Overwhelming support of South Shore Community Revitalization Project at TRPA meeting

STATELINE, Nev. - A standing room only crowd was in the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) board room on October 25, 2018 for an updated presentation, and plans for the next steps, of the U.S. 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project, commonly known as the Loop Road. It reroutes Highway 50 from its current location in front of Heavenly Village and the casinos to behind Raley's, the Village Center and Harrahs Tahoe.

To continue the wave of South Lake Tahoe's current and successful environmental redevelopment, a "Main Street" plan was shown to the board, one that plans on connecting the community, its visitors, recreation and economic hubs with a shift of the highway behind Raley's and the casinos. What was apparent in the meeting is that this is much more than just a road project.

The co-lead agency on the bi-state project, the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD), has held numerous public meetings on the road alignment and have utilized many of the ideas presented over the years (TRPA is the other co-lead). They have been working with those living in the neighborhoods that will be affected, businesses in the area as well as public safety departments and other locals.

"There was a lot of listening to community and others to craft a great project," Carl Hasty, TTD District Manager told South Tahoe Now. "It's an exciting project and there will be more opportunities for public comment."

It was through the process that "Alternative B" was chosen (as seen in photo #3).

In photo #1 above, the diagram shows the establishment of a center from MontBleu and Hard Rock in the east to the area of the new highway reroute to the west. There will be designated open space along with visual open space, a connection between the bed base and recreational opportunities, and an improvement of connectivity through the creation of complete streets.

Upon completion the project would connect the amenities with the separate parts of the South Shore, combining all into one. Presenters used examples of successful "Main Street" projects in Denver; Washington, D.C.; San Antonio, Texas; Livermore, Calif.; and Reno, Nevada. In each of those there was a spine, anchors and connections.

The spine is the central organizing element, a reference point and magnet for people. In Reno it is the Truckee River, in Denver, the 16th Street Transit Mall and in San Antonio, the river that shares their name.

The anchors are major destination points along and at ends of spine, In Denver they are Union Station and the state capitol, and in Reno the City Plaza, Wingfield Park and Greater Nevada Field.

Connections are links to important places including natural features like mountains and water bodies. Using the same two towns as examples, Reno's connections are their museums (NMA, Discovery), South Downtown/Midtown, Entertainment/Hotel Casinos and the University (via circulator). In Denver it's Cherry Creek to northeast, Larimer Street (college campus, historic square, financial district), Curtis Street (cultural facilities, financial district) and California Street (convention center, financial district).

The South Lake Tahoe plan would create a spine to highlight a pedestrian and transit oriented street with retail, dining, entertainment and events. The anchors would be destination recreation, resort hotels and a year-round events venue (planned for parking lot of MontBleu), and the connections would be the lake, regional bike and pedestrian trails, and mountain activities and trails.

All of this expected revitalization is estimated in a reduction of 20-40 percent of automobile trips. The key to the success will be parking lots, and cooperation between entities has begun to have them available when the project is completed.

"This is exciting stuff," said Lew Feldman as he briefed the TRPA board on the history of the South Shore community revitalization that has included the creation of Heavenly Village, and a revamping of the Ski Run Boulevard and Wildwood Avenue areas of Highway 50.

Caltrans would be the agency in California that acquires properties that are in the path of the new highway. As promised, before any homes or apartments are removed, TTD will have 76 deed-restricted and affordable replacement housing units built for those who live in the plan area. An MOU (memorandum of understanding) with Pacific Development is already underway to build those units, and another 33 will be built as part of the project. There is an option for an additional 91 units. A neighborhood park is also planned for the neighborhood adjacent to the new highway along with street lighting, sidewalks, a transit stop and improved pedestrian access to the Raley's and retail. The new area might be called "Rocky Point" after a street in the area. The new highway would go through the area of Primrose and Moss Roads.

Douglas County has been saving $300,000 a year through a five cent gas tax to go towards the project that would fix up Stateline and the areas east to Kingsbury Grade. The Loop Road would end with a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 50 and Lake Parkway adjacent to MontBleu.

Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) will be the lead agency on the Nevada side.

Over a dozen members of the public spoke up in favor of Alternative B with just one person speaking against the plan. Several more in the audience, many with their YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) hats, stood in approval of the project.

"I'm in favor of progress; it's change I don't like," a quote by Mark Twain led of Heidi Hill-Drum's public comment as she highlighted the success of the Bonanza neighborhood park at the Y that replaced an aging motel that had attracted drug users.

"Tahoe Prosperity Center supports Alternative B," said Hill-Drum who is the executive Director of the Tahoe Basin-wide group. "It addresses affordable housing within walking distance to work..this is a major benefit. It will stimulate more affordable housing and developers are looking at South Lake Tahoe."

"This will revitalize our community," she added.

"This is not a California project, not a Nevada project, not a South Lake Tahoe project and not a Stateline project," said Bill Yeates, TRPA Vice-Chair who is the California Senate Rules Committee appointee. "This is a community project that will be the result of many entities, a collaborative effort."

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed project will come back to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) board for a vote during their two-day meeting November 14-15. The agenda has not been published at this time.

This next step though is a vote on the project during the next Tahoe Transportation District meeting November 9.

If approved, the U.S. 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project will be ready to start the planning process in January 2019. TRPA has dedicated funds to start on the plan.

According to Hasty they will start to mobilize after approval, hire consultants to get it to final design, articulate what is exactly going to happen, mobilize to start the process for replacement housing, then mobilizing to begin the design and stakeholder process for the final "Main Street" project.

It will take at least a year to get to the final details of the design.

View completed EIS report that will be voted on by TRPA later in November - http://www.tahoetransportation.org/images/assets/Hwy50/EIR-EIS-EIS/Final/US-50-Loop-FEIR-EIS-EIS-Vol...