TRPA board approves policy changes to help address affordable housing crisis

LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. - After three hours of public testimony on Wednesday, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) board voted to adopt policy changes to help address the housing crisis.

The package of affordable and workforce housing incentives to help address the housing crisis that is impacting not only Lake Tahoe's communities but also the environment. The targeted changes to Lake Tahoe zoning regulations will lower the cost of providing affordable and workforce housing, benefit water quality, and reduce traffic and vehicle use, according to TRPA.

The board adopted the policy changes with refinements based on community and board member feedback.

Rising property values are only part of the housing crisis affecting Lake Tahoe communities, according to TRPA. The development caps and building design requirements enacted by the agency decades ago to save the lake are partly driving the market toward large, single-family homes versus smaller, more affordable multi-family units such as duplexes, triplexes, and apartments.

Major renovation, redevelopment, and new projects must achieve multiple goals since there are a limited number of building permits remaining at Lake Tahoe.

Existing incentives encourage water quality and transportation improvements on commercial and tourist accommodation properties. Extending additional incentives to deed-restricted multi-family projects is a key priority for the agency.

“When you look at this breathtaking lake and then recognize what is happening to people and businesses in our communities, it’s heartbreaking,” said TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan. “In resort communities in Tahoe and across the nation, it’s getting harder for people to live where they work. The status quo is unacceptable and these changes are one of many solutions needed.”

The approved policy changes require a high level of stormwater Best Management Practices to protect water quality. The goal is to build public-private partnerships that deliver more affordable housing throughout Lake Tahoe.

The new housing incentives apply only to projects close to transit and services that provide permanently deed-restricted units for lower-income and local workers.

Projects in town centers can apply for more flexible building designs with additional land coverage, up to nine additional feet of height, more units allowed within the building envelope, and reduced parking if the project will implement alternatives like a car-share or shared-parking agreement.
Smaller projects in surrounding multi-family residential zones can apply for similar, stepped-down incentives to encourage more duplexes, triplexes, and accessory dwelling units.

“Our communities are struggling,” said TRPA Governing Board Chair and Placer County District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson. “I am seeing boarded-up buildings in my community of Tahoe City for the first time in the 40 years I have lived here. This approval gives the Tahoe Basin one more tool that the local jurisdictions can choose to use, but we know we need to keep making progress on additional solutions to strengthen our communities and protect some of Tahoe’s most at-risk community members.”

Within a year, local governments are required to align the changes with their local area plans. Area plan updates also allow local communities to tailor the extra allowances as long as they work toward regional housing goals.

Starting in early 2024, TRPA staff will initiate a multi-year effort to more comprehensively integrate housing, equity, and climate goals into key land-use and water quality programs. The agency was recently awarded $2.4 million in grant funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development to help with further improvements that will benefit the entire region.

To get involved, visit trpa.gov/housing and sign up for the agency’s housing eNews.