planning commission

The visions are big for a new recreation center in South Lake Tahoe. A large indoor aquatic center, a senior center with services, a modern and sustainable building. A large gymnasium

Almost 50 people attended the first of four community meetings to discuss what the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center will provide, how it will look and function. New Mayor Wendy David and Mayor Pro Tem Austin Sass were at the meeting long with members of the Planning Commission, Park and Recreation Commission, and other citizens.

Much like the lake side of El Dorado County and the west slope don’t always see eye to eye, the Douglas County portion at the lake, and the valley residents are in the same situation.

The topic currently at the forefront is Buckeye Creek Reservoir, located in the eastern portion of Douglas County. BLM has most of the land in this undeveloped area, and the Douglas County Sewer Improvement District (DCSID) owns 1,001 of those acres.

It's been almost 100 years since Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, "A goal without a plan, is just a wish." This is still true today, and the City of South Lake Tahoe has been busy getting area plans completed so current and future goals could be planned.

They have joined forces with El Dorado County to come up with a Parks, Trails and Recreation Master Plan for the Lake Tahoe South Shore, and not only is it ready to look over, the public is invited to participate in its review during an upcoming meeting.

In what many locals was hoping wouldn't be the case, the Barton Ranch in South Lake Tahoe is set for demolition.

Family members who own the land and the buildings have spent years trying to get to this point in order to remove what they say is a dangerous set of buildings that have caused problems with vandals and vagrants.

On Tuesday, employees of Allied Environmental, Inc of Shingle springs were on site to remove asbestos in preparation for demolition.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council narrowly approved a new temporary craft show ordinance and increased fee schedule during their meeting on Tuesday.

"Seems like overkill," said Councilwoman JoAnn Conner in her vote against the ordinance. "Its a tremendous amount of work for anyone who wants to come in and do an event and its a tremendous amount of work for staff."

Conner was speaking of the new ordinance which changes the rules for the eight temporary craft shows held annually in the city each year. She and Tom Davis were the two dissenting votes.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council once again addressed temporary craft shows on Tuesday, discussing many issues from displays, appearance, juries, and subjective verbiage including "quality," "nice" and "tidy," all of which were all part of the draft city ordinance they were reviewing.

Dealing with craft shows is nothing new for the council, having voted in 2013 to limit the number of shows in city limits to four per site with a maximum of eight per summer season.

Soon, memories of "The Hole" will be replaced with the vision of new retail, restaurants and condominiums as the next phase of construction begins in South Lake Tahoe.

The Chateau at the Village will continue its growth to the corner of Friday Avenue and Highway 50.

There are many sides to the South Lake Tahoe Vacation Home Rental (VHR) situation. On one side are the locals whose peaceful lives have been disturbed because they are the neighbors of vacation home rentals that are reportedly out of control with excess noise and trash that come from inconsiderate renters. On another side are the people wanting to enjoy South Lake Tahoe from the comfort of a private home. Yet another side are the second home owners who want to earn money from their vacation home.

A preliminary environmental report has been completed on the Tahoe Valley Area Plan and is ready for public input.

This report is created so the agencies developing the plan can determine whether a nEnvironmental Impact Report (EIR), a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), or a Negative Declaration is required for a project under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines.

The Bijou Bike Park will take a step towards reality on Tuesday if the South Lake Tahoe City Council votes to approve the funding and in-kind services staff is recommending.

Members of the Bijou Bike Park Association (BBPA) presented the original project to the City back in September of 2011, and since then they've been working non-stop in their efforts to create the park. South Lake Tahoe BMX and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association have been helping BBPA in their efforts.

The final environmental impact report on Heavenly Mountain Resort's Epic Discovery Project has been completed and is now ready for public review. The new project, located at Heavenly Mountain Resort, will expand their summer activities to include more canopy tours, hiking and biking trails as well as interpretive activities.

On Tuesday the South Lake Tahoe City Council will vote on one person to serve on the TRPA Advisory Planning Commission. Gary Bowen, Carmen Delgado, Tiffany Good, Amanda Thomason and Scott Weavil would all like to serve the two year term.

Also on the agenda will be discussion about the Tahoe Valley Area Plan, a presentation about the raising of fees for stormwater treatment inspections to cover the cost of mandated programs, discussion on the CalTahoe JPA (ambulance service on the South Shore) and review the pay of the City Treasurer.

