development

Over 80 local nominees will be celebrated during the 11th annual Blue Ribbon Awards on Thursday, Nov. 8 at MontBleu Resort starting at 5:30 p.m.

The public is invited to join the Tahoe Chamber in celebrating the businesses and individuals that make the South Shore a great community to live, work and play.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Years of collaboration with a variety of partners have brought to completion two major initiatives for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). During their governing board meeting on October 24 a new Shoreline Plan was unanimously approved as was a comprehensive package of changes to the agency’s development rights system.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - What started off as baby steps to legal cannabis businesses and regulations in South Lake Tahoe has morphed into a run to a proposed cannabis ordinance that could potentially bring 15 new licenses to town.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After a referendum to put a halt to the South Lake Tahoe cannabis ordinance was successful, a meeting held Monday was to work through the points of the ordinance Cody Bass and Tahoe Wellness Cooperative took issue with.

Led by the City Council representatives Austin Sass and Brooke Laine, members of the original cannabis workgroup, Cody Bass and some members of the public, about two dozen in total, spent three hours trying to come up direction for the city attorney to use in creating a new ordinance.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) is investigating the death of a man whose body was found near the Chichester housing development Monday, October 8, 2018.

At approximately 7:00 a.m., deputies located a motor vehicle belonging to a man who was reported missing the night before. A search of the area located the man deceased in the field behind Carson Valley Middle School.

At this time there does not appear to be anything suspicious about the death. The family has been notified.

No name has been released.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council have answered the same ten questions given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses have been shared in the order received.

Today is the ninth and final candidate. Cody Bass gives his responses as he makes his first bid for a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

Dear Residents of South Lake Tahoe and Meyers:

My name is Mike Marini and I would like your vote for the position of Trustee for District V on the Board of Trustees for Lake Tahoe Community College.

Here is some information about me so you can understand why I'm the best choice when you mark your ballots this fall.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After the referendum to put a stop to the City of South Lake Tahoe's cannabis ordinance received enough signatures, the City Council has reconvened their subcommittee to create a new ordinance.

There will be a public forum on Monday, October 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers to gather public input regarding possible next steps for a cannabis ordinance.

LAKE TAHOE, CA/NV - The Tahoe Prosperity Center's inaugural Tahoe Economic Summit is 2017 provided residents, business owners, entrepreneurs and visitors with an insight on how to be successful on many levels while being in Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

Today, the first-time candidate Devin Middlebrook gives his responses as he seeks a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

Today, current Councilman Austin Sass shares his thoughts in his quest for another term on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For each of the next nine days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

First up is Wendy David, the current mayor of South Lake Tahoe. She is seeking a second term on the Council.

Seven Douglas County businesses, including two from the South Shore, were recently honored during the 5th annual Spotlight Awards, recognizing their contributions to the community.

The awards were given at the Critical Issues Conference held on Thursday, September 27 and recognized businesses in the following categories: retail, restaurant, manufacturing and production, sports and recreation, entrepreneur, business and professional service, and tourism and hospitality.

This September and October, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board will move forward with hearings and final milestone decisions on two significant initiatives: A new Shoreline Plan and an overhaul of the agency’s transferable development rights system.

TRPA will hold hearings for both these initiatives at the Governing Board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 26, and could hold final votes on them as early as Wednesday, Oct. 24.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - September 21, 2018 is the date the City of South Lake Tahoe will start accepting development agreements for the six cannabis licenses up for grabs after City Council approved a cannabis ordinance on August 21, 2018.

That is, unless a group spearheaded by Cody Bass of Tahoe Wellness Cooperative and his attorney James Anthony gets enough signatures to stop the process.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Money is on its way to South Lake Tahoe to restore the Upper Truckee Marsh, the largest remaining wetland in the Sierra Nevada, and reverse damage created by decades of development.

The California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) announced Thursday they received $1,700,066 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife towards their project to redirect the Upper Truckee River to its historic network of channels through the Marsh. Water flowing through the Marsh will slow down, allowing sediment to settle instead of reaching Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Thursday, the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) Board of Directors discussed changing their administrative code to allow for the transfer of sewer and water units from one parcel to another in order to encourage the building of affordable housing projects.

Since 2012, the transfer of the sewer units have not been allowed by STPUD, but with the current lack of affordable housing on the South Shore the board will look to approve a change of the code at their September 20, 2018 meeting.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Behind the scenes at Barton Health is a thriving culture of teaching and learning through specialized fellowship and medical residency programs. Just as Lake Tahoe attracts visitors from around the world, these programs attract doctors from around the world to gain experience in their medical specialty. By facilitating a constant exchange of experience and new practices, fellowship and residency programs elevate the clinical environment for Barton physicians and enhance quality care for patients.

The final bottom barriers have been installed at Lakeside Marina, completing a project to cut light to invasive weeds that thrive in warmer parts of Lake Tahoe.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council will be continuing their July 17 discussion and voting on the new cannabis ordinance at their next meeting on Tuesday, August 21.

If approved, the new ordinance will replace the existing medical marijuana ordinance.

To enter the cannabis industry in South Lake Tahoe, businesses will have to obtain a Use Permit, a Development Agreement and a Public Safety License.

No more than two retailers, two microbusinesses and two cultivators. No person can own more than one cannabis business, and no more than one cannabis business can exist on a lot or parcel.

Last month this column focused on the faces of Tahoe’s housing crisis. This month we look at a few promising solutions from other tourist communities.

One example is the Town of Vail’s “Vail InDEED” program. Like Tahoe, the Town of Vail is constrained by a lack of available land and high construction costs. Development of new housing is slow and costly. The Vail InDEED program was created to deed restrict existing properties to create a market for locals only.

Steve Teshara, CEO of the Tahoe Chamber and chairperson of the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) Board of Directors, now has another leadership duty for the upcoming year.

Teshara will serve as the president of the California Association of Councils of Governments (CALCOG), a group whose membership includes 47 regional governments involved in the planning, funding, and development of the state’s transportation infrastructure.

He has been representing TTD on the CALCOG Board.

As most people have experienced, cell phone coverage around Lake Tahoe can be trying at times, especially during heavy tourist days when thousands of extra users are in the area. Combine that with over half of homes ditching their land-lines and relying only on cell phones, demand has greatly increased.

Lake Tahoe cell phone coverage may soon be improved as Verizon is working with Liberty Utilities and NV Energy and local governments to place small, seven-foot, grounded cell towers on top of current power poles on all sides of the lake.

The follow letter was given to South Tahoe Now and mailed to the South Lake Tahoe Mayor, City Councilmembers and staff:

Dear Mayor David and Council Members:

I am writing to you as a follow-up to my letter of May 12, 2018 (see at end of story) regarding Policy Priorities and Issues for City Government.

Quality and Affordable Housing for Residents is Very Important