The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) today announced the launch of “Tahoe Living: Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin,” the next phase of the agency’s affordable and workforce housing program. Cultivating Community is a comprehensive, multi-year project to help address the housing crisis in the Lake Tahoe Basin while maintaining and improving environmental protections, according to TRPA.
TRPA will kick off public engagement with community workshops September 9 on South Shore and September 10 on North Shore. The agency is encouraging everyone to register for a workshop and get involved at TahoeLiving.org. The goal is to update regional environmental and growth management policies with a focus on disadvantaged communities, according to TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan.
“TRPA’s land use policies have succeeded in setting high standards for development and ensuring conservation and community revitalization happen together here in the Tahoe Basin. Some unintended consequences of that success are seriously impacting local workers who often struggle to find housing or are living in unacceptable conditions. This initiative will lead the basin forward with policies that protect our environment, improve community connections, and revitalize our communities.”
— Julie Regan, Director TRPA
Over the last few years, new policies have come forward through TRPA’s Tahoe Living program that balance a limited amount of new development with environmental and community needs. Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin will go further and address the limitations of the existing development rights system, which has increasingly allowed larger homes and resorts to outcompete smaller, more affordable housing options.
“Revamping our development rights system is key to creating more affordable housing in the region,” TRPA Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Executive Director John Hester said. “Lake Tahoe has a long history of innovation and regional collaboration. We need to bring these strengths to bear on one of the most pressing issues facing mountain towns everywhere—how to cultivate community while continuing to protect the natural environment that we all want to share.”
How to Get Involved
The project’s first community workshops will be held September 9 and 10 and will provide an opportunity for residents, workers, and other stakeholders to learn more about Cultivating Community and share input on the most pressing housing issues in the region. The project team will make Spanish interpretation available at both the South and North Shore workshops. Activities for children and refreshments will be provided.
South Shore Workshop:
Monday, September 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Bijou Community School Multipurpose Room
3501 Spruce Ave.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
North Shore Workshop:
Tuesday, September 10 at 6 p.m.
Kings Beach Elementary School Cafeteria
8125 Steelhead Ave.
Kings Beach, CA 96143
RSVP at tinyurl.com/tahoe-living.
To stay involved and learn more about the project, please visit TahoeLiving.org.
