LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – During its board meeting last week, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board unanimously approved the 25-year Lake Tahoe Regional Transportation Plan. They also settled enforcement cases for illegal tree removal in South Lake Tahoe and Incline Village, and a violation of shorezone rules at a lakefront property in North Lake Tahoe.
Called Connections 2050, the four-year update on the transportation plan ensures that policies and priority projects improve safety, protect the lake, and reduce vehicle miles traveled in the Tahoe Basin. Backed by extensive public and partner agency input, the plan includes more than 90 projects focused on improving transit, trails, town centers, and technology.
“Improving Tahoe’s transportation system supports our lake environment and communities,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said. “Significant progress has been made upgrading Tahoe’s roads with water quality infrastructure and providing additional options like trails and transit. We must continue that progress while addressing growing safety concerns and strengthening the resilience of the region.”
Key strategies of Connections 2050 include:
- Increasing safety and reducing congestion in Tahoe’s most popular roadway corridors through corridor management plans that coordinate transit, parking management, and reservation systems.
- Supporting wildfire evacuation planning by ensuring roadways are safe and navigable and communication infrastructure is ready for more extreme weather and emergencies.
- Integrating new technology, including travel apps, communication systems, parking reservations, and on-demand microtransit.
- Identifying sustainable funding to invest in transportation infrastructure and transit.
An example of corridor work kicked off earlier this month with the launch of the Emerald Bay pilot project. Public agencies and non-profit partners are coordinating new microtransit service, installation of roadside parking barriers, and more parking enforcement in one of Lake Tahoe’s most popular transportation corridors. In the first six days of the pilot, 460 passengers accessed Emerald Bay via microtransit thanks to the leadership of elected officials and the funding support of local nonprofits.
Enforcement Cases
Continuing their commitment to TRPA’s compliance initiatives, the Board approved the following:
- A $20,000 settlement for illegal tree removal at a property on Alpine Drive in Incline Village, Nev. There was unauthorized tree removal of two trees over 14 inches DBH, and the trees in question were not related to fire safety. The homeowner must also plant four mature 15-20-foot native conifers to replace the trees removed in TRPA-approved locations.
- A $16,000 fine for illegal tree removal on public land on Lakeview Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. There was unauthorized removal of SEZ vegetation and material damage to eight trees on California Tahoe Conservancy property. $10,000 goes to TRPA, and $6,000 in clean-up costs reimbursement to CTC.
- A $85,000 penalty for removing sensitive vegetation and disturbing the shorezone on a lakefront property in North Lake Tahoe. There was unauthorized vegetation removal along the shoreline of Lake Tahoe and damage to boulders. The homeowner on Lake Street must also implement a TRPA-approved restoration plan.
TRPA works with all fire protection districts in the Tahoe Basin to ensure tree removal for defensible space is expedited, according to TRPA. Policies allow property owners to remove hazardous trees with fire district approval and, in some cases, without a TRPA permit. TRPA approval is generally required in non-hazardous cases to maintain forest health, prevent soil erosion, and protect scenic quality. For more information on tree removal, visit trpa.gov/trees-and-defensible-space.
A list of all approved violation settlements is available at trpa.gov/agency.
