TRPA committee endorses new local government permit process

By the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
A committee of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board took a major step forward this week in moving toward a different permitting system at Lake Tahoe where many parcel-by-parcel regulations would shift to local county or city governments.

“TRPA’s goal is to operate more on a regional scale where we can be most effective at protecting the Lake Tahoe environment and to shift some level of permit review responsibilities to local governments,” TRPA Executive Director Joanne S. Marchetta said. “The policy updates being considered by the Governing Board are based on extensive input from the public and partner agencies.”

Called conformance review in similar planning frameworks, the concept, approved by the Regional Plan Update Committee of the agency, would leave local planning, zoning and development codes to each jurisdiction as long as environmental standards are followed. Large-scale projects may still fall under the permitting authority of TRPA. Details of this proposal are still under review. The Regional Plan Update Committee endorsed the general concept for this shift and the full board will consider the change as part of the plan update process in 2012.

This week, the TRPA Governing Board also adopted an updated Code of Ordinances that has improved clarity and added user-friendly diagrams to improve the public’s understanding of Tahoe regulations.

“We’re hopeful that by clarifying the rules of the road for building projects at Tahoe it will encourage more upgrades to existing homes and businesses and revitalize older developments which have negative environmental impacts,” TRPA Communications Specialist Jeff Cowen said,.

This reformatting has resulted in a code book that is more than one pound lighter than the current code. The updated regulations will take effect March 2012 to allow the public ample time to explore the improved documents. This step is the first of two phases of the code update. The second phase is ongoing and will be completed once the TRPA Governing Board takes action on the Regional Plan Update, which is scheduled for the end of 2012, according to TRPA. That phase will make substantive changes to the Code of Ordinances in order to implement updated policies of the broader Regional Plan.

“This week’s actions of the board are part of the new approach TRPA is taking to achieve its mission,” Marchetta said. “We’re focusing on regional environmental gain while promoting sustainable redevelopment in town centers and making the regulatory process more fair and consistent.”

More information on the Regional Plan Update and the updated TRPA Code of Ordinances are available on the Regional Plan Update page of the TRPA website.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency cooperatively leads the effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region now and in the future. For additional information, call Jeff Cowen or email to jcowen@trpa.org.