STATELINE, Nev. – It was a standing-room-only crowd at the scoping meeting for the proposed Barton Health plans to move the hospital to the Nevada side of the South Shore. The meeting, held at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) offices, was part of a process that will evaluate several defined issues to come back with one of three choices – a new medical complex, required changes to the complex, or no project at all.

The meeting was hosted by TRPA and the Douglas County Community Development Planning Division. A new hospital would require amendments to the South Shore Area Plan with the addition of a healthcare subdivision (zone) and changes to the current building height restrictions for the area.

A scoping meeting is held to define the scope of a project to clarify and define expectations. The public is being asked to provide written comments on environmental issues being addressed during the review process, possible alternatives, potential impacts, and other recommendations.

The TRPA Environmental Review Process will look at:

Water Quality and Hydrology, Biological Resources, Scenic Resources, Land Use, Recreation, Geology and Soils (e.g., Land Capability/Coverage), Cultural/Tribal Resources, Neighborhood Compatibility, Population and Housing, Transportation and Parking, Air Quality, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change, Noise,
Cumulative Impacts, Offsite Impacts (e.g., Changes at the California Campus).

The environmental assessment (EA) being done for the Barton project and related South Shore Area Plan amendments will include the need for the project, alternatives (including the answers to the project, no project, and alternatives to the project), the environmental impacts, and mitigation measures to the considered.

Many of the estimated 80-100 people in attendance are concerned about how a hospital on the old grounds of the now torn-down Lakeside Inn will impact the neighborhood.

The public has until January 31, 2025, to provide written comments. That can be done by email to bartonproject@trpa.gov, or by mail to TRPA at PO Box 5310, Stateline, NV 89449.

The collected comments will be presented in a Scoping Summary Report in late February. The draft EA will be released in May or June 2025, with tentative project approval and South Shore Area Plan amendment hearings by late summer 2025.

This process will weed out the misinformation that is circulating and focus on facts. The public can view the project at https://www.trpa.gov/major-projects/#barton

The current Barton plans for the new hospital in Nevada include:

  • Approximate 230,000 sf Hospital Building (with up to 80 feet of height for the five-story section)
  • Level 3 Trauma Center
  • Helipad
  • Outdoor Gathering Spaces and Walkways
  • Surface and Below Grade Parking (255 spaces)
  • Pedestrian Overpass from Hospital to existing Barton
  • Campus located across US Highway 50