At its meeting in Kings Beach last week, the Placer County Planning Commission recommended the Board of Supervisors approve a set of amendments that would allow revisions to the 2017 Tahoe Basin Area Plan.

The TBAP is the land-use document that governs development in the Placer County portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin. It was originally adopted by the Placer County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 6, 2016, and by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Governing Board on Jan. 25, 2017.

The TBAP replaced all previous community plans, general plans, land use regulations, development standards and guidelines, and plan area statements within the Placer County portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin. It includes both a policy document and an implementing regulations document similar to a zoning code.

The Planning Commission cast three unanimous votes on the TBAP amendments and an addendum to the 2017 TBAP environmental impact report. The third vote was to recommend adoption of the amendments to the TBAP implementing regulations.

The amendments are aimed at accelerating the production and supply of affordable housing in the North Tahoe area and enhancing economic vitality in both the Kings Beach and Tahoe City town centers. They are intended to streamline environmentally beneficial redevelopment by removing old, dilapidated buildings and replacing them with newly constructed, energy efficient ones that can better collect stormwater runoff and protect Lake Tahoe’s water clarity.

The recommended modifications would remove outdated zoning restrictions to encourage potential redevelopment in lodging and mixed-use businesses within the town centers. The amendments would also clarify where countywide street improvements are required and help prevent loss of multi-family housing.

A potential amendment to increase building height from the allowed 56 feet to 72.7 feet and length allowance up to 500 feet in the town centers were removed from this set of amendments following community feedback. The maximum allowable height of 56 feet remains unchanged.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to hear this item at a meeting in October. Meeting details will be announced as soon as they are available.

For more information about the Planning Commission and to review meeting agendas and schedules, click here.