Letter: Agencies creating a Tahoe residents don’t want
To the community,
Why I went to the meeting Feb. 6:
After reading the Catalyst Project document, I was shocked. This wasn’t a catalyst for commercial growth, it was an immense planned development. I realized that this project could never happen because there wasn’t enough commercially zoned land for a new 4-acre project. Then a Lake Tahoe News’ story came out, magically, 5.78 acres of California Tahoe Conservancy lots are going to be sold, right in the general vicinity of this Catalyst.
So I went back and crunched some numbers, and saw that once again, this project could never get off the ground because of lack of commercial floor area (CFA). Since I have personal experience with this commodity, I understood that there was simply not enough CFA allotted to Meyers. That was until the new TRPA Regional Plan was explained to me. Goes something like this: CFAs, TAUs (tourist accommodation units), hard coverage (asphalt) and soft coverage (compacted dirt), are government commodities that control growth and create revenue. These commodities are very valuable. And if I were to make an analogy, it’s like how gold and silver are to the paper dollar, they fluctuate depending on demand. If the feds went out and printed a gazillion one-hundred dollar bills, it would upset the economy. Well, that’s kind of what the TRPA did.
They are supplying up to six times the commodities like CFAs or coverage for one commodity purchased, or a 1 to 6 ratio, or a 1 to 2 ratio, or a 1 to 3 ratio, depending on location. Also, this surprised me, transferring/converting stuff, residential stuff to commercial stuff? CFAs converting to TAUs? Meyers stuff being sold/traded with North Shore stuff? Really? Answer: Yes.
Yes, they are trading or selling commercial floor area and want to sell or trade more coverage across the lake and across the board. TRPA Code 50, 50.10.1
The TRPA has also changed our zoning title, our commercial area is now a “town center”, increasing density, which basically means, they could cram more stuff (see above) into a smaller space.
With these changes, the numbers work, this mega resort could actually fly. Wow! But wait, neighbors would still have to be notified if something like this was in the planning process, right? No, under the new plan, to add insult to injury, they don’t have to tell us anything.
Lastly, never underestimate the Meyers community. I was so proud to be among all those people who showed up [Thursday] night, reminded me of 20 years ago when we stood up and said, “We will not be the parking lot for Lake Tahoe!”
I was proud then and am proud now. By the way, this Catalyst calls for a 465-unit parking garage to “capture the gasoline vehicles and incentivize them into electric cars”.
Good grief.
Angela Olson, Meyers
Excellent research…over a year and a half ago I kept think that something was fishy and some of the people on the MCAC were up to something but I could not figure it out. This project was the reason for the Meyers plan. One last point is that TRPA does not even have a system in place to track the Selling or the amount banked. The double dipping of these valuable assets is also a huge problem. Land and or buildings will be retired so
that it can’t be built on then the CFA and coverage is sold but they don’t track it. This is the gold that these agencies control and are trying to have more control over. I am also extremely proud about the show of community members at the meeting. I want our community to become involved in the plan to better the appearance of Meyers and to enhance the business opportunities for the community members but to spend grant dollars on a project proposal of this magnitude does not seem to be in the best interest for Meyers. Because grant money was used to develop the plan and the catalyst project then the catalyst project should also be posted on the counties website for all to read. I thank all of you for becoming involved. We need your help
So Angela, what do folks call Meyers while waiting with hundreds of other cars for Echo to open? The nice bug station place? Hey, that gas station is still shutdown place? The whats up with the used car-boat-junk place? The hey they sell cabins at that old Little Norway place… But who cares what the turkey’s think or say about Tahoe anyway right.
I think the only development that Meyers needs is a Wells Fargo branch and an In and Out burger. The litigation on the old gas station will never,never,end. The pollutants, the gas and oil are already in the water table, headed right to the Upper Truckee river. I suppose that is why Joe hung himself ?
Actually the litigation is over and the property is for sale.
