Sides being taken in South Shore loop road project
By Kathryn Reed
Driving down Fern Road it’s one of those typical South Lake Tahoe streets with a variety of housing options. Apartments are at the east end, various size single-family residences closer to Highway 50 – including a fairly decent size dwelling. Sprinklers are going, gardens starting to sprout. Kids toys are out and about.
It’s a neighborhood.
If planners have their way, it will be a state highway.
From the cul de sac at Fern is a paved path to the corner of Highway 50 and Pioneer Trail. There sit a variety of businesses – liquor store, sushi restaurant, pizza and ski shop. Places locals go to as well as tourists.
The owners and operators are in a prime location. They wonder where an equal parcel with the same foot and vehicle traffic could be found in town if planners relocate them.
Across the highway is the Holiday Inn Express. Access to that hotel will be dramatically affected if the proposed loop road goes in.
There is already a loop road behind the four main Stateline casinos. But the bulk of traffic stays on the straight thoroughfare through the casino corridor.
Tahoe Transportation District is the lead agency plotting a course that would widen the route behind Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and MontBleu because it would be a state highway. On the California side it will eliminate 88 dwellings where 245 people live. Thirteen businesses would be affected in some way. “Affected” was not defined at the May 11 TTD board meeting.
A house on one end of Fern Road.
Housing on the other end of Fern Road that would be wiped out if the Loop Road goes through. Photos/Kathryn Reed
The route would in some ways follow the back way locals go to avoid the casino area.
Highway 50 through the tourist corridor would become a city street on both sides of the state line.
While an underpass and overpass were talked about in the planning stages of the would-be convention center to link that site with Heavenly Village, Caltrans approval was never secured. If the loop road project goes forward, then it would be South Lake Tahoe that would have the say regarding an underpass-overpass.
Environmental gain is touted as a reason to do the loop road, but the reality is the project has always been about creating a better atmosphere for people walking in the area. So, better for tourists and the businesses that service tourists in the Stateline area.
Businesses that would be affected if the highway is rerouted.
But with a road still dividing the casino properties, it won’t be all that pedestrian friendly.
Gone, though, would be the through truck traffic.
This project is also tied to the South Shore Vision Plan – a public-private revitalization project that would overhaul the area from Ski Run Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe to Kahle Drive in Stateline.
Of the 13 members of the public who spoke, seven voiced support for the project, five were against and one asked questions.
Angie Watson, who owns apartments on Fern Road, said she wasn’t surprised to hear her tenants liked the idea of a $12,000 cash payment that has been talked about.
“I have a lot to lose,” she told the TTD board during the meeting at Embassy Suites. “I don’t understand how the loop road will bring business. Is it for the 2½ months we have good weather?”
Fern Road parallels the backside of the formerly named Crescent V Center. Nearby streets that would be affected are full of people who walk to work.
Shawn Kearney, owner of Tahoe Duck Tours, says she hears all the time from tourists about how pretty the area is, but the town looks like a dump.
“Relocating the highway is a chance to reinvent ourselves. It’s not wise to rest on our laurels,” Kearney said.
Few people disagree the South Shore as a whole is in need of upgrades to the way it looks. How that happens is the sticking point.
Inertia has partly set in because redevelopment projects like the loop road are talked about for decades so property owners don’t want to make a substantial investment if they don’t have the opportunity to get a return on that investment. Another reason is the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has eliminated a true free market by making tourist accommodation units and commercial floor area commodities. TRPA has also been the spoke in the wheel of progress for converting dilapidated hotels into another use.
What the TTD board agreed to on Friday was to establish a citizen review committee and established a 30-day comment period for when the relocation plan is released. That is expected to be released to the public by the end of the month.
The South Lake Tahoe City Council is having a special meeting May 29 from 6-8pm at Lake Tahoe Airport to discuss the loop road. The city has eminent domain powers, which means it could take a private entity’s parcel for a project like this. However, a previous council on a 5-0 vote passed a resolution saying eminent domain cannot be used. That decision could be overturned if four council members agree to do so.
TTD staff said a series of meetings would be scheduled throughout the summer for people to learn more about specifics of the project, such as what happens from their meeting May 15 with the design consultants, and for staff to gather input from proponents and opponents.
The question is still “Where is the Money?” Even if everyone affected could be convinced it was in their interest to lose their home or business, this is a HUGE project which involves a mix of funds from 2 States, the Feds, the TRPA, the City, Private interests and who knows how many more. The images the STAR group has created are pretty to look at but they are private businesses who don’t use their money to build roads. The businesses affected could be accomodated to their advantage if the city can relocate them into whatever becomes of the TAHOLE. The apartment dwellers sound like they’re ready for a $12K payment to move. The apartment owners like Angie Watson need to be treated more than fairly if they lose their housing business. The homeowners who might have lived there for generations need special treatment as well. It can be a win-win for all but again “Where is the Money?”
I do not see why tenants would get the $12,000. That seems ridiculous. Maybe they could get something like first and last month’s rent and moving expenses, but $12,000? The owners of the property are the ones who should get the money for the loss of the use of their property.
For years I had daydreamed about what it would be like to just bypass all that casino slow down. It seems that it would be wonderful for pedestrians and drivers alike. Whether there is summer traffic or not, we must slow to under 25 mph in that area. With no cars and a parklike setting, the casino area would be so much more beautiful for roaming, for horse buggy rides, for fairs or whatever.
I am so sorry that some would be displaced. That would cause them discomfort. But, who knows? They may end up in a better place.
The same sign in Chinese means danger AND opportunity. Maybe this danger (or negative) may turn out to be an opportunity for positive change for those tenants AND their landlords.
Why are we spending money on a new HWY when the hole in the ground isn’t complete?
If a bypass is to be built, the most practical,the least disruptive, and perhaps the least disruptive, would be to build a covered underpass on Highway 50 along Casino Row. This would allow for a pedestrian plaza above and continue the straight shot for travelers along Highway 50.
Of course, the underpass would have to be built to accommodate all the truck traffic and buses.
During construction, traffic could temporarily be diverted north, behind the casinos. An inconvenience to be sure, but not as drastic as doing a loop road bypass.
… ” and perhaps, the least expensive”…
Of the 13 members of the public who spoke, seven voiced support for the project, five were against and one asked questions.
Wow they came out in droves!!”UNREAL”?
30 Days and yes sir we’re on our way to the Bigger Better Tahoe South with even sides walks,more removing of locals for the Big piece of Pie and they couldn’t even afford a pedestrian walk way in front Coles hole!
Porked that should be the new marketing slogan
it best discribes how the power folks treat the locals