How Did We Get Here?
Barton Health and the Cleveland Clinic are proposing a $300 million building at the former Lakeside Inn & Casino location in Stateline, NV. The building will be 89+ feet tall, located just 50 feet from single-family homes, with an overall size of 230,000 square feet and include helicopter service within 200 feet of the nearby homes.
Why haven't YOU heard anything about this project and the specific details?
​​
To be clear, our group is not opposed to a state-of-the-art hospital and we fully support quality healthcare and improved options for saving lives. But we believe the current established hospital at the location in CA is where it should remain. We are against the special amendments proposed by Barton, TRPA, and Douglas County, as well as the impacts they will have on the area and neighborhood. These amendments grant unconditional hospital use instead of following the standard special-use designation. This distinction is significant because it bypasses protections designed to balance development with community interests. Some of the objections we have are: 1) the tall buildings; 2) the increased traffic; 3) the sirens; 4) the helicopter for noise, safety, and pollution reasons: 5) the walkway over the highway; 6) the parking and increased traffic problems for the neighborhood and Rabe Meadow; 7) the impacts to wildlife and the meadow. It is unfortunate Barton has chosen to allow its buildings to fall behind the times at their location in CA. They have had 20+ years to address the seismic issues with the one building and have chosen to do nothing. Barton reports they are sitting on $100M in reserves- why not make updates to the CA hospital so it is safe and state-of-the-art?
In our opinion, a more suitable use for this Nevada property would be residential development for workforce housing, combined with a mix of commercial spaces. The Lakeside Inn & Casino was a valued neighbor and partner in our community for many years. As you will see from the information on this website, Barton Health has chosen to make its relationship with the residents of this area difficult and strained.
​
The Details
Barton Health Executive Board and the Cleveland Clinic have consistently prioritized their own interests in the project design and plan, disregarding the negative impacts on the Oliver Park neighborhood and this environmentally sensitive area of Lake Tahoe. Despite our multiple requests to meet and engage in meaningful dialogue about our suggestions and potential solutions, they have refused to collaborate with us (concerned citizens, including neighboring homeowners).
​
The evidence provided on this website clearly demonstrates that their actions are motivated solely by self-interest. The bottom line is that we do not need another hospital in Stateline, NV, nor the negative impacts it will bring to our neighborhood. Here is an article written by a physician who has practiced in our area for 43 years, outlining the situation in detail. ​​​​
​
More than two years ago, Barton Health, Cleveland Clinic, Ascent Environmental, Feldman Thiel Law Firm, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and Douglas County began working on the concept of a health sub-district amendment for the Douglas County South Shore Area Plan. Specifically for this Barton property in Stateline, NV, this plan would increase current height restrictions on buildings, create work-arounds to address the very complex water issues on the property, attempt to skirt current special-use permit ... create advantageous property owner development and use rights (see special use section below), and create options for a helipad and helicopter services to and from the property. Instead of embracing transparency, they made it exceedingly difficult for the public to access accurate information. None of these groups made any effort to engage the public in meaningful discussions about the project's true scope and potential impacts. Instead, they deliberately misled the public and scheduled quick-turnaround meetings beginning in August 2024, aiming to push the project through without adequate or proportionate public input.
-
Email from Douglas County on 12.5.24- I am told by staff that it is hard to attribute the idea of the health district amendment to any one individual. “It came out of early discussions with Ascent (environmental consultant), TRPA and maybe Kara Thiel…we were talking about Barton’s current location in South Shore and Nanette from Ascent mentioned they did an amendment and created healthcare district in that area plan(Tahoe Valley Area Plan). It came from that research and discussion.”
​​​​​​​
August 2024 Fast Tracked Approval Cycle Plan
Here is the original plan Douglas County, TRPA and Barton had in place to fast track this project through, leaving little opportunity for public input. The quick hitting set of meetings would suggest Barton, TRPA, and Douglas County were going for approvals before anybody found out about their plans.
8-13-2024 Douglas County Planning Commission Hearing (First Reading of the proposed amendment changes)
8-14-2024 TRPA Advisory Planning Commission Hearing
8-15-2024 Douglas County Board of County Commissioners (1st reading)
9-5-2024 Douglas County Staff states 2nd reading may occur this date.
​​​​
Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
On 2/16/24, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (NDHHS) held a hearing to determine the new hospital Certificate of Need (CON).
You didn’t hear about the meeting? The meeting was noticed at the following locations:
-
Announced via the PCO listserv
However, the DHHS website failed to provide the proper links and information regarding the Barton CON hearing until questioned by our group in the first week of January 2025. The website was subsequently updated with the meeting links on January 8, 2024.
Over 20 people attended or submitted written correspondence in support of the Barton CON, including Senator Titus, Assemblyman Gray, Douglas County Commissioner and TRPA Governing Board Member Wes Rice.
Not a single person with questions or opposition to the Barton Hospital CON and relocation plan was aware of the hearing or able to participate.
