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Buoy field. photo by Jerry Wotel |
CommentsShorezone Plan Update
Plus what's up with Kings Beach main street project and Tahoe City 64 acres
Published: July 10, 2008by Jerry Wotel
More buoys.
photo by Jerry Wotel
Click on images for slideshow
Lake Tahoe’s Shorezone Update
The Tahoe Basin community has been unable to agree on regulations affecting the construction of piers, buoys and other Shorezone-related issues for the last 20 years. The June issue of Moonshine Ink dis-cussed the history of the debate and a May 22 workshop on the “Preferred Alternative” Shorezone Plan from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). A final environmental report (EIS) is expected July 30 and final approval is expected at the August 27 or 28 Governing Board meeting. Following are more details from the Preferred Alternative.
• Piers – A total buildout out 128 new private piers, at a maximum of five per year, and a total of ten public piers with no rate approval. This would result in 896 total piers. Private piers are not allowed in areas where parcels are served or eligible to be served by a homeowner’s association pier. The maximum length of private multiple use piers is 300 feet (provided it serves at least three parcels). There will be a charge of $100,000 per new private pier, and $20/square foot for pier expansions.
• Buoys – Initially, the number of buoys is capped at the existing 4,454: all existing TRPA buoy permits shall be recognized; buoys permitted by another jurisdiction can be recognized if within TRPA location criteria. Upon implementation of the Blue Boating Program, permits will be issued to a maximum of 6,316 buoys. Buoy application fee of $500 for the first and $1000 for the second. Annual fee of $175 for private buoys and $100 for public buoys will be charged. Two buoys per lakefront parcel are permitted.
• Blue Boating Program – TRPA will inventory all boats going into the Lake, looking at numbers, star rating, need for tuning, amount of horsepower, etc. This sticker program will be mitigation for pollutants from motorized watercraft.
• Boat Wash – Establishment of full exotic aquatic invasive species elimination program through visual inspection and boat washing.
• Other – The number of boat ramps can be increased from 37 to 43. Boat slips may increase by 309 to a total of 2,929. Both the Tahoe City Marina and the North Tahoe Marina have planned expansions.
Kings Beach: Roundabouts and Three-lane Option Dies… or Does It?
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board rejected the three-lane/roundabout de-sign at the jam-packed TRPA meeting on June 25, citing traffic congestion problems, concerns for public safety and environmental impacts. The board had convened to certify the environmental impact study for the Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Program and specifically to determine the configu-ration of State Route 28 that passes through the center of town. Nearly 200 citizens, property owners, business owners and families packed the conference room.
The California Department of Transportation, under whose jurisdiction the road belongs, stated a prefer-ence to retain the existing four-lane design with improvements. The Placer County Department of Public Works recommended a design of two traffic lanes and a single centered turn lane with roundabouts, and limited on-street parking. This design was previously approved by the TRPA Advisory Planning Com-mission, the Placer County Planning Commission, The Sierra Business Council, and the League to Save Lake Tahoe.
The three-lane alternative may still have an opportunity to be heard again. TRPA Governing Board member Steven Merrill has formally requested a reconsideration of the vote. According to an email he sent to the media, the primary concern about the three-lane alternative was the possibility of traffic trying to go around Highway 28 through residential streets of Kings Beach. Merrill said he was disappointed in the county’s presentation on measures that would have helped alleviate the issue and believes “a more thorough discussion of these might assuage this concern in the minds of some board members who voted against this alternative.”
If the Board opts for his request, which requires five California members and four Nevada members to vote positively for the reconsideration, Merrill hopes that the future hearing will have “an equivalent knowledge” about both the four-lane alternative and the three-lane alternative.
According to Dennis Oliver, TRPA spokesperson, the Board may deliberate on the consideration at the upcoming July 23 and 24 meeting. Oliver says the reconsideration process can be seen as in lieu of a referendum process, where the people can overturn a decision with votes.
In the meantime, Placer County staff was directed to return as soon as possible with a four-lane roadway design with traffic signals, expanded parking, and sidewalk and bike path enhancements. Since this four-lane design was an alternate design, it is expected to reduce the time needed for this analysis and rec-ommendation.
Moonshine Ink will have an in-depth article about the Kings Beach Core Improvement Project in the August issue.
Tahoe City Transit Center (64 Acres)
At the intersection of State Routes 28 and 89 (the Wye) in Tahoe City, a $3.7 million intermodal transportation center was approved in December 2005 that would act as a hub for local public transportation. The Environmental Impact Report/Study (EIR/EIS) for the Transit Center (64 acres on Forest Service land) requires a special use permit. The approval by the Placer County Supervisors was over the objection of a very large number of Tahoe City residents who stated that the transit center was in the wrong location and/or was not needed.
A legal action was then initiated by a group of residents to stop the development but failed. An appeal was filed and is still in review.
Placer County is moving forward, obtaining final design contract approval on June 24 with the Placer County Board of Supervisors acceptance expected on July 8, and will begin construction in 2009. There will be parking for 130 vehicles and six bus stations. An enclosed area of 1,200 square feet will be provided as a bus waiting room, sized to hold 40 persons. County planners say it will be an eco-friendly design using pervious concrete and sustainable technologies.
~ Jerry Wotel is the President North Tahoe Citizen Action Alliance, ntcaa.org.
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