tahoe regional planning

Lake Tahoe was at a crossroads in 1997. The lake’s famous water clarity, once measuring 100 feet, was declining year after year because of stormwater pollution from roads and developed areas and erosion from streams damaged by logging and cattle grazing.

Tickets to the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit quickly sold out on Monday once the White House announced President Obama would attend the event on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

The national spotlight will be on South Lake Tahoe, giving local agencies the opportunity to show the local efforts on keeping Tahoe Blue have worked by highlighting the progress that has been made to combat pollution, promote restoration, tackle invasive species and protect Lake Tahoe's shoreline.

What was once home to 155 mobile homes and the KGID water treatment plant took one big step towards being a luxury condominium project on Wednesday when developers tore down the plant.

The mobile homes are all gone, with the remaining few given 90 day notices in January to vacate the property.

Veteran community advocate Steve Teshara has accepted the position of Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce. Chamber Board Chair Mike McLaughlin announced the Board’s appointment of Teshara in a statement released July 21.

“Our Board is extremely pleased Steve has agreed to step in to support the Chamber’s mission, membership, and community engagement while we seek a new CEO to move the organization into 2017 and beyond,” said McLaughlin. “Steve adds a unique blend of experiences and accomplishments to our dedicated Chamber staff.”

El Dorado County is holding a public meeting about the Meyers Corridor Plan on Thursday, July 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the California Conservation Corps Building at 1949 Apache Ave. in Meyers.

Staff will be presenting the three options on roadway and path improvements that are aimed at providing attractive and safe transportation options for the area for those that work, play and visit Meyers. The targeted 1.3 mile stretch along Highway 50 and Highway 89 will see lighting, signage, landscaping and a reduction of reliance on cars with increased improvements for walkers and bikers.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board on Wednesday recognized the extraordinary, lifelong contributions of Coe Swobe. Swobe is considered the “father of TRPA” for his bipartisan work to create the agency and its mission to conserve and restore Lake Tahoe’s environment. Swobe died on May 26, 2016 at age 87.

As a Nevada State Senator, Swobe brokered the landmark 1969 agreement between then Nevada Gov. Paul Laxalt and then California Gov. Ronald Reagan and the two state legislatures to create TRPA and the nation’s first environmental bi-state compact.

June is wildfire awareness month at Lake Tahoe. And nine years later, the 2007 Angora Fire remains a vivid remember that wildfire is one of the greatest threats facing our environment, our homes, and our businesses. We must prepare accordingly.

Our region continues to take important steps to manage that wildfire threat, improve the health of our forests, and create fire adapted communities that are prepared for the next wildfire at Tahoe. But there is more work to do.

In an effort to prevent the growth and spread of invasive weeds in the Tahoe Keys, residents are being proactive in the fight to keep their lagoons clean. The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) has submitted an updated Integrated Management Plan to the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board for approval.

TKPOA's plan is an adaptive, holistic one to greatly reduce aquatic invasive weeds in its lagoons.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 3 is developing a safety project that proposes to construct a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and State Highway 89 in Meyers beginning in 2018. The department has looked at several options at this location and has identified a roundabout as the preferred alternative to address safety concerns and improve traffic flow.

Four new projects in South Lake Tahoe will be moving forward after the City was awarded $3 million in grants from the federal government through TRPA's Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO).

The money will be used for the following:

$1.8 million for design and construction of the Sierra Boulevard Complete Street Project
$510,000 for construction of the Tahoe Valley Greenbelt Project
$390,000 for purchase of a Sander vehicle replacement
$200,000 for the design and engineering of the Lake Tahoe Boulevard Bike Trail

There is a balancing act needed to provide quality transportation, protect Lake Tahoe, keep clean air and meet the needs of the communities around the lake, but that is what Tahoe Transportation District is trying to accomplish with a series of pubic outreach efforts.