Instead of fostering transparency and constructive dialogue, Barton, TRPA, and Douglas County failed to inform local residents about this hearing.
To our knowledge, the NDHHS collected no data on the impacts this proposed $300 million hospital would have on the neighborhood.
​
Douglas County
Two+ years working on the project with little information shared with the public: Douglas County has clearly suppressed information about the project
​​​
2/16/24: Wes Rice's Comment at the Certificate of Need (CON) Hearing
On February 16, 2024, Wes Rice, a Douglas County Commissioner, attended the Certificate of Need (CON) hearing for Barton's hospital approval with the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. During the hearing, he made a public comment expressing full support for Barton's project, stating that he did not see any downsides. However, he failed to inform or engage with the residents of the Oliver Park neighborhood or the Oliver Park GID, both of which would be significantly impacted by the project.
It’s important to note that this specific project location falls within Wes Rice's district, and these are the constituents he is supposed to represent. Additionally, Rice chose not to address this project during the project/group involvement reporting segment at any Board of Commissioner meetings. Adding to the concern, Wes Rice also serves on the TRPA Governing Board, making his silence on the matter even more controversial.
​​​
6/14/24 Town Hall Meeting
The Douglas County Planning Department (Ms. Moroles-O’Neil) held a meeting to present the special amendment plan but referred to the meeting as a "town hall." Why was this town hall format used? When questioned, Douglas County admitted that a town hall did not require formal notification to the residents most affected by the project. As a result, very few people from the Oliver Park neighborhood were aware of the meeting or had the opportunity to ask questions or provide feedback.
6/26/24 TRPA Meeting
Douglas County Assistant Manager Scott Morgan attended and made a public comment praising the project, describing it as a "gift" for Douglas County. However, he did not communicate with any residents of the Oliver Park neighborhood or share information about the project with the Oliver Park GID. Scott Morgan retired at the end of 2024 after 31 years in Douglas County.
​​
TRPA
Leading up to their plan for an August fast tracked approval cycle, TRPA hears the special amendment presentation at the June Regional Planning Committee Meeting. Keep in mind, TRPA already knows about this project and special amendments because they have been working closely with Feldman and Barton for over 2 years to create this exact plan for Barton. TRPA chooses to not inform the community about this project and special amendments leading all the way up to the fast track approval cycle in August.
6/26/24 TRPA Regional Planning Committee Meeting
Pulled from these meeting minutes/notes:
-
Ms. Moroles-O’Neil (Douglas County Planner) said several of these amendments have been in the works for many years, and the County was not able to follow through with them or move them through the approval process. I have been personally working on this project for about two years.
-
Dr. Purvance (Barton Health President & CEO) said we're here to serve the community and to do so effectively. The more engagement we have early in the process, the better the project will be and the better the needs of the community will be met
-
The new hospital design will be sensitive to the neighborhood, with entrances from Kahle Drive and Highway 50, and will feature a well-designed, landscaped environment.
-
The back side of the building, which faces the steepest drop, will feature a five-story structure.
-
Had Douglas County properly notified the neighbors, we would have learned about this plan at the Town Hall on 6/14/24. This would have given us the opportunity to be informed about the special amendments for this project and to provide public input at the TRPA Regional Plan Committee meeting on 6/26/24.
Dr. Purvance's approach to community "engagement" has been questionable (see details below). Note that he chose to describe the building as "five stories" rather than stating its actual height of 89 feet above Laura Drive. His idea of "engagement" with the community is dubious.
Leading up to the fast-track approval process, TRPA required only an environmental checklist for the Barton project. This is the quickest and easiest option and provides the least amount of data for reviewing potential environmental impacts. We raised questions to TRPA in July/August/September, and TRPA recently decided the project should advance to the next level; they are now requiring an Environmental Assessment. However, it really should be an Environmental Impact Report/Statement. TRPA will make this decision following the scoping meeting.​
​
​If TRPA spent as much time attaining environmental thresholds as it does on partner programs, lobbying and weakening ordinances that create developer loopholes and workarounds we’d know the true health of Lake Tahoe. It’s time to end TRPA’s greenwashing and lip service to the environment.​​​
​-From Nevada Current Article
​
Barton Health Executive Board
For over three years, the Barton Executive Board worked on this project, leading up to their plan for an expedited approval cycle in August 2024. However, Barton created and presented misleading information throughout this process.
8/3/23 & 4/29/24 Barton's Misleading Letters to the Oliver Park Neighborhood
Barton created and distributed two letters to the Oliver Park Neighborhood with scant details. These letters were hand-delivered to a limited number of properties near the project site. Barton claimed the letters were only distributed to the first two streets close to the site and not the entire neighborhood.
Barton stated that they personally delivered the letters because they couldn’t figure out how to access the homeowner mailing addresses on record to send them via USPS. However, they kept no record of how many homeowners actually received these letters. No explanation was provided for their decision to exclude the rest of the neighborhood and the Oliver Park GID. Furthermore, the letters contained no meaningful details about the project they had been working on for years [see copies of letters].
