Settlement reached in Tahoe pier dispute

UPDATED 5:19PM: Environmental regulators and a Lake Tahoe property owner who has hosted events for the League to Save Lake Tahoe have settled a dispute over environmental rule violations that stretch back to 2008.
Tamara Fritz and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency agreed to terms this week resolving violations between April 2008 and March 2011. Go here for more.

Here is a release this afternoon from the TRPA:

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board took action in several important areas at their recent two-day meeting October 26 and 27.

First, the TRPA Legal Committee reached a settlement agreement on the Fritz pier violation, which was accepted by the TRPA Governing Board. In the settlement, Tamara Fritz agreed to pay a $35,000 penalty and correct all outstanding code violations on her property. Jan Brisco, who was representing Ms. Fritz as a private consultant at the hearing, along with Ms. Fritz's daughter and son-in-law, stated that, "We are absolutely here to resolve this issue and move on."

The TRPA Governing Board also approved the Vista Shores Motel environmental redevelopment project after the developer changed the design to address community concerns. The project had originally gone before the Governing Board at their August meeting, but the project applicant asked for a continuance after more than a dozen community members expressed their concerns that the driveway design would negatively impact the neighborhood. In response, the developers redesigned the project to avoid negative impacts to adjacent property owners.

Several Board members expressed their appreciation of the applicant's willingness to go to the extra time, money, and effort to redesign the project driveway.

"I applaud the applicant who went above and beyond their requirements by responding to community concerns and redesigning their project to address them," said Shelly Aldean, Vice-Chair of the TRPA Governing Board. The project was unanimously approved by the board.

In addition, the Governing Board unanimously approved the South Tahoe Greenway Bike Trail project on day two of their meeting on October 27. The project will create a nearly four-mile bike and mixed use trail in South Lake Tahoe that will run from the Sierra Tract neighborhood to Van Sickle Bi-State Park at Stateline.

Claire Fortier, South Lake Tahoe's Mayor Pro Tem and a member of TRPA's Governing Board, expressed her strong support for the bike trail project and the positive impact it would have on the South Lake Tahoe community. "I am delighted you brought this forward," she told the Tahoe Conservancy, the project applicant. "I couldn't be more pleased about this project."

Several members of the public also spoke out in support of the bike trail project. Tom Wendell of the South Lake Tahoe Sustainability Commission said the bike trail project would have a positive impact on the economy of South Lake Tahoe by making it a bicycle tourist destination. He also spoke about the positive impacts it would have on the environment. "The more we can help get cars off the road the better the community and the Lake will be," he said.

Finally, the recently-formed Regional Planning Committee of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board continued forward momentum on the Regional Plan Update by establishing final membership of the committee, and deciding to meet twice a month going forward to March 2012. The next meeting will be held November 2 at noon at the TRPA Board Rooms in Stateline, NV. All committee meetings are open to the public and are audio-streamed live at trpa.org.

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. For additional information, call Kristi Boosman or email kboosman@trpa.org.