On Tuesday night in South Lake Tahoe, staff from the TTD, Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO) and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) held an open house at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel to get a pulse on the feelings of the public about transportation.

Several local agencies have teamed together to inform the public on the importance of proper food storage and trash disposal at their Lake Tahoe homes and vacation rentals.

Around the world, invasive species are notorious for their ability to out-compete native plants and animals. Once introduced to an area, they can spread out of control and fundamentally change both landscapes and ecologies, and then pose incredible challenges to manage or eradicate.

Over 100 people attended the Make Tahoe Work For You Leadership Lake Tahoe Summit on May 6 at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. The one-day Summit, featuring inspiring sessions for individuals and business owners, provided Lake Tahoe residents with tools to make Tahoe a viable place to succeed, both personally and professionally. The Summit was organized by the Tahoe Chamber’s Leadership Lake Tahoe 2016 class.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team is hosting a free workshop for local defensible space and tree removal contractors on Friday, May 28 to be held on Friday, May 27, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency offices, 128 Market Street, Stateline, NV 89449.

Contractors attending this workshop will be included on the 2016 Tree Removal and Defensible Space Contractor List provided to residents participating in defensible space grant programs, requesting tree removal permits, or receiving defensible space inspections.

Attendees will receive training on:

Over one hundred community members will gather on May 14 as the League to Save Lake Tahoe organizes the year’s largest single-day, hands-on citizens science effort to capture a snapshot of the water quality health of South Shore streams feeding into Lake Tahoe.

“By participating in the 16th annual Snapshot Day, volunteers are building on years of data gathered in these streams to provide valuable data information we can use to help protect Lake Tahoe,” said Jesse Patterson, deputy director for the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

During their April 19 meeting, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Lake Tahoe Unified School District’s Safe Routes to School Master Plan. With this approval, the Supervisors support plans to improve pedestrian and bicycle access and safety around Lake Tahoe schools through infrastructure upgrades, education and encouragement programs, and better enforcement of traffic laws.

A project designed to help protect environmentally sensitive resources while providing safer, adequate access the area south of Lakeshore Drive along State Route 28 is the focus of an upcoming public meeting on Tuesday, April 26 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m at The Chateau at Incline Village. A question and answer period will be at 5:30 p.m.

When people visit Tahoe for the first time, they marvel at the extraordinary natural landscape and fresh, clean air. At the same time, some are shocked at the dilapidated condition of the built environment: rundown buildings, crumbling infrastructure, and tired-looking development. The paradox is compelling. Despite TRPA’s mandate to harmonize the natural and human-made landscapes so that they blend together, outdated development that preceded environmental standards now serves as blight in our community.

El Dorado County is proposing roadway and multi-us path improvements for the Meyers community, and they are inviting the public to participate during three different outreach meetings on Friday, April 22.

The proposed changes are meant to make the transportation options more safe and attractive for those living in the area as well those visiting or passing through. One option already mentioned by Caltrans is the addition of a roundabout at the Highway 50/Highway 89 intersection to slow down traffic coming from Echo Summit.

The proposal to install a 60-foot-long tunnel extension at Cave Rock this summer is the subject of a public hearing by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on March 31, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.

The agency's hearings officer will meet with all interested parties, public included, on the Nevada Department of Transportation's project to create a safer tunnel due to the falling rock and deteriorating hillside on the westbound lanes of Highway 50 entering the tunnel.

Restoring and conserving our environment at Lake Tahoe means setting our aspirations at the right scale. That’s what TRPA and many partners are working to do through strategic initiatives to ensure the health of our basin’s forests, streams, and lake, and to improve our communities and transportation infrastructure.

The next Tahoe Talks, the series of community forums sponsored by Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization and its partners, will be focused on how South Lake Tahoe homeowners can work with the City and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on accomplishing home projects.

Lake Tahoe, Stateline, NV – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will conduct travel surveys with visitors and residents at several recreational and commercial locations throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin starting Friday, Feb. 19, 2016.