South Lake Tahoe City Council: "Vail needs to come to the table"

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - At their meeting Tuesday evening, the South Lake Tahoe City Council said they are ready to play hardball with Heavenly Mountain Resort after ski area officials have not responded to a request by the city to support their annexation efforts.

The Council was to receive an update on parking restrictions in Heavenly Valley neighborhoods, the Heavenly Parking Agreement, and the Heavenly Area Annexation.

It was the annexation portion of the item that got the City Council upset with Heavenly. City Manager Joe Irvin has met with representatives from Heavenly and Vail to discuss the proposed annexation of the resort into the city limits. Irvin requested a written response regarding Vail’s position on the proposed annexation before the April 23 City Council meeting, but they had not received anything.

"I was ready to take a soft approach," said Councilmember Tamara Wallace. "But not now. Until they come back to the table with a letter of support, cancel the parking agreement, put up barriers on Ski Run Boulevard."

Since that action was not agendized, termination of the parking agreement and other measures will come back at an upcoming meeting.

Mayor Cody Bass said becoming part of the City is the only way the services will continue as they have. Those going to Heavenly must pass on city streets to get to the California Lodge. Based on a decades-old agreement, Heavenly does not pay any sales taxes to the City of South Lake Tahoe and has not provided documentation to the city about how much their sales on the California side of the mountain amount to annually.

"Vail needs to come to the table," said Bass.

Councilmembers said they'd also consider making Keller for residents only, thus making it hard for Heavenly to conduct business.

After one winter of a new parking plan in the neighborhoods surrounding Heavenly Mountain Resort, the South Lake Tahoe City Council was scheduled Tuesday night to approve an amended parking plan. The amended plan included input from residents, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD), public works, and Heavenly. The plan was approved by the Council, voting on it since it was on the agenda.

As of March 18, SLTPD had issued resident parking permits to 65 properties, with each property receiving five permits, for a total of 325 permits issued. 230 citations had been issued for vehicles being parked in violation of the new resolution, each with a $300 fine.

Heavenly has made all payments to the City as required by the Parking Agreement, and Heavenly has fulfilled its contractual obligations to conduct snow removal, sanding, and deicing on City streets as well as providing chain control staffing and signage. The Heavenly Parking Agreement includes annual payments of $54,320 to the General Fund and $3,500 to the Snow Sweeping account.

According to Heavenly staff, the new parking reservation system and parking management is having a positive effect on the guest experience. 65 percent of guests at Heavenly making a parking reservation for California Base were not required to pay for parking because they carpooled (4+ passengers in a single vehicle). Based on surveys conducted by Heavenly, overall guest
satisfaction with the arrivals and parking experience improved by 16 percent and compared to last year during January and February there was a 60 percent reduction in travel time delays at the California Base area. Additional shuttles provided by Heavenly reduced wait times, especially during weekends and peak periods. Heavenly also continues to work with local partners on supporting the Lake Link initiative.