Martis Camp

| Placer County, California

An Amazing Success Story.

This legacy DMB Pacific Ventures project shows how creative thinking can turn even the most ardent adversaries into allies. Such was the case at Martis Camp, a resort community located north of Lake Tahoe. When a coalition of environmental groups filed lawsuits to block further development in Martis Valley, we and our longtime partner, Highlands Group, negotiated a global agreement with the groups, settling the suits. Our agreement created a long-term revenue stream for The Martis Fund, a non-profit organization that supports programs to conserve open space, manage wildlife habitat and promote workforce housing. The trust we earned with the local community made it possible for us to build the ski run that connects Martis Camp to the Northstar ski area – now a major source of value in the community. The project is complete and stands as one of the great resort development projects of recent times.

  • 2,440 Acres
  • 671 Residences
  • 18-Hole Golf Course and Putting Course
  • Family Barn and Concert Venue
  • Direct Ski Access to Northstar
  • Fitness and Spa Facilities
  • Lake Tahoe Beach Club
  • Extensive Trail System
  • Negotiated Accord with Environmental Groups
  • Created The Martis Fund

It doesn’t have to be a big idea to make a big impact. For instance, during the initial phases of development, we and Highlands Group wanted to introduce an element of surprise – something to demonstrate to our audiences that this was going to be more than a typical subdivision. So we created the Lost Library – a small, charming cottage hidden in the woods, dedicated to the free exchange of books. Now an iconic feature of Martis Camp, it provides three intriguing clues about this new community: First, it prefigured the contemporary, mountain-style architecture that would come to characterize the homes here; second, it activated the trail system to the library through the trees; third, it signified the experiential placemaking philosophy at the heart of Martis Camp.   

Martis Camp has become one of the most successful second home communities in the country.

“To me, Pacific Ventures has that sort of ready-to-go industry expertise. We were able to throw any problem at them, and they are able to jump all over it.”
Eric Hoffman, Senior VP, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.