A total of 965 pages of comments were submitted for the Barton EA: Link to Comments.

Of these, only nine people expressed support for the project.

 

These comments relied on false Barton talking points, such as the claim of an "aging population" in South Lake Tahoe or the mistaken belief that Nevada is the only viable location for Barton's "state-of-the-art" hospital.  Link to Barton Talking Points.

 

The most troubling aspect is that many of the comments opposing the project use TRPA and Douglas County codes against them.

This project should have been stopped by TRPA and/or Douglas County before it even began.

 

Despite three years of coordinated efforts by Feldman, Barton, Douglas County, and TRPA to push this project through, it still fails the common-sense test.

​​

Many comments focused on the ridiculousness of the reports the TRPA accepted without question

Here is the Barton Initial Environmental Checklist that TRPA accepted without question. The developer completes this document and submits it to TRPA, knowing that any "yes" answers regarding environmental impacts could disqualify the project or make approval more difficult. Therefore, it is in the developer's best interest to answer "no" or "data insufficient," as TRPA does not challenge the responses.

Here is how Barton answered the IEC:

• 91 total questions

  • 54: No

  • 31: Data Insufficient

  • 5: Yes

  • 1: No, with mitigation​

The project: 89 foot tall building, 230,000 sq ft, helicopter service, next to a meadow with wildlife and a sensitive stream zone, on top of an established neighborhood, traffic counts will increase and the site has known major water issues.  Barton answers "No" or "Data Insufficient" for 85 of 91 questions regarding potential environmental impacts.  TRPA accepts this IEC without question in November 2023.  Because of public pushback, TRPA reluctantly had Barton start an EA in October 2024.  TRPA was able to keep the Latitude 39 project at the IEC level because the public was not aware and did not pushback on the TRPA to require an EA.  

​

Here is the Barton Traffic Study Report that TRPA accepted without question. This study suggests that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) will drop by 57% for a new 230,000 sq. ft. hospital built away from the population center, 1,000+ employees, 100+ volunteers, patients, visitors, contract workers, medical representatives, and daily deliveries.

 

Here is the Barton BMP Plan/Drainage Report that the TRPA and Douglas County accepted without question. This plan failed, resulting in Barton flooding the neighborhood and receiving a Cease and Desist order.

​

Keep in mind that TRPA and Douglas County had this project on a fast tracked approval cycle in August 2024. The project was set to be approved based on the IEC, Traffic Study, and BMP/Drainage Plan mentioned above. In late July and early August, we pushed back against this rushed approval process. Finally, in October 2024, TRPA decided to require Barton to conduct an Environmental Assessment (EA).

​

With the EA, the TRPA shifts the burden onto the public by using the EA process to gather comments on how a project may impact the environment. But TRPA should be evaluating every project against a set of clear environmental standards. Why is the average person responsible for helping TRPA do its job? And if it isn't TRPA’s job to protect the environment from a project's potential negative impacts, then why does the TRPA even exist?  The TRPA is failing and needs new leadership.

​

​

The TRPA and Douglas County should be embarrassed.  

​

Reach out to people on the Barton Health Executive Board and tell them this is a bad project

​

​

​