Tahoe Valley Area Plan and single room rental ordinance on City Council agenda

The South Lake Tahoe City Council has a full agenda for their Tuesday, June 2 meeting at the airport.

After several public forums, meetings and presentations, the council will be deciding to adopt the Tahoe Valley Area Plan, which is the vision for the area around the "Y" in South Lake Tahoe. The City starting working on the plan in January of 2014, after the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) adopted the Regional Plan update at the end of 2012.

There are several key highlights of the plan:

The plan includes a greenbelt district: Located southwest of the Y intersection will serve as an amenity for adjacent residential and commercial uses and provide a bicycle and pedestrian link between the residential neighborhoods and the Tahoe Valley commercial core.

There is a healthcare district included: Contains the area within the immediate vicinity of Barton Hospital, north and south of South Avenue and between Third Street and Winnemucca Avenue. This district will continue as the core area for healthcare services and other related supporting services.

The plan includes updated bicycle and pedestrian areas: The Plan proposes new sidewalk and bicycle path/route connections throughout the Tahoe Valley area and connections to destinations surrounding the area.

A mixed used commercial and entertainment core: A consistent theme throughout the Area Plan policies and development standards is to redevelop the area directly surrounding the Y intersection to become a hub for community gathering around
commercial and entertainment activities. The Plan encourages a special events area
where outdoor markets and entertainment can be provided.

There are currently 1.61 million square feet of commercial floor area (CFA) in the area of the Tahoe Valley plan. If the new ordinance is approved, the City will add in another 15,000 of CFA.

Also on the agenda is an ordinance that may regulate the use of motels and other short term single room housing units when they become long term rentals. When discussion first began on a plan, many wanted units to have kitchens, including refrigerators and laundry facilities on premises. While those two items seemed reasonable in making motel rooms more habitable and safe for the long term, the committee that has come up with the ordinance removed them, as well as modified other requirements.

The SRO, if approved, will require rooms being used for long term rentals to have a microwave and a bar sink. If a property offers a common kitchen they will have to keep it clean and sanitary.

The ordinance will also implement an inspection process to ensure units are maintained and up to building codes.

If unable to attend the City Council meeting, it can be watched on line via the City's website. The public is also invited to make comments prior to the meeting on "e-comment" which if on the same website link.