All we love about Lake Tahoe is being threatened. We must act now.
The number one cause of Tahoe’s pollution, noise and traffic problems is too many people. The North Tahoe community is already absorbing 15 million visitors each year. Yet the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and regional Counties: (Placer, El Dorado, Washoe, Douglas, Carson City) are directly adding to the problem by promoting large development as the solution to our environmental and housing problems. More height, density and larger buildings are touted, but projects have historically ended up as luxury condos void of workforce or truly affordable housing.
The only North Shore 2 lane corridors (SR 28 and SR 89) are already clogged during peak times. How will residents and visitors safely evacuate? Area infrastructure capacity is already past the tipping point far too often.
We all support development or redevelopment that doesn’t harm the environment. However harm’s way is on the horizon with 13 large projects approved or under review for North Lake Tahoe alone.
This petition demands TRPA and the Counties:
o Determine a process to define and enforce the carrying capacity in the Lake Tahoe Basin, both quantitative and qualitative. Design development methods to stay within that maximum. This may mean not allowing more large projects and attractions.
o Stop automatically renewing large project development permits every three years.
o Require current environmental analysis of projects approved more than 5 years prior that result in more than 100 vehicle trips per day.
o Projects over 10 yrs old (Boulder Bay/Waldorf Astoria) that are simply repackaged under new ownership and a new name, yet make substantial changes, should conform to the approved project or TRPA and the counties must require a new environmental analysis.
o Don’t allow phasing of projects to circumvent and delay required mitigations such as traffic analysis, water quality and employee housing. Don’t allow construction to begin without final project approval.
o Stop the sell-off or transfer of Federal and State Lands at Lake Tahoe for development.
Reckless development poses detrimental consequences for our area. Protect the rustic nature and preserve the grandeur of our beloved Lake Tahoe.
Demand that our leaders promote sensible redevelopment that provides workforce or affordable housing and doesn’t harm the lake
Get involved, sign the petition.

Otherwise, in case of fire…we’d all better have wings.

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