League: Boulder Bay project allows more urbanization at Tahoe

PRESS RELEASE — The League to Save Lake Tahoe is voicing its opposition to the size and scale of a large hotel project on Tahoe's North Shore called Boulder Bay, which is slated for a final vote before the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on March 23.

The project violates the intent of the bi-state Tahoe Regional Planning Compact, which is a Congressionally-approved agreement between California and Nevada to strongly protect Lake Tahoe from the increasing urbanization that is threatening the region's environmental values.

"Tahoe may not be a national park, but it is a very extraordinary place, and it has been afforded special protections that limit development," said Carl Young, League program director."Tahoe's air, water, scenery and serenity should be protected for future generations."

The League's prime concerns on Boulder Bay are as follows:

— SIZE: The project is just too big. Total hotel rooms on the site will triple, while total square footage will quadruple.

— TRAFFIC: The developer's traffic analysis is flawed. The project will increase traffic and air pollution. Science is showing a relationship between traffic, air pollution and declining clarity at Tahoe.

— HEIGHT: The project will degrade scenic views, increase urbanization, and violate the TRPA's current code by erecting at least seven new tall buildings, the majority of which will stand between four to six stories tall.

— COVERAGE: The project is not providing enough environmental gain to deserve extra development rights. For example, it is not providing enough coverage reduction to receive the proposed development incentives.

— CODE AVOIDANCE: The TRPA is allowing developers to write their own rules, rather than fairly and predictably enforcing region-wide regulations meant to protect the lake.

— DEVELOPMENT TRANSFER: The project follows a fundamentally flawed approach to development transfer by relocating over 100 motel rooms from highly-urbanized South Shore to a less urbanized area. In addition, these motel rooms, which originally were quite small, are in many cases expanding to multi-room suites or condos. These practices spread urbanization.

— LOWERING STANDARDS: For all these reasons, the project's effect will be to loosen rules, lower standards and decrease the obligations of private redevelopment in Tahoe.

Traffic

Although the buildings on the site will quadruple in size, the developer claims the project will somehow decrease traffic. This does not make sense.

The project's traffic study is severely flawed. It inflates current traffic numbers in an attempt to show a future reduction.

For example, the study creates a hypothetical traffic baseline by assuming the current casino space at the Tahoe Biltmore operates at full capacity, which is far from true.

Second, the traffic study makes the flawed assumption that guests will only want to visit the restaurants and amenities provided on site. In fact, the development is a spa-casino resort located on a famous and scenic lake. We can expect visitors will want to drive to nearby amenities, including beaches, ski resorts, restaurants and other entertainment.

"This project will only exacerbate Tahoe's traffic and air pollution problems," said Young.

Height

The project weakens rules regarding building height. This will degrade scenic views, increase capacity and traffic, and lower expectations of other developers throughout Tahoe.

The proposed project will replace one tall building with eight tall buildings.

"The so-called Community Enhancement Program was never meant to be a code-avoidance program," said Young. "It was meant to bring properties into compliance with long-standing regulations, including those relating to height. Instead, this project proliferates the site's problems."

Coverage

Coverage refers to building footprint, sidewalks, pavement, trails and other impervious surfaces where vegetation and trees cannot grow. Reducing coverage is key to restoring the Lake's clarity.

Boulder Bay has crafted a proposed rule that will only require it to reduce coverage by 10 percent, but the project doesn't even meet this mark. After extensive review of the environmental documents, the League has concluded that the project's coverage reduction is negligible. In fact, the project is paying an "excess coverage" mitigation fee.

"The Boulder Bay project should follow the standard redevelopment requirements when it comes to coverage reduction, which is one of the most important factors in restoring Tahoe's clarity," said Young.

For instance, the TRPA code requires similar hotel redevelopment projects to reduce coverage by between 15 and 25 percent. Boulder Bay is not technically a redevelopment project, but the TRPA and project proponents have marketed it as such. We suggest that to earn the "redevelopment" moniker, and to maintain high standards, projects should follow current redevelopment regulations.

Where is the plan to save Lake Tahoe?

It appears the TRPA's plan is to attempt to save Lake Tahoe by encouraging the development of large hotels.

"Urbanization is the problem, not the cure. If this large hotel helps the lake, how many hotels will we need to save it?" Young said. "The TRPA's strategy is flawed and unsustainable. The League would like to see a clear, long-term plan to protect and enhance the Lake's environment that emphasizes restoration and reduces urbanization."

What does the League want?

The League has always pushed for the fair and predictable enforcement of a comprehensive, region-wide, long-term plan that protects Lake Tahoe and its communities while allowing for property owners to exercise their rights.

Redevelopment should focus on areas that are already close to transportation hubs and infrastructure. Redevelopment should reduce traffic and improve scenic and environmental values by transferring development away from less urbanized areas and consolidating it into areas that are already urbanized. On large projects, actual coverage reduction and restoration should be a prime requirement, without reliance on mitigation fees. All "redevelopment" projects should meet current redevelopment standards.

In the case of Boulder Bay, the League could support a project that conforms with Tahoe's standard redevelopment and height regulations, and is proven to reduce traffic.

"This site needs redevelopment, not overdevelopment," said Young.