Who has the listing ? Coldwell Banker? I’ve got a buyer for it, but have not seen it advertised.
Fine. Be that way. I’ll track it down tomorrow.
It has not been listed but various interested parties have been in contact with them to make offers of interest.
Amazing how convenient it is for TRPA to suddenly acquire the coverage they desire for this big (read: lucrative) project when the lowly homeowner is treated with contempt and disdain when trying to add on a garage (” you will destroy the Lake!”). What happened to the concern for Lake clarity by limiting growth? The Homewood project is a go, now this “Catalyst” (or is it cataclysmic?) project is getting streamlined. Small business owners I know have struggled for years to get projects through but apparently it just takes the right volume of money from big developers. Corrupt? Methinks so. I fear this will end as another hole in the ground for years like the Stateline debacle.
There’s no corruption, Kelly. They simply cater to wealth. Their favorite client is wealthy environmentalists (see: TRPA fashion show), but any wealth will do. They don’t have any problems with development or land coverage… you just have to pay a lot.
Yes folks, politics is a dirty game – and the dirtier the more money there is to be had (not ‘made’ but acquired!) If you could get the League to bring a lawsuit it would at least slow it down a little. Good luck.
JH
This letter gets to the heart of the matter. There are no limits, everything can be converted, transferred, created out of thin air (called Bonus Units), and so on; add that to allowing tall, high-density buildings and there’s no end in sight.
Jim – you are right on the money. But, one problem: the League to Save Lake Tahoe FULLY endorsed TRPA’s new Regional Plan after being part of a very politically-charged CA/NV group – high density, resorts on natural land (Edgewood), new Town Center zoning in Meyers, and all. Can’t expect much help there on this.
The Sierra Club is suing TRPA over the RPU. Support then.
It seems that many residents are confused about how the Catalyst group came into the picture and who paid them to create a new vision for Meyers. Try following the link below and see if it clarifies anything. Where did this sustainability group get funding and what Tahoe folks are creating the agenda/recommendations made by this group?
http://laketahoesustainablecommunitiesprogram.org/
It’s been an interesting ride controlling growth and environmental impacts in Tahoe. There is also a lot that happens that results from unintended consequences as various interested parties try to make any one system work to their advantage.
Wasn’t Meyers one of the first places to work on the initial versions of the TRPA community plans – that was at least 15-20 years ago! At the time most of the input was local, that is folks that lived or had businesses in Meyers but lived in the Basin.
So what happens when you go to limit environmental impact? Generally that means some efforts to limit or regulate growth – well obviously one thing that then happens is, all thing being equal, real estate values go up more quickly because build-able land is reduced in supply (but keep in mind that is why real estate, long term, generally always goes up – it’s not like more of it is being made).
At some point there is pressure to allow some level of economic development. In addition just restricting growth based on local desire to be small or rural is a hard position to win on legally, so you look to attach the building restrictions to some measurable and open to regulation environmental issue – in Tahoe, its been mostly water and air quality.
So some measure of allowable growth is decided upon. But after a while people point out that air and water quality isnt just what takes place in any one spot, its a Basin wide issue, so if you are going to allow x amt of building, what if I pay to take this area out of potential development, and you let me build this thing hear?
Well that does have a certain amount of environmental logic, but the affect of that, intentional or not, is it certainly favors larger and better funded projects, which is why it seems easier for Heavenly to build a new lodge or a gondola, or Homewood to build a mega resort, than a resident to build a deck. It also now has totally transformed build-able space into a clearly understood commercial commodity. That may or may not have been the intention of allowing the trading coverage.
The other thing happening at the same time is pressure to allow some level of commercial re-development. Proponents of commercial projects however, even if its redevelopment, like clean slates – they dont like adaptive uses, and in fact we see this throughout the US, which is one of the reasons we get urban sprawl. Better and cheaper to tear down an old hotel, than remodel an existing one. It’s certainly not the European model, but it is the US model.
