Dear Friends:

Non-profits and citizens alike have continued to advocate for our agencies to address our existing population and traffic problems and adequately plan for situations such as emergency evacuation before making matters worse.

To date, evacuation concerns have seemingly not slowed down regulatory plan changes or proposals by large developers to pack more people into the Basin and it is important for the public to continue to speak up and demand accountability.

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,

As outlined in our previous newsletter updates, Placer County and TRPA proposed separate sets of plan amendments in 2023 that increase density, height, population, traffic, and contribute further to public safety concerns associated with emergency evacuations and access. The following information provides updates regarding the two agencies’ amendments.

Placer County Tahoe Basin Area Plan (TBAP)

At this time, the lawsuit filed by FOWS and other organizations against Placer County’s amendments is proceeding through the next steps prescribed by California law. As previously noted, FOWS has launched a fundraising campaign to help fund the costs. We sincerely appreciate the generous donations that have been coming in to date; however, we still have a way to go to reach our goal of $40,000 and we continue to seek additional donations, which are tax-deductible. Click here to donate.

TRPA Housing Amendments

The TRPA will be bringing forward “Phase 3 Amendments” that aim to improve housing in the Region. This summer, the Mountain Area Preservation (MAP) settled their lawsuit with TRPA. The Settlement included improvements to the originally-adopted Phase 2 amendments and agreements from TRPA to perform adequate analysis on Phase 3 items. MAP will also have a seat on the Tahoe Living Working Group that will be evaluating additional policy considerations.

More information regarding the amendments and lawsuit can be found on MAP’s web page.

Emergency Evacuation Planning Activities

“The public, and land use planners deserve to be aware of potential evacuation outcomes. The carrying capacity in the Tahoe Basin is already beyond strained,” said Doug Flaherty, TahoeCleanAir.org, a former southern California Fire Combat Battalion Chief. “This analysis underscores the need for Tahoe policy makers to provide better, more transparent public safety planning. Officials need to take a reality-based approach to land use planning decisions to help avoid issues experienced in other major wildfires.” - from Press Release

Lake Tahoe Regional Evacuation Plan

This document is focused on managing a “planned” phased evacuation and is an important component for emergency planning. Public comments on the plan must be submitted by November 20. Submit to: Steve Leighton, Fire Chief.

Homewood Mountain Resort (HMR)

On Sept. 25, TRPA is holding a hearing in front of their Regional Planning Committee regarding the application for amending the Master Plan. The meeting will begin no earlier than 2pm (view agenda view staff summary). We encourage you to attend in person or online and submit/present your feedback to the committee. All documents and information about the application process are on TRPA’s Homewood Mountain Resort information page. In addition, the Keep Homewood Public group recently sent out this notice.

Meeks Bay Resort Restoration Project

At their August 28 meeting, the TRPA Governing Board certified the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/EIS Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Draft Record of Decision for the Meeks Bay Restoration Project. This update was emailed a week later. FOWS is pleased that the alternative preferred by most of the community - which focuses on environmental restoration and non-motorized recreation - was selected.

8305 & 8307 Meeks Bay Ave. Development/Vacation Rentals

There are no updates at this time. For those interested in these projects; please contact Dana Schneider for more information.

Boatworks Redevelopment Project

As reported in our last newsletter, additional review by the Tahoe Basin Design Review Committee is anticipated. The Committee meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month. It is unknown when this project will again be on the agenda. The developer's website can be accessed here.

Other updates

El Dorado Area Plan:

A virtual public workshop was held on Sept. 12th. County staff and their planning consultants explained there will be three phases.

1. Community engagement;

2. Draft land use document and an environmental review; and

3. Circulation of the Plan draft, public hearings and adoption of the final Plan (anticipated by June 2026.)

The Plan will comply with the TRPA Code of Ordinances. Additional information and community feedback from past workshops can be accessed here.

Palisades Tahoe:

Despite enormous community opposition totaling thousands of letters and hours of public comment, and a recent recommendation to deny the project by the Olympic Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), the Placer County Planning Commission recently voted to recommend approval of this massive project to the Board of Supervisors. It is reported that the meeting lasted seven hours with most public comments opposing the project. While project proponents stated the contested “water park” has been removed from the plan, the 90,000 SF building that would have contained it is still in the plan at this time with other remaining activities still included. Sierra Watch recently sent this newsletter regarding the hearing. The hearing before the Board of Supervisors has not yet been scheduled.