Loop Road public meeting poorly attended; Proposed debate at event nixed

In an effort to clear up misinformation about the proposed US50 Community
Revitalization/Loop Road Project, the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (TahoeChamber) hosted a public meeting Thursday evening at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel. With the amount of negative public comments and voiced skepticism during past meetings, Measure T, and in social media, a larger group was expected than the 35 people who attended (and many of those were Tahoe Transportation and Tahoe Chamber staff).

Carl Hasty, District Manager, Tahoe Transportation District (TTD), led the discussion and answered questions some of those in attendance had of the project.

"It is really difficult to inform this community," said Hasty. "There is misinformation out there and the Chamber held this to clear it all up."

Steve Teshara, interim CEO of the Tahoe Chamber, planned on having the meeting be two-part, the information from Hasty, and a debate style presentation by at least one speaker in support of the project and one opposed.

In September, Teshara reached out to Duane Wallace, President of the South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, a group that is one of the more vocal opponents and skeptics of the project which proposes to move US50 around the back of the casinos and through a neighborhood in order to address several issues.

Wallace turned Teshara down, as did the others he invited including the group behind getting Measure T on the ballot. Wallace said Bruce Grego and Peggy Bourland were two of the others that turned down Teshara's offer.

"I realized that we would be debating the wrong thing," said Wallace. "Our Board is not against finding community traffic solutions, although we do have serious questions about some of the seemingly preferred options (of the Loop Road project)."

The TTD was formed as a bi-state agency to focus on transportation around Lake Tahoe in 1980. The goal of the formation was to look at the lake as a whole since so many agencies and governments are involved, each with their own transportation needs and concerns.

They currently have several projects around the lake, including the 2017 replacement of the aging "Fanny Bridge" and Highway 89 improvements in Tahoe City, the Highway 28 National Scenic Byway and an around the lake bike path. They already completed the 2.5 miles of bike trail from Edgewood to Round Hill Pines.

Several previous public meetings TTD held to address the US50 project on the South Shore involved a lot of conversation with opponents and concerned community members about the possible displaced 76 residences in the area between Raley's at Stateline and Pioneer Trail. Depending on which of the four alternatives is chosen, this number could change but if it stays with 76, seven of those residences are single family homes, the rest are multi-family units.

Hasty reiterated TTD's focus and promise that they will provide replacement housing first, before anything else starts. "It makes the most sense to us," he said. "It will make the rest of the project move more smoothly."

In May, the TTD Board unanimously approved a set of commitments for US 50 Community Revitalization Project which addressed the major issues of housing, right-of-way and construction concerns.

“This gives the public a strong message that the TTD board and the project will only go forward following these principles,” Austin Sass, City of South Lake Tahoe Mayor Pro Tem said at the time. “The board is directing staff to move forward with prescribed steps to do it – public agencies typically don’t do this.”

Highlights of the principles adopted include:
Right-of-Way
• Necessary right-of-way will be acquired prior to the start of road construction.
• Existing developed and occupied real estate will not be removed until project
construction is funded and residential and business relocation is completed.
• Acquisition process will follow the Federal “Uniform Act” based if willing seller basis.
• Any possible use of eminent domain by the District would only be necessary to complete
the needed right of way and would follow exact provisions of the Uniform Act.

Housing
• New housing, commercial and mix use projects would meet applicable local and regional plans.
• All eligible residents would be relocated fairly and equitably within established Federal guidelines.
• New affordable housing would be constructed or acquired as deed-restricted, which means the amount someone can charge for rent or resale is limited by the deed and any buyers or renters must meet the financial criteria. This prevents someone from coming in and buying or renting who does not qualify.
• The priority option for new deed-restricted housing will remain in the project area.
• Public-private partnerships for affordable residential housing will be solicited beyond requirements.

Road Construction
• Improvements will address safety, efficiency and improved emergency access for all users (motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and transit).
• Improvements will meet environmental requirements and be compatible with visioning needs of the South Shore community.
• The majority of funding for all project elements will come from federal and state sources. (Minimal local and private sector contributions can provide construction match.) Utility location will be included as part of the project costs.
• New roadway will be constructed only after necessary right-of-way has been acquired and only after relocation is completed where residential housing and businesses are directly affected.
• Current Hwy 50 alignment will be open to traffic until the new alignment is constructed.

Assistance and Support for Affected Businesses
• Assist and compensate any affected businesses that are relocated according to provisions of Federal Uniform Act.
• TTD and contractors will work with the business community to minimize business
disruptions during construction via public education and web-based outreach programs promoting business use and access.

Continued Community Involvement
• TTD will continue an open and active public process on project design and
implementation.
• TTD will keep public informed of any unanticipated project changes.

The US50 Community Revitalization project is currently in the final stages of CEQA/NEPA/TRPA environmental report. Once all agencies involved review the results, they will come up with the preferred alternative of the project. Once that is done there will be more public meetings, and he and his group will go out and get the funding needed to do the project. Hasty had said at previous meetings, and again Thursday, that they won't start until all funding is in place so the public doesn't have to worry about another "hole" situation, the result of a project at Stateline that was privately funded that ran into financial difficulties and left a large, vacant area that is now being developed.

There are a few more years before anything can start on the relocation of Highway 50.

"There are a ton of challenges with this project," said Hasty. "A lot of obstacles."

Measure T goes to the voters of South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday. It is asking voters if they want the SLT City Council to vote for or against the Loop Road, should they ever have a vote in front of them. Hasty wanted to make sure the voters knew all of the actual facts involved.

More US 50 Revitalization Project information and facts can be found here: http://www.tahoetransportation.org/us50