Its not helped by all the quickly designed and hastily built stuff from the 60s and 70s that dominates the commercial US landscape, but even historic properties get removed to make room for bigger and better.
With Tahoe development linked to ground coverage, the way to get more economically advantageous development is to build up – and that is what we are seeing. All of a sudden a lot of players are saying okay, if I propose to go up, I can design the level of development that will get me the return I want even with coverage limitations. That also helps with condensing commercial space and theoretically reducing vehicle emissions, so my project looks like an environmental benefit.
All well and good until the up starts to alter the landscape from rural to urban and all of sudden we are back to what generated much of the conflict to begin with – will Tahoe be a rustic mountain resort or a bunch of small to medium sized cities in the Mountains?
At first, TRPA was going to get us both environmental protection and the tendency of preserving a non-urban environment, but now in fact the way we restricted growth is leading to higher density urban development. We still have no good mechanism to deal with landscape management and quality of living nor to balance the desires of residents with outside money. This is not the only place with that problem and unless your residents have the clout of those living in Carmel, you are hard pressed to fight outside interest that look at your home as a cash cow.
I say that we have seen folks go from calling TRPA and the CTCC environmental nazies to now being facilitators in overdeveloping the Basin. Interesting to say the least, and maybe we should have been kinder to all those folks from the early incarnations of both those agencies that truly wanted to protect Tahoe from not only water and air quality degradation, but also lamented how it was loosing its general character as a rural rustic resort. I think we have seen many of those folks leave either through disgust or aging, and what we are left with is a system where money has found a way to work the system to its benefit.
Do nothing is always the default. We’ve built our houses, gas stations and golf courses on the Upper Truckee so everyone just go away… Long Live Little Norway… forever unchanging.
Once again it is ironic that some of the people posting here about not letting the rich developers ruin meyers are the same people that attacked the sierra club for being rich obstructionists and ruining this whole basin by locking it up for the rich people. Well, just remember that you finger pointers are all pathetic and have to now deal with your conterdictions. You cant have it both ways. I suggest that you support the sierra club and their law suit against the trpa basin plan.
In my view very long term planning must either achieve ZPG in the US or aim towards the Frank Lloyd Wright concept of land use. Life magazine at one time showed his vision of mile high cities spaced ten miles apart with all open apace for farming and recreation in between.
At Tahoe we should be considering the eventual elimination of single family homes in favor of large multi story “home complexes” located away from the Lake shore zone. These could be of a pentagon shape and be 20 to 30 feet higher than the tree tops are today. Public transportation would be the only way to travel to and from and within the Basin.
Even your children would not live to see it happen, but the thinking should be on the drawing boards now if we are to truly “save” the Lake Tahoe that we know today.
JH
So, Jim, are you going to tear down your lakeside resort at Angora? For the children of tomorrow?
(Honestly, I don’t want you to. I love the place. But whose property gets taken first to achieve this utopian vision? Private property is essential to the American way of life.)
I think its unfair and irrelevant to ask someone if they intend to tear down their house or resort in the pursuit of ideals. Let’s not sidetrack the discussion by personalizing and attacking someone’s ideas just because they own a home or business. Let’s explore ideas that may or may not be valuable in future planning.
Anyone check out the link to Lake Tahoe Sustainable Community Program? If you want to talk about the fox guarding the hen house or about government superseding the wishes of residents, take a look. I have my doubts about whether or not this is truly an environmental group. Does anyone know?
Hikerchick, I just think that those who suggest that others should give up their private property ought to volunteer to do so first. Otherwise it’s hypocritical, isn’t it?
Do as I say, not as I do? We have enough of that in Washington DC.
Obviously Jim isn’t familiar with Agenda 21. He won’t be living in the basin once it’s implemented. HikerChick doesn’t seem to be aware of it either.
It’s a UN sanctioned action plan supported by HR353 (thank you Princess Pelosi) to be implemented here in the United States.
Living in the Tahoe basin will be a thing of the past if Agenda 21 takes hold.
