Public's input sought on Main Street Management Plan

A major makeover is planned for a stretch of US Highway 50 from Pioneer Trail to Lake Parkway and the draft Mainstreet Management Plan for this area has been released for public review and comment.

The plan is to turn the one-mile segment into a two-lane "main street" that would safely accommodate all modes of transportation and create the first major community hub at Tahoe that is not on a major highway. This would only happen though if the highway moved along a planned rerouting behind Raley's, Heavenly Village and the casinos on the south side of the area, through parts of the Rocky Point neighborhood off Pioneer Trail in what is called the US50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project.

The Mainstreet Management Plan is a required portion of that project.

The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) is the lead agency on the plan which was approved by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) in 2018. Their board approved
with requirements for replacement housing and a neighborhood amenities plan, in addition to the Main Street Management Plan.

There has been an 18-member Stakeholder Working Group and multiple public input sessions that have helped shape the plan over the past two years.

During Tuesday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, the draft main street plan was unveiled. Two members of the council, Mayor Pro Tem Tami Wallace and Brooke Lane, were part of the stakeholder group to represent the City's concerns and provide input.

The plan promotes more pedestrian areas, wayfinding and physical signage, and gives the communities of Stateline and South Lake Tahoe the flexibility for community events in the streets including music and farmer's markets, and street fairs. These types of things are not currently allowed on a federal highway.

The TRPA Governing Board is expected to consider the draft plan for partial approval in November. Additional components of the Main Street Management Plan must be satisfied by TTD to be fully adopted, including a parking management plan and an ownership, operations, and management strategy with agreements from the City of South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County.

The draft Main Street Management Plan is available at trpa.org/50-main-street. Interested members of the public can register to attend an informational webinar on Monday, October 19 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Public comments submitted to mainstreet@trpa.org by October 31 will help form the plan. To attend meeting, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-mS8hZLuSvms4wb_qfrn-g.