After concessions and collaboration, Lake Tahoe Regional Plan approved

For the first time since 1987, Lake Tahoe has a new regional plan for development and land use.
Twelve of the 14 voting members of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's governing board voted in favor of the new plan, with one member voting against it and another abstaining, according to TRPA spokesman Jeff Cowan.

Business interests say the plan is an overdue overhaul of regulations that will jump-start Tahoe's tourism economy while also protecting its environment.

Julie Regan of the TRPA says most of the plan focuses on trying to make the lake a more walkable, bikeable place, since most the outgoing plan was made with an automobile-centered mindset.

"The development pattern around the basin here is one that's auto dominated," Regan said. "Just because of the time at which most of the development happened we were an auto-centric culture in the 60s and 70s. And we are looking to retrofit Lake Tahoe so that it is more bikeable and walkable and the benefit of doing that is we also get lots of air and water quality benefits for the lake as well."

But critics, such as the Laurel Ames of the Tahoe Chapter of the Sierra Club, say the plan allows for too much development too quickly without adequate studies and lacks enough specific requirements for developers.

"It sounds good when you hear the folks at the TRPA talk about it," Ames said. "But there's no 'there' there. You get into it and there's language that's very loose, and it simply doesn't tie things down."

Go here for the full story from KUNR.

Here is a statement released today by League to Save Lake Tahoe Executive Director Darcie Goodman Collins, PhD.

“The League has played an active and positive role in the Regional Plan Update process over the past months. We feel that maintaining the compact and keeping a unified agency are the most important factors to protecting the lake. Concessions have been made and a collaborative process has resulted in this plan. Some of the concessions we made were painful. The RPU allows for more development close to the lake than we would normally support. We have shown good faith in actively participating in this process and making compromises. We expect that Nevada’s leadership will also work in good faith and support this effort by repealing SB271 in this legislative session, as recently stated by Secretary of State and Governing Board member Ross Miller. Finalizing and supporting this plan provides certainty for policy makers and businesses alike so that we can all move forward with the important jobs of revitalizing our communities and restoring and protecting Lake Tahoe.”

Here is the release from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency:

LAKE TAHOE REGIONAL PLAN UPDATE APPROVED, HAILED BY STATE AND REGIONAL LEADERS
Stateline, NV — A clear path forward for the continued restoration of Lake Tahoe was enacted today as the Governing Board of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) approved and adopted the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan Update and Regional Transportation Plan Update, called Mobility 2035, in 12-1 votes with one Board member abstaining.

A regional plan that achieves environmental standards while allowing orderly growth and development in the Region is required by the Bi-State Compact, signed by California and Nevada, which created TRPA more than 40 years ago. Updates to the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan, often a source of controversy as well as inspiration for resource protection, was hailed by state leaders as historic and indicative of the shared commitment the two states have to Lake Tahoe’s restoration.

The closing vote was met with applause from the gallery of attendees in the convention center of Harvey’s Resort in Stateline, NV, many of whom have helped shape and shepherd the Plan Update through an exhaustive public process, according to TRPA.

“Today’s approval starts the next environmental leap forward for Lake Tahoe,” TRPA Executive Director Joanne S. Marchetta said. “An unprecedented public participation process has created a plan that raises the level of stewardship of this national treasure and TRPA is grateful to the thousands of people who helped shape it.”

Updates to the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan, originally adopted in 1987, aim to accelerate attainment of extraordinary environmental goals in part by improving the regulatory framework in the Region, according to the Agency. Priority updates include:

Accelerating water quality restoration and other ecological benefits by supporting environmental redevelopment opportunities and Environmental Improvement Program investments.
Integrating regional and local regulations into coordinated area plans.
Simplifying and streamlining the permit review process to encourage updates to older buildings.

“Ultimately, what happens on the land affects the waters of Lake Tahoe,” Marchetta said. “Most visitors are stunned by the beauty of Lake Tahoe, but disappointed by our aging town centers and lack of connectivity in transportation and trails. To further restoration efforts, we need to open opportunities for property owners to invest in measures that reduce pollution and help restore the Lake’s world-famous clarity.”

The Regional Plan Update received supported today by state leaders who were instrumental in bringing stakeholder groups together earlier this year in a bi-state consultation group.

“This is an historic plan,” Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Director Leo Drozdoff told the Board. “For the first time in over two decades there is common ground and we have forged relations between the two states, the environmental community, business groups and local governments. We know this is just a starting point, but Nevada stands ready to continue the work we have done to create a strong and vibrant bi-state framework. You can rely on us to be here in the long term as a resource as we continue to find common ground.”

Deputy Secretary of External Affairs for the California Natural Resources Agency Todd Ferrara echoed support for the updates.

“California shares its strong support for the regional plan and the bi-state process,” Ferrara said. “It hasn’t been easy. There has been compromise as well as consensus, but many things that are hard or challenging bear fruit. We are pleased to be here today as part of this important milestone for Lake Tahoe.”

Support was also voiced by the U.S. Forest Service, which manages nearly 80 percent of the land in the Tahoe Basin.

“The updated Regional Plan, along with our revised Forest Plan will forward environmental restoration and achievement of shared goals for the region,” Supervisor for the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Nancy Gibson told the Board. “The Forest Service recognizes that community sustainability is important for this basin. TRPA’s plans become a template for other areas of the country and will benefit generations of people for years to come.”

Most updates and amendments approved today are expected to take effect 60 days after approval, while a limited number of amendments require further state action to take effect. More information on what rules have changed and how they affect project permitting will be available at www.trpa.org in the coming weeks.

Background

Alarm for Lake Tahoe was first raised in the 1960s when the clarity of Tahoe’s cobalt blue waters began receding as more and more fine sediment from stormwater began clouding the famously-clear waters. The 1987 Regional Plan was successful at stopping runaway growth, setting standards for new development and protecting sensitive areas. It wasn’t until an ambitious restoration program for Lake Tahoe initiated in 1997 in conjunction with passage of the Federal Lake Tahoe Restoration Act that significant progress in repairing past ecologic damage began.

Called the Environmental Improvement Program (EIP), the projects to restore mostly public lands and roadways are credited by the bi-state agency for halting the decline of clarity. However, where one could see down into Lake Tahoe’s depths an incredible 100 feet in the 1960s, researchers today measure the average clarity at around 70 feet. Key to reducing pollutants still entering the Lake, says TRPA, is focusing on revitalization and reinvestment of aging town centers and encouraging homeowners to upgrade their properties with stormwater protections called Best Management Practices (BMPs).

Important policy updates include:

Retaining the established regional growth control system. Under this system, rampant overdevelopment was stopped and open spaces preserved. Most of the current policies in the original Regional Plan remain in place.
Development in the coming year of a more efficient planning system that integrates TRPA requirements into the area plans and permits of other government agencies.

Ability for property owners to transfer development rights from sensitive or outlying areas to existing town centers with the goal of restoring these lands.

Elimination of certain regulatory barriers to environmental redevelopment of rundown buildings.
Simplification of burdensome regulations for homeowners while achieving threshold gains.
Integration with the Regional Transportation Plan to support sidewalk and bike trail projects that reduce automobile dependency and increase walkability and safety.

Continuation of restoration projects under the Environmental Improvement Program that achieve erosion control on roadways and restore forests and wetlands.