Mr. Hildinger,
While the idea of living in “home complexes” is interesting, I am not inclined to give up my home to live in one. I much prefer to live on a street with good neighbors and be surrounded by meadows, streams and one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
I like living in my house, not an apartment, cloistered with other inhabitants with no yard or a garden. Frank Loyds Wright’s concept is a cool idea, but it’s not my cup of tea.
I remember you from 8th grade at the Intermediate school. I wasn’t in your class but I think you’re the same guy. I know you’ve been involved in the community , the environment, photography and sailing the lake for many years.
Keep on keepin’ on Mr. Hildinger, you’re doing the right thing! Take care of Angora lake as you always have, and I will try to take care of Sierra tract (no easy task) , Old Long Skiis
BK, are you sniffing glue again?
Bitterklingercjmccoypubworks, you are a paranoid fool who is obviously in need of stronger meds. Watch out for the black helicopters while you look for your rock…
Hey Bitter! You have been watching to many re-runs of “Red Dawn!” Now, put down the pipe and get back into rehab.
Just so you know, I bought my commercial buildings in Meyers and happily relocated my business from the ‘Y’to here. Nine years ago, this was zoned Commercial/Light Industrial and now, apparently, it’s “Town Center”. Well, nobody told me! No letter was sent from the County, no phone call from the TRPA saying “Hey Ang, we just changed your zoning, have a nice day.”
Likewise, a handfull of well-meaning Meyers Community Advisory Council members did not understand the new TRPA changes. While writing the new Meyers Area Plan,they were voting on our behalf, in good conscience, without all the facts.
Also, since this was brought up, Jennifer from the Sierra Club was INVITED to the Meyers Resident’s meeting. She was asked to be there to explain the aforementioned STUFF.
Jennifer is a concerned Meyers resident who just happens to speak TRPA, and I for one, needed a translator.
Just so you know.
Those who mock and ridicule relentlessly here are only making fools of themselves.
Agenda 21 is a very real plan. If the UN succeeds in implementing it (and if Obama has his way, they will) your lives will be very different.
Ignorance is not bliss. Get your heads out of the sand.
There is an upcoming California Tahoe Conservancy Board meeting March 20. Public comment is essential at all meetings and since the catalyst project is need of a CTC lot for the bigger picture all interested should attend the CTC Board meeting and bring forth your issues and concerns
Hey Dog! Your delusions are your own. Why not get a hobby, you know, like looking for the “little green men” in Roswell? Or help your buddy CJ look for Big Foot?
Agenda 21: “The United States is a signatory country to Agenda 21, but because Agenda 21 is a legally non-binding statement of intent and not a treaty, the United States Senate was not required to hold a formal debate or vote on it. It is therefore not considered to be law under Article Six of the United States Constitution.”
Sounds like a real big deal.
And on the top page of google, is a link to glennbeck.com with some fear mongering excerpt.
People are taking advantage of your ignorance. That’s the conspiracy.
COSA. I should have known that ‘ol Coke Head Beck was bringing his own level of paranoia to this blog.
Kelly Doria – What YOU said – Thumbs Up !
Jim Hildinger – You’re right – we need to begin thinking “outside the box” for the future of Tahoe. (not simply continue following the money)
Home development/improvement doesn’t represent enough revenue to TRPA and CTC to sustain their empires – so they naturally had to invent a new revenue source. (recreational/commercial development)
And you can bet they’ll create (invent) all the necessary TAU’s and CFA’s to make it happen…………
Self-sustainment has them ignoring their original missions to protect the Lake.
The only possibility residents have for a voice is organization and somehow getting the assistance from a legislative representative to help us restructure community planning procedures. (taking the exclusive rights away from TRPA and CTC)
Personally, I quite like the idea of an In-And-Out Burger in Myers. As to the Myers Plan itself, it is out of hand and seems not to be embraced by the residents of Myers. If so, let it die and forget about it.
