Lodge at Edgewood was established early in the collaborative planning process with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. TRPA’s vision for “a lake environment that is sustainable, healthy, and safe for the community and future generations” guided a plan whose goal was to preserve and enhance the largest private property on Lake Tahoe. Many of the early design decisions related to the architecture, site planning, and landscape architecture referenced in the great lodges of America’s National Parks. The Lodge, in turn, leveraged its location to provide essential water treatment, sensitive soil restoration, rehabilitation of existing ecologies, and protection of old growth forests. When the lodge was honored by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, it was described the project as “an environmental improvement project that happened to have a hotel”.
Protecting the Ground Beneath our Feet
The geology of the Tahoe Basin has been mapped extensively, and since the late 1970’s, all the soils within the Tahoe Basin have been assigned a Land Capability Classification based on their ability ‘to tolerate disturbance and development while retaining their natural function’. Within this classification system, the land is mapped into nine distinct zones ranging from ‘sensitive’ to ‘suitable for development’. Approximately 100 acres of the 227-acre site consists of ‘sensitive soils’. Working within these constraints, the landscape architect reduced existing pavement on sensitive stream zone soils by 45%. Most notably, the landscape architect was able to transform an acre of asphalt parking located directly on the lake shore into a native landscape providing a visually attractive and environmentally-friendly buffer between the Lodge and the lake.
Planning vs. Planting
Extensive mapping of the site’s existing forest revealed a significant number of old growth trees. Through careful site planning, the landscape architect was able to preserve 88% of the site’s trees, 91% of which were old growth trees. As a result of the extensive tree preservation efforts, views from the water to the property have significantly improved, and framed vistas of the lake and mountains are visible from multiple points throughout the site. In addition, the Lodge is carefully situated within a forest of statuesque 100-foot Jeffrey pines. These centuries-old trees, found throughout the Tahoe Basin, are able to sequester sixteen times more carbon dioxide and process 25 times more stormwater than their younger counterparts.
Reveal and Restore
As decades of old asphalt were removed from the site, layers of critical sensitive soils began to reveal themselves. In order to preserve these soils, contractors distributed stockpiled pine duff mixed with a native revegetation mix. The result is the establishment of 32,000 square feet of new stream environment zone significantly filters and reduces fine sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus runoff from the lodge and golf course into Lake Tahoe. This zone, which consists primarily of willow and sedge wetland plantings, traces the complex hydrology of the site as it winds its way toward the lake.
Filtering a Watershed
For three decades, runoff of fine sediment particles from adjacent upland development threatened the deep-water clarity of Lake Tahoe. Situated at the critical juncture of Edgewood Creek and Lake Tahoe, the 227 acres surrounding the property is ideally located to serve the Basin’s 6,150-acre watershed. Stormwater runoff from urban areas is regionally collected for treatment on Edgewood’s golf course, where it is revealed in a series of ponds that provide the final treatment before discharge into Lake Tahoe. Discharge into the lake is required to meet the highest water quality standards in the United States, and the constant monitoring of stormwater entering the golf course ensures that the polluted runoff meets these high standards.
The site plan for Edgewood Creek’s inline pond system was expanded and reimagined to capture an estimated 500,000 pounds of sediment annually from the roads and parking lots of the adjacent casino core. The natural stormwater infrastructure fits seamlessly within the larger landscape in a series of ponds that also function as wetland and riparian habitat. The transformation of the golf course from pollution source to pollution sink effectively balances form and function, a result that is difficult to achieve on any project.
Although 130,000 square feet of new impervious surfaces were built, stormwater runoff from the site has been reduced by 40% over existing conditions. Runoff from roofs, patios, decks, and walkways (known as high-quality runoff) infiltrates vegetated swales and vegetated basins, or sheet flows into landscape areas. Low quality runoff from roads and parking areas is routed through multi-stage treatment systems consisting of catch basins with sumps and hydrodynamic stormwater treatment vaults to remove coarse sediment, oils, and grease. Stormwater filtration vaults remove fine sediment particles. Finally, underground infiltration galleries reintroduce clean runoff into the groundwater system. Whereas the site previously treated runoff from only 227 acres, today 6,150 acres is treated and the resulting quality is higher than the original smaller watershed.
A New Economic Model
The Tahoe region has seen little investment over the past 50 years. Crossing the border from the city of South Lake Tahoe, California to Stateline, Nevada is a jarring contrast. The low slung 60’s era motels of California quickly rise into the windowless casinos of Nevada. Existing accommodations are inward looking in their nature and promote an experience that is disconnected from nature and relies solely on the automobile.
The Lodge at Edgewood transforms this model to a pedestrian-centered experience that engages the setting through thoughtful integration of architecture and landscape design. The guest experience begins with a carefully redesigned entry road that immediately immerses the visitor under the old-growth Jeffrey pines, offering purposeful glimpses of the lake beyond. Crossing over the newly designed wetland corridor, guests view the bridged entrance to the lodge which is carefully nestled amongst some of the site’s oldest pines. The entry bridge spans a basin that collects stormwater from the adjacent roof and paved areas. In the lobby, 38’ floor-to-ceiling windows announce the lake, surrounding mountains and the magnitude of the forest. The close working relationship between the architect and landscape architect is also apparent in the choice of local materials that unify the lodge and landscape within its regional context.
Access for All
Three million people visit the Tahoe Basin on an annual basis; 50,000 people make it their primary home. Access to the lake is limited both by the region’s steep topography and the patchwork of private land that rings the lake shore. A central tenant of the property’s planning goals was the establishment of a permanent public access to the lake front. Relocation of the existing parking lot away from the lake front set the stage for the development of a series of meandering paths that connect the lodge to the lake and help define event spaces that often see multiple daily events in summer.
A Community Plan is Realized
The project offers a new vision for landscapes that are increasingly threatened. Careful planning and analysis resulted in a landscape that reflects the local ecology, inspires economic opportunities, and supports the community. In recognition of the project’s commitment to sustainable design and construction, the Lodge was recently certified as a LEED Silver building. Through its integrated approach to design and environmental improvements, the success of the Lodge is proof that it is possible for projects located in sensitive and highly visited environments to live up to the expectations set by their beautiful surroundings.
The Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe
Conceptual Landscape Design: Design Workshop
Design Workshop Team Members: Richard Shaw, Paul Squadrito & Kristofer Johnson, Adam Mekies, Eric Roverud, John Spiess, Marcus Pulsipher, Margaret Plumb
Tahoe Office of Design Workshop: Lou Feldman & Kara Thiel
Edgewood Properties Team
Architecture: CCY Architecture, Basalt CO
Interior Design: Hirsch Bedner Associates, San Francisco, CA
Civil Engineer: Nichols Consulting
Pool Consultant: Water Design Inc.
LEED Consultant: Sugar Pine Engineering
General Contractor: SMC Construction, Stateline, NV
Photographer: D.A. Horchner & Brandon Huttenlocher