Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has been increasing density, coverage, and height (by lessening restrictions on each) in “Town Centers” to allow for “affordable housing.” However, what is being approved is not affordable; luxury condominiums are being allowed instead. Several groups, including Tahoe Area Group, are raising concerns about TRPA not performing its duty under the Bi-State Compact to protect the environment of Lake Tahoe, and are instead selling off Tahoe to the highest bidder.

We are stressing that the carrying capacity for the Basin has already been exceeded at 60 million tourists per year. We want a cumulative impacts analysis as required under National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to be done before further development is approved. We also want TRPA to go back to their original mission in the Bi-State Compact to protect Tahoe from over development.

Unfortunately, each County (Placer, Washoe, Douglas, and El Dorado) and the City of South Lake Tahoe have been able to develop their own Tahoe Area Plans (TAP) (allowed under the 2012 Regional Plan Update), which are then rubber stamped by TRPA. Recently, Placer County has been trying to amend their 2016 TAP to allow greater height, density, and coverage with only a categorical exemption under CEQA, without analysis of impacts such as traffic from increased population (especially during fire evacuations), and without any guarantees that true workforce housing be included. Washoe County’s TAP also has huge problems and a committee to the TRPA has just (as of March 23, 2023) recommended allowance of a code change to the TAP for a luxury condo developer at 947 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

Board member and Washoe County Commissioner, Alexis Hill, appears to be supporting luxury development over workforce housing. A vast majority of the Governing Board members do not live in the Basin and no one is listening to the long-time, permanent residents. An excellent opinion piece in the Reno Gazette Journal, Tahoe’s Future Hangs in the Balance – Again, describes the situation very well. Senator Settlemeyer is now on the Governing Board, and also new to the Governing Board is Cisco Aguilar. The Tahoe Prosperity Center appears to be behind much of the push for development and the Counties, TRPA and City of South Lake Tahoe have all given money to TPC, which is now being called an “agency”, but is really to push for luxury development and an increase in population.