​
Barton Construction Site Water Issues Lies and Cover-Up Spring/Summer 2024
Barton has difficulty managing water on their site. They create retention ponds that do not work. Water then drains and pools on to Laura Drive. Barton brings pumps out late at night and pumps water into storm drains. Barton does not know we have pictures of all of this so they write a cover-up article for the Tahoe Tribune in the event this info get out to the public. [See additional info here ]
​
Misleading Presentations in Spring/Summer 2024
In the spring and summer of 2024, Dr Purvnace began presenting his plan to various groups in the area, including the Rotary Club, Tahoe Beach Club, local VIPs, and the Douglas County Planning Commission. However, the slides and images he presented were misleading and did not accurately reflect the project he had been working on for over two years with Feldman, TRPA and Douglas County [see images here for an examples of Barton's presentation vs. what they are planning.
​​
Misleading messaging about seismic issues with current hospital in South Lake Tahoe.
Dr Purvance will say things like the current hospital cannot be retrofitted and/or the buildng has reached its useful life. And then he will say the proposed hospitla in
​
Dr Purvance's Attorney Excuses Him From Meeting With Us
The Oliver Park Homeowners and the Oliver Park GID have been requesting a meeting with Dr. Purvance and the Barton Executive Board for six months. In October, we approached Douglas County Manager Jennifer Davidson to see if she would facilitate a meeting between our group and a member(s) of the Barton Executive Board. She agreed to ask Dr. Purvance if they would meet with us? However, Dr. Purvance stated to Jenifer that his attorney advised him against meeting with our group if any of the attendees were also members of the Oliver Park GID Board.
Our GID is very small, and board members must be homeowners within the district. As a result, there is a high likelihood that a concerned GID board member is also a concerned homeowner. To date, the Oliver Park homeowners and the Oliver Park GID Board have never sat down for a meaningful discussion with Dr Purvance and/or the Barton Executive Board..
​
Questionable Decisions and Risky Investment
Barton repeatedly stated that this project could not move forward without special TRPA & Douglas County amendment approvals. Despite having no approvals in place, they proceeded to take a significant financial risk, purchasing the property for $13 million.
This raises an obvious question: was this a calculated risk, or did Barton Health, Cleveland Clinic, Feldman Thiel Law Firm, TRPA, and Douglas County believe they could quietly push the project through the approval process?
-
According to TRPA’s Public Information Officer Jeff Cowen, even TRPA finds Barton’s “plan” unusual. “Not many developers would have done the demolition first without a sure plan,” Cowen explained. “They don’t want to make that kind of investment unless they have approval. We don’t really know what Barton’s idea was with [demolition prior to approval], others might have waited,” Cowen added. Link to article
​
Concealing Controversial Details
It appears the entire group was well aware of the Barton plan and working on it behind closed doors—an 89-foot building with helicopter landings within 200 feet of nearby homes—would spark significant opposition from the community. To avoid this, they altered and obscured key information in their communications.
​​​
In July 2024, Oliver Park homeowners discovered the plans for this proposed project in our neighborhood and began asking questions. Once we raised concerns about this project and the fast-track approval process, Douglas County and TRPA decided they needed to make changes. They decided to postpone or modify the previously scheduled meetings (see article).
8-13-2024 Douglas County Planning Commission Hearing
8-14-2024 TRPA Advisory Planning Commission Hearing
8-15-2024 Douglas County Board of County Commissioners 1st reading
9-5-2024 Douglas County Staff states 2nd reading may occur this date.
​​​​
Special Use Permit
When Barton purchased the property in 2021, they were fully aware of the 56-foot building height restriction. Despite this, Douglas County, TRPA, and Barton have been working to create special approvals to build an 89' structure —towering above the single-story homes on Laura Drive. Barton was also aware in 2021 that they could use a special-use permit to build a hospital on the property. However, these entities worked to secure special approvals granting unconditional hospital use instead of using the standard special-use designation. This distinction is significant because it circumvents protections designed to balance development with community interests.
​​​​
12.3.24 Barton finally submits a project application to TRPA (this was found on the TRPA parcel tracker) posted on 12.20.24. Re-posted 1-9-2025 that notified the public that had signed up for the Barton Project notification list and is posted on the TRPA Major Projects webpage. Douglas County, TRPA and Barton worked to create these special amendments to the South Shore Area Plan for approximately 2+ years, but Barton never submitted an application with TRPA and/or Douglas County... until December 2024. ​​
​
This is the largest project—nearly double the size of the event center and almost three times its cost—yet no one from Barton, TRPA and/or Douglas County feels they should actively involve the public in the process.
​
We recommend you consider whether you want to continue supporting Barton with your $1500 association donation and/or your large donations to the Barton Health Foundation. The Barton Executive Board has shown that it is not a true community partner.​​​
​​
​
Click Here For More Information On How You Can Help With The TRPA Scoping Meeting 1/16/25 5PM -7 PM
​
​