SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The next meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council will be on Tuesday, October 6, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the airport.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) tasked its Tahoe Living Working Group to identify and prioritize specific, quantifiable local and regional actions that leverage environmental redevelopment and water quality improvements to achieve the housing goals of the region. They have been receiving input from multiple perspectives from the public and different representative groups around Tahoe.

“Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin” is their multi-year project to make housing more accessible while maintaining and improving environmental protections. Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin will plan for equitable
and sustainable housing and improved climate resilience by modernizing land use policies and the regional growth management system that directs the “how, what, and where” of new building and redevelopment in the basin. The program will also establish long-term, two-way engagement between communities and agencies, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups.

There are three key intended project outcomes in creating new policies to create affordable housing while protecting the environment:

  • Reduce costs and barriers for smaller housing types (development rights, costs and fees, and development process);
  • Water Quality – Improvements help achieve the Housing Need (Using best available science to treat stormwater runoff; and
  • Increase Housing Choice (Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), Expanded Housing Sites, Building Renovation and Rehabilitation, Housing Occupancy, and Development Standards).

Staff is asking Council to provide policy direction and input to TRPA staff for this project.

They will also receive an update and evaluate the use of geothermal energy as opposed to a traditional gas-powered boiler at the new recreation center.

City Council will also discuss proposed amendments to the sign ordinance code “to ensure equitable access to signage for businesses and promote economic activity.” Planning Commission recommended that the City Council adopt the proposed amendments.

Staff recommends Council vote to remove the current restriction limiting portable signage to holidays and weekends, expand the timeframe to accommodate businesses that operate into the evening, and allow one sign per business rather than one sign per parcel to accommodate multi-business properties (e.g., Heavenly Village). Staff also recommends deleting the option of using banners as portable signage.

Previous councils had restricted the use of sandwich board signs every day as a way to create a less cluttered appearance to the community.

Council may also vote to give itself a cost-of-living (COL) increase. They currently earn $1,394.49 per month, and since the last increase in January 2025, COL has increased by 2.9 percent. The possible increase could take them to $1,687.33 per month starting January 2027.

For the full agenda and instructions on participation, visit https://cityofslt.gov/84/Watch-City-CouncilCommission-Meetings