Building demolition would add beach access in S. Tahoe
By Kathryn Reed
Providing more public access to Lake Tahoe as well as increasing the views for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists would be achieved if the Alta Mira building changed hands and then was leveled.
This nondescript building at 3339 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe is on the March 15 California Tahoe Conservancy agenda. Staff is asking the board to enter an 18-month option at a cost of $10,000. This is essentially a down payment so the owner – called the Alta Mira Partnership – won’t sell to someone else in that time frame.
The Alta Mira building in South Lake Tahoe that sits above the lake may be torn down. Photo/Kathryn Reed
“In our 27-year history we have tried to enhance opportunities to lake access,” CTC Deputy Director Ray Lacey told Lake Tahoe News.
This building would be the end point of Lakeview Commons when it is totally developed. Getting rid of the building would visually improve the area as well as provide another 190 feet of beach access for the public. A little more than 2,000 linear feet of sand exists from El Dorado Beach to the Alta Mira building.
“This would provide a proverbial anchor to the edge of El Dorado Beach,” Lacey said.
It was a grant of more than $6 million from the Conservancy to South Lake Tahoe that made Lakeview Commons a reality. This project overhauled the land at El Dorado Beach at the corner of Highway 50 and Lakeview Avenue.
Another $4 million to $5 million is needed to complete the project that would end at the Alta Mira building. That money, though, is not in anyone’s budget.
Also unknown is where the $2.5 million would come from to buy the 0.55-acre Alta Mira parcel.
Bruce Eisner, CTC program manager, said his agency has about $1.5 million that could go toward buying the Alta Mira building, but the rest would have to come from other sources.
The Tahoe Fund is one group that may be able to help.
While the board of this nonprofit has not voted on this particular topic, some members have expressed an interest in exploring acquiring the land.
“This is a key piece of property. We don’t have any definite commitments to it,” Cindy Gustafson, chairwoman of the Tahoe Fund board of directors, told Lake Tahoe News. “We are not in a position where we could singularly acquire it, but we would work with partner agencies.”
Eisner said if the Conservancy in the next 1½ years decides to buy the property, the agency would stipulate the current owners demolish the existing building before title would be transferred.
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Meeting info: California Tahoe Conservancy board meets March 15, 9:30am at Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe.
So they’ll spend just over $13,000 a foot for the new 190 feet of beach while losing the property and business taxes collected from the building and its occupants. Maybe they can build a see trough paid parking garage there instead. Make money while still seeing the lake.
I have hoped for years that someone would put a lakeview resturant in that building.
What kind of access are they talking about? Isn’t there a cliff right there? Fill some more pot holes first.
they could buy that property tear it down and give it to Randy Lane, to put up more Crapy Condos
don’t take the money and buy Joe Tweeten’s
toxic land and clean it up, that would make to much sence
‘So they’ll spend just over $13,000 a foot for the new 190 feet of beach while losing the property and business taxes collected from the building and its occupants.’
Your criticism is based on the assumption that the business taxes will not pop up somewhere else.
Do you have any numbers on the property tax loss on this parcel?
Opening up more lake view and beach access to public would be great. It’s a popular beach for campers, tourists and locals. Will be enjoyed by all. That section of Hwy 50 always takes my breath away with the view and beautiful colors of water.
If there is a mutually agreed to price between the Alta Mira Partners and the CTC and its partners (and they have the funding), tear it down. It would definitely open up the view.
Well after almost 26 years watching the view from my business go away it makes me feel any attempt to make our lake access better and the beautiful view more obvious I say knock it down! Sure a lake front restaurant would be wonderful if you have millions to do it, but all I know is that probably is not possible!
What is easy is to LIMB the trees that block the lake view to all the visitors and my clients as well! That small stretch where the commons project is and on down to the lakefront professional building is very valuable as a scenic opportunity unlike most of the south shore. Consider the many other buildings includind lodging properties that soak up the view but block it from thousands of vehicles passing by.
If anyone knows who to ask about trimming some scraggely branches to afford better views of our treasured lake please let me know. Thanks Phil
Damn Phil the old mighty T.R.P.A….YOU KNOW THE ONES THAT PUT US IN A EPA SINKING SHIP WITH WAYS TO GENERATE CASH FOR THEIR FAMILIES,SHUFF THE REAL NATURE SEEKERS TO THE SIDE.Blocking access to ever road,path, bike trail,hiking path,make Smoky The Bear crap in the chem toilet.
Half the forest are dead cause the EPA thinks it more important to cloud the skies with smoke, than leave a tire tread in the soft soil,they rather have huge forest fires like the one that scars the hill right by the gondola.The bark Beatles are busy eating the whole west coast while they sit in their offices,trying to control crabs in the water they drink.
The trees are very important but both agencies(usfs,trpa) that run Monk telling us the skies falling need government jobs and it doesn’t take a very bright person to understand you can built distillery water plants for 1.5 billion verse 1 1/2 FOOT of WATER,Visibility.
They make anything that’s simple seem like a calculus problem.
There is no better time to buy this property than today. This town has far too much vacant commercial space and eliminating this building could help other commercial properties. And the added view, the bread and butter for our town, will be great. I hope Meeks Lumber is next.
The housing recovery continues to disappoint. Despite a modest pickup in demand since mid-2011, distressed property sales continue to depress prices. Average inflation-adjusted existing home prices were down almost 8% y/y in Q4 to new cycle lows.
Ongoing price declines have erased a decade of appreciation, and in real terms leave average valuations at mid-1990s levels.
2012 Mortgage delinquency and foreclosure rates, while still high. Nonetheless, the pace of the recovery willRemain constrained by a lingering oversupply of housing, including held-off-market properties, combined with high Unemployment, weak income gains and still cautious mortgage lending.
Plus if anyone really noticed last summer, that business was derailed by the ongoing tearing up and filtering the drains system that runs under the ground at this location, nothing like a good deal and continue maintaining to a city that has a hard time sweeping the streets .If history serves itself well here in this town our great deals seem to always end in dismay, bad calls.
Shall we add this to the dollar deal for a Airport, SUPER SELL OR ARE SOME YOU ALREADY TRYING TO MAKE A FAST BUCK WITH THE NORMAL CON GAME WE ALL SEEN FOR YEARS??
Conservation Robot: I don’t know what taxes they pay and I doubt it is public information. What I’m critizing is the fact that “grant” money is viewed as “free” money so let’s go spend it. Grant money is your tax dollars. As an expansion of the logic used by CTC Deputy Director Lacey, we should buy up and tear down every building between Pioneer Trail and the lake. That way the views for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists would be improved.
If the CTC can buy this property just to tear it down, so be it. It just seems wasteful to me. How about moving the Lake Tahoe Museum in there? This would give the museum more room and great lake views for their visitors. This would also free up some much needed space for the senior center at the museum’s current location.
The Alta Mira building is built next to a steep slope that spills down to the lake. What there is of a beach is a very narrow strip of sand. Not exactly conducive to beach goers.
Just a few thoughts.
Take Care , Old Long Skiis
To get more money to buy the building, ask that multi-million dollar developement next door. Tearing down the building will greatly increase their views and value of their property.
This would be a project with significant ROI. The beautification of this stretch would bode well for tourism ect.
Agree with Phil B. The stretch of scenic view needs to be enhanced by removal of all trees under 14 inch diameter (TRPA). This area needs to be the center of SLT. – make a move away from the casino core. Harrah’s Corp is 22 billion in debt. Time to revitalize based on recreational activities.