The El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society presents Before and After the Flames: Fire, Forest and Climate Change in the Sierra Nevada, a talk by Dr. Hugh D. Safford, Senior Vegetation Ecologist for the US Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region (including California, Hawaii and Pacific Islands) and Dr. Becky Estes, ecologist with the the US Forest Service, Tuesday, January 27th, 7pm at the Planning Commission Meeting Room, Building C of the County Office Buildings, 2850 Fairlane Court in Placerville. The presentation is free and open to the public.

In their meeting of 2015, the South Lake Tahoe City Council will make appointments to four commissions.

Residents seeking one of the two available spots on the Airport Land Use Commission are Ted Long and Michael Siracuse. There are seven openings on the Building/ADA Board of Appeals, and six people seeking the spots: David Huber, Keith Cloutier, William "Chip" Henderson, Robert King, Dale Rise and Randy Vogelgesang.

The City Council is soliciting applications for two-year appointments to the following City Commissions/Boards; Airport Land Use Commission, Building/ADA Board of Appeals, Parks & Recreation Commission and Planning Commission.

South Lake Tahoe residents will have a chance to see the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors in action on Tuesday, October 28 as they have their meeting on the east slope.

Many topics pertaining to the South SHore will be on the agenda.

The South Lake Tahoe Parks, Trails and Recreation Master Plan will be presented by a consultant team. A vote will then be taken on whether to approve the plan and start the environmental review process. Those costs would be split with the City of South Lake Tahoe.

If you are a South Lake Tahoe area resident and want to be involved in your community, the City Council is looking for you!

They are now collecting applications for two-year appointments to the Airport Land Use Commission, Building/ADA Board of Appeals, Parks & Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission. Some of the openings are for City residents only while others just need to live in the Lake Tahoe basin portion of El Dorado County.

The Draft Tahoe Valley Area Plan and accompanying documents were released Wednesday, paving the way for finalization after agency and public review and upcoming comment periods. After community meetings and months of review and planning, the "Town Center" concept has been adopted along with "Greenbelt" portions.

The plan reflects the City of South Lake Tahoe's effort to rekindle the economic vitality and spirit of the Tahoe Valley Community. The plan outlines the community's strategy for resurrection.

Lake Vista Apartments is a 4.6 acre, 64-unit deed restricted affordable housing project on lower Kingsbury Grade in Stateline, Nevada. It was built in 2000 under a special agreement with the TRPA to replenish the Nevada side's affordable housing stock after the number of units at the complex on Kahle Drive was dramatically reduced in order to restore the meadow. The complex was built on a USDA affordable housing tax credit program which specified a minimum of 15 years of affordable housing use.

Several South Lake Tahoe residents showed up at the presentation of the Tahoe Area Plan at the airport on Thursday. Most agreed that the area known as the "Y" needs to be changed with an area plan, but which direction to a take to a final plan is where people differ.

The evening consisted of a presentation by John Hitchcock, who is on loan to the city from the TRPA for this project as Planning Project Manager. After he spoke the group broke out into three breakout sessions, each focuses on one of three choices presented as the future concept for "Y" area.

The following is an opinion article and does not necessarily reflect the views of South Tahoe Now:

The City Council of the City of South Lake Tahoe is soliciting for applications for appointment to the following city commissions/boards:

The City Council will be appointing two (2) American with Disability (ADA) members to the Building/ADA Board of Appeals. California Health and Safety Code requires that the two (2) ADA members shall be physically handicapped persons. Applicants must reside and be domiciled within the Tahoe Basin portion of El Dorado County. The Building / ADA Board of Appeals Commission meets on an as needed basis.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners will consider approval of a new area plan for Lake Tahoe’s South Shore on Thursday, June 2. The Douglas County Area Plan is the first to be proposed since the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency adopted the Regional Plan Update in December 2012.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council is soliciting applications for the following Commissions: Parks and Recreation, Clean Tahoe, City Lay Member Appointee to the TRPA Advisory Planning, and El Dorado Commission on Aging.

Applications may be obtained at the City Clerk's Office located at 1901 Airport Road, South Lake Tahoe, California, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and are also available on the City of South Lake Tahoe’s website at www.cityofslt.us – City Clerk-Boards and Commissions.