Lake Tahoe CA\/NV (Feb 29, 2024) – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is planning a vigorous defense of a lawsuit filed last Friday against affordable and workforce housing policy changes adopted for the Lake Tahoe Region in December 2023, TRPA General Counsel John Marshall said in a statement today.<\/p>\n
\u201cMountain Area Preservation, a Truckee-based group whose members identify themselves as people who live and work in the Lake Tahoe Region, seeks to close off opportunities for others of limited means to enjoy the same opportunities,\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n
TRPA\u2019s recent policy changes created additional incentives for affordable and workforce housing close to transit and services, along with increased requirements for stormwater treatment to protect the lake\u2019s famed clarity and measures to promote walking, biking, and transit use.<\/p>\n
\u201cLake Tahoe has some of the strongest environmental protections in the nation thanks to the bi-state compact that created the TRPA in 1969,\u201d said TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan. \u201cThe TRPA Governing Board has made it a priority to stand up for local workers to help revitalize our communities and protect the lake for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Facts about environmental conditions at Lake Tahoe:<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Strict development caps through the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan are unparalleled in the United States and remain in effect for the Tahoe Basin under the amended policies to promote affordable housing.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Less than 1 percent of the land area of the Tahoe Basin is in a town center where new policies apply to deed-restricted affordable and workforce housing projects. The housing units reserved for the policy incentives have been set aside for decades.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 More than 70 percent of the pollutants harming Lake Tahoe are coming from urban upland areas where reinvestment brings water quality and transportation improvements.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Monitoring of environmental conditions in the Tahoe Basin shows that the full-time population dropped 12 percent from 2000 to 2020 as home prices became out of reach for most residents.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Traffic statistics show the number of cars and visitors in the region has remained flat over the last decade even as leisure activities have shifted to outdoor recreation.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, litigating affordable housing solutions under the guise of environmental protection is becoming a common tactic in communities across California and the nation, and is a major reason why shortages of affordable housing continue,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cIn the case here in Lake Tahoe, these litigants are blocking both affordable housing solutions and progress toward lake clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Striking a Balance: Environmental Stewardship and Socio-Economic Progress at Stake<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"source_name":"Jeff Cowen ","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override_template":"0","override":[{"template":"7","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"0","layout":"no-sidebar-narrow","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"0","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"override_image_size":"0","image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post":"0","trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post":"0","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","sponsored_post_name":"","sponsored_post_url":"","sponsored_post_logo_enable":"0","sponsored_post_logo":"","sponsored_post_desc":"","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"","hide":""},"jnews_social_meta":{"fb_title":"","fb_description":"","fb_image":"","twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":""},"jnews_override_counter":{"override_view_counter":"0","view_counter_number":"0","override_share_counter":"0","share_counter_number":"0","override_like_counter":"0","like_counter_number":"0","override_dislike_counter":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\n