With that said, we have a lot of work to do and Susan would tell us to roll up our sleeves and get to it! As we have reported in our recent newsletters, our regulatory agencies continue to support projects and plan updates that will exacerbate the environmental and public health and safety problems we are already experiencing, with agency leaders and partners pushing the false narrative that all is well in the Basin with carefully selected data points, new feel-good “tourism plans,” messages encouraging more driving around the Lake as if traffic is not a serious problem, and media messages that don’t comport with what’s actually going on. Other examples include:

• Tahoe's Ted Lasso Lessons

• Tahoe Summit continues the Commitment to Lake Tahoe's Restoration

• A travel guide’s warning to avoid Lake Tahoe may jolt the region into managing huge tourist crowds

The reality is quite different, and the public and scientists are speaking out:

• What VIPs don’t see: All is not well in Lake Tahoe

• Lake Tahoe has high concentration of microplastics, global research shows

• Enough: Tourism agencies can learn from Henry David Thoreau

• TRPA trashes Tahoe Area Plan, ignores serious public safety, environmental, wildfire concerns

Please continue reading for updates and a Call to Action below.

As always, we will keep you updated on West Shore activities and other projects in our bi-monthly newsletters. We look forward to your continued feedback and support, and encourage you to contact us with any additional ideas or questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Placer County Tahoe Basin Area Plan (TBAP)

Placer County’s proposed TBAP amendments would increase height, density, reduce setbacks, and result in more residential and tourist units, plus reduce public notification requirements for some projects. County staff will be asking their Board of Supervisors to approve the amendments on Oct. 17 (agenda will be posted here prior to meeting). If approved, the amendments will then be heard by TRPA this fall for final approval.

FOWS remains concerned about bringing more people to the West and North Shore without first addressing existing traffic, emergency access/evacuation, and other impacts. Read our PCPC comments here.

We encourage you to send your own comments and/or use this example letter to Placer County and TRPA representatives. Below is a copy and paste list of email addresses:

Placer County Board of Supervisors & staff:

ESetzer@placer.ca.gov, SWydra@placer.ca.gov, CJacobse@placer.ca.gov, SHollow@placer.ca.gov, ADashiel@placer.ca.gov, SHerring@placer.ca.gov, Planning@placer.ca.gov, sfox@placer.ca.gov, cindygustafson@placer.ca.gov, BoardClerk@placer.ca.gov

TRPA Governing Board & staff:

cindygustafson@placer.ca.gov, hayley.a.williamson@gmail.com, shellyaldean@gmail.com, cisco@sos.nv.gov, ashleyc@alumni.princeton.edu, jdiss.trpa@gmail.com​, belindafaustinos@gmail.com,  jfriedrich@cityofslt.us, Meghan.hays9@gmail.com, AHill@washoecounty.us, vhoenigman@yahoo.com, jsettelmeyer@dcnr.nv.gov, BOSFive@edcgov.us, wrice@douglasnv.us, TRPALeumer@yahoo.com,  jregan@trpa.gov, jmarshall@trpa.gov, publiccomment@trpa.gov  

Homewood Mountain Resort

TRPA has paused permitting for individual phases of the HMR project and is requiring the developers to submit a revised proposal for the Master Plan. The community-led group Keep Homewood Public recently reported the following information on their Facebook page:

“Discovery has applied to TRPA for permits to replace Homewood’s Madden Chair with a gondola. While the resort badly needs infrastructure upgrades, the question of public access remains undefined: who gets to ride the new gondola?

Discovery tried to mollify community objections by including a “Draft Public Access Plan” with their permit application. This so-called plan lacks quantifiable or enforceable commitments to public access. Instead, it contains unconvincing generalities like “season ski passes will be available for purchase by the public” and “we plan to continue to provide guest skier services at the North Base.”

We are now all waiting for TRPA to approve or deny the permit - and we are in active conversations with both TRPA and Discovery about how to meet our requirements.

If you would like to help, please write to TRPA & Placer County with your thoughts. You can find an email template on our website at www.keephomewoodpublic.com.”

Meeks Bay Ave. Development/Vacation Rentals

A “Response Packet” has been posted by the owner’s consultant in response to requests by TRPA’s Hearings Officer (HO) after the hearing for the second of two large residential teardown/rebuilds (anticipated to be used as vacation rentals) was continued during the 6/8/2023 HO meeting pending additional information. FOWS and local residents believe these planned residences are not compatible with the scale and character of this quiet neighborhood. The hearing has not been rescheduled at this time. The project will also need to be approved by El Dorado County once TRPA approval is obtained.

Meeks Bay Resort Restoration Project

We have not received any updates since our last newsletter. More information is available on the project’s website.

Tahoe City Projects

Old Tahoe City Firehouse - Placer County staff recently presented their Board with updates regarding the status of the potential redevelopment of the old firehouse.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Code Updates

As reported in our last newsletter, the TRPA continues to push forward on plan amendments that will facilitate adding even more people and traffic to already congested areas around the Lake (similar to the amendments being proposed for Placer County).

On their website page touting the ‘benefits’ of these amendments, TRPA claims the amendments will not have any impacts because more residential units are already allowed under the Regional Plan adopted in 2012 (which is based on 2010-2011 conditions). TRPA also dismisses responsibility for their role in placing more people in harm’s way of potential wildfires and other emergency situations by claiming: “Local fire and law enforcement entities are responsible for evacuation planning, not TRPA…” although the Compact that created TRPA specifically called out TRPA’s responsibility for maintaining “public health and safety within the region.” FOWS believes that conditions have significantly changed since 2012 and a new analysis based on current conditions is warranted before the agencies further increase the local residential and visitor populations and traffic. This is outlined in our recent comments to Placer County.