TRPA welcomes Arlo Stockham as new regional planning coordinator

By Jeff Cowen
As the Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency shifts into the final phases of its Regional Plan Update, the Agency announced Tuesday an associated change in leadership for its Regional Plan Update team. The effort that had been led by Harmon Zuckerman for the past two years will now be charged to Arlo Stockham, a planner and consultant with 14 years' experience in Northern Nevada.

"The Regional Plan Update has entered an intensive phase, and thanks to the work of Harmon and many others over the past two years, it is scheduled for final consideration by the TRPA Governing Board at the end of 2012," TRPA Executive Director Joanne S. Marchetta said. "The next 15 months will be crucial to delivering much-needed updates to the existing plan, and Arlo is bringing the right set of skills at the right time."

The Regional Plan Coordinator position was created to oversee completion of the update of the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan. The Plan is a blueprint for sustainable Tahoe Basin communities and continued environmental restoration, according to the Agency. The Update was put firmly on track by Zuckerman, who resigned with a sense of accomplishment a little more than two years after taking the position.

"We built the Regional Plan Team and a body of work that has pushed the Update forward immensely," Zuckerman stated. "TRPA now has all the ingredients necessary to finish the work without me. It's going to be a big job and an intense 15 months. Everyone's concerted effort will add up to success in December 2012."

The new team coordinator comes to TRPA with experience completing controversial planning efforts. Before starting his own consulting service in 2007, Stockham was a planner manager with the City of Reno and led major updates of the Truckee Meadows Regional Plan and the Reno Master Plan.

"I am looking forward to joining TRPA and seeing the Regional Plan Update through this next, critical phase," Stockham said. "The Agency is making exciting changes that will better protect an incredible place and I know we can build the needed support for this new direction."

The Regional Plan Update includes incentives and requirements to address current issues facing Lake Tahoe, according to TRPA. While the current Lake Tahoe Regional Plan will remain in place, focused updates will take into consideration the latest science, particularly in water quality and community sustainability.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency cooperatively leads the effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region now and in the future.

— Writer Jeff Cowen is the Community Liaison for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. He can be reached at (775) 589-5278, or email at jcowen@trpa.org.