Survey: What is needed to make Lake Tahoe communities a place where everyone can live, work, play, and thrive?

The Tahoe Prosperity Center (TPC) has started circulating a survey to find out what people believe is needed to make the communities around Lake Tahoe a place where everyone can live, work, play, and thrive.

The Envision Tahoe Survey is available in both English and Spanish and is available for participants through January 31.

TPC has joined regional partners and formed a basin-wide steering committee for Envision Tahoe, co-chaired by Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson and OutdoorGearLab founder Chris McNamara. The committee is made up of three dozen individuals who represent several key assets at the lake including business, education, workforce, community, government, and tribal organizations.

They will be identifying challenges and solutions to Tahoe’s economic challenges and efforts at diversification and the survey will assist in that challenge.

On its surface, the Tahoe Basin economy appears strong, powered by billions of dollars in annual tourism spending and skyrocketing real estate values. A deeper look reveals that the tourism industry accounts for more than 60 percent of the Basin’s economic output, up from approximately 40 percent in 2010. While tourism will always be a mainstay in Lake Tahoe, and a vital part of our economic future, relying so heavily on just one industry for local livelihoods, and as a tax base for our schools, healthcare, police, and fire is risky. And the risks are mounting due to economic downturns, worsening wildfires, and changing weather patterns.

Meanwhile, data show that the Basin’s economy isn’t working for many residents who are struggling to find living-wage employment and affordable housing. This is accelerating an existing workforce shortage across Tahoe’s service-based economy. These challenges – and what can be done to address them – have been an issue in the Tahoe Basin for decades. COVID-19, the Caldor Fire, worsening drought, and workforce and housing crises, have placed new urgency on ensuring that the Tahoe Basin economy not only recovers but becomes stronger and more resilient through diversification strategies.

For more information, visit https://tahoeprosperity.org/envision-tahoe/#.