Agenda 21 is a real deal, and any of your who believe otherwise will pay the price one way or another.
The more people read about this project and the rezoning required and the sale of the “non-buildable” conservancy lots the worse it gets. The “Town Center” concept sounds good if people had a say what that is and where that is, but it also is a code-word for green lighting major commercial development, the giant parking garage alone reads like a sci-fi script and should be stopped.
hikerchick – I highly doubt the Lake Tahoe Sustainable Communities Program is an actual Sierra Club type environmental group. Their funding appears to mostly come from Calif Strategic Growth Council grants. http://sgc.ca.gov/
According to their website it was created as a basin-wide program supported by staff from El Dorado County, Placer County, City of SLT, TRPA, Sierra Nevada Alliance, CTC, TMPO, and the North Lake Tahoe chamber resort association.
http://laketahoesustainablecommunitiesprogram.org/about/
It looks like inquiries about what they have planned for Meyers can be directed to the following people:
John Hester – from TRPA
LTSCP Director
jhester@trpa.org
Morgan Beryl – from TRPA
LTSCP Manager
mberyl@trpa.org
Karin Edwards – from TRPA
Project Lead: Sustainability Action Plan
Sustainability Measures & Monitoring
kedwards@trpa.org
Adam Lewandowski – from TRPA
Project Lead: Area Plans El Dorado County
alewandowski@trpa.org
Brendan Ferry – from EDC
brendan.ferry@edcgov.us
http://laketahoesustainablecommunitiesprogram.org/contact/
There is a TRPA public meeting with a discussion of the Lake Tahoe Sustainable Communities Program at the TRPA office 2/12/14 9:30am.
http://www.trpa.org/advisory-planning-commission-documents-february-12-2014/
I also stumbled across some interesting websites of TRPA regarding the transferring of development rights and how people can sell/buy/trade them.
Transferring development rights
http://www.trpa.org/permitting/transfer-development-rights/
Online market place for buyers and sellers of development rights
http://www.trpa.org/permitting/transfer-development-rights/tdr-marketplace/
contact ccullen@trpa.org with any questions regarding TDR
“Ridiculousness”:
The six-partner group is mostly a front, as TRPA controls most of the funds (where do you think the ‘planning’ money comes from’?), and most of the people listed are new to Tahoe, given their task without much background or motivation other than a ‘job’.
The Sustainable Communities program is “hopefully” to be funded by a carbon ‘cap & trade’ tax which does not yet exist – if it ever does.
Follow the money: the SGC was funded to support AB32 and SB375, the so-called Sustainable Community Strategy, if there were no money there, there would be no money for this in Tahoe.
But, they would have nothing to plan for, would they ? Especially with no money for paychecks.
Are the AB32 and SB375 spin offs from something generated by ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council)? Sounds like the kind of thing that could have been generated in this think tank and then sent out to various states. Anyone know?
This just gets more interesting.
Anytime TRPA is involved it can’t be good for the people. Meyers doesn’t need some God-awful parking structure. Yes, funny how several acres suddenly appear and can be sold (out). This has TRPA corruption written ALL OVER it!!!! Keep your ‘Stateline/Vail’, Big Hole ideas out of our quiet Old Tahoe town. Calling it a “Town Center” in order to get it past those objecting sounds just like the illegal fire TAX being called a FEE!!
Beware Meyers residents,
A large development is coming your way! They’ve got the money, the okay and backing from the TRPA, CTC and other govt. agencies along with an out of town developer and crews to come in and start construction on an unwanted and uneeded development.
Don’t believe me? When ground breaks at Edgewood in August for their new hotel on fragile lakefront property, ask how many locals were hired, how much damage to the lake, shoreline, and our clear Tahoe water?
Yes Meyers folks, you’re next on the list to be raped, robbed and pillaged.
Shame really, I’ve always liked Tahoe Paradise…take your pictures now so you can remember later what it was like back in the day. Old Long Skiis
Question for the group: what rights do private property owners have? Do you have the ability to stop your neighbor from building on his land?
Im surprised dog didnt mention all the locals will surely get hired to help build this project. Oh ya, dog is a nimby. She and bitter klinger are so paranoid of the government im really surprised they havnt moved to the backwoods of idaho where they shoot gvmnt workers and all believe in the glen beck paranoia theorys, ah I mean science.
Another stupid pigeon with nothing better to do than crap all over the board.
Considering your record for being wrong, and willfully misinformed, you shouldn’t be calling anyone stupid.
Tell us all how old the earth is and you opinion of Muslims.
HEY DOG! Takes one to know one, right? Did Coke Head Beck tell you that one? LOL!
Obviously the Tahoe Sustainable Program and the Collaborative group didn’t need any funding …. it was a legitimate enough reason for development advocates along with TRPA to form a group to incorporate changes like the Meyers Plan in the RPU.
Sustainable community development was only one aspect of the intent of the assembly and senate bills which created the programs.
This word “sustainable” is being used everywhere now as a decoy for much more devious motives.
Kelly Doria,
I agree with John A,thumbs up! Your take on these latest developments that were approved by the TRPA, they stink!!!
Edgewood will start building a hotel next to the lake come August along with other so called “improvements”. I’m not sure of the start date date for Homewood’s huge expansion, but again, right across the street from the lake. The “Cataylst project in Meyers while not lakefront is misguided and so enormous as to be laughable, if it wasn’t so sad. A 500 car parking garage? Along with a bunch of other buildings cluttering up a quiet and laid back community? And for what purpose? Who benefits?
The TRPA and other agencies are rubber stamping the big projects as long as the developer / landowner cough up enough dough. But those same agencies will still go after the private, middle class person on a fixed income that wants to add on a few feet to the deck at their home. You know, ground coverage, BMP’s, a ton of permits, fees, liscences and all the rest.
For the wealthy and those with the proper connections, those rules don’t apply. Selective enforcement is what I call it. Have a nice day, Old Long Skiis
I ask again; why do you all keep thinking government and its agencies will protect you and make your life better?
Its time to bust out the tin foil hats on both sides. Everyone take a deep breath
Cleansing positive thoughts…
What is Sustainable about a CONCRETE PARKING GARAGE??
TRPA is as criminal as ever!!! You TRPA members should just move back to the bay area where you freaks belong!You are not wanted here.
I think the word “sustainable” has been co opted by the business/development people. If development concepts are cloaked in environmental terms the whole things goes more smoothly for them.
DOG. Because we know the Chamber of Commerce, Lodging Association and “private industry” have no clue how to protect or make anything better for society as a whole. Want an example of a place with no government or rules… lookup Somalia.
Rock… STOP your lies.
No one is ever saying there should be no government. I have never heard that from anyone other than a liberal extremist.
It is a typical, obnoxious, idiotic, immature, argument of the liberal extremists.
SLT your poor reputation at work.
CJ McPubWorksTV,
The citizens of So. Lake Tahoe and Meyers are discussing our options for growth and development here in the basin in this forum and we would appreciate it if someone with zero credibility and no solutions, such as yourself, would kindly butt out. Since you were run out of town because all you are is a failed grifter and con man loser, nobody really cares what you have to say.
BB,
I won’t “kindly” anything for a liberal pig like you..
Admin, how about a timeout for CJ?
Funny, Bigger, how it’s always the folks on the left who try to silence anyone who disagrees with them.
You don’t see us trying to censor YOUR opinions; we just point out where you don’t make sense. And watch you get hysterical about it.
Whaaaa Whaaa …
“You are a moron!”
Talk to the hand, I’m busy anyway, big day tomorrow.
Dog, I’m not asking Admin to censor anyone’s opinion! What I’m asking is that blatant derogatory name calling with no apparent opinion involved in an issue be curtailed. From EITHER side of the political spectrum. Many who post here, myself included, don’t use elementary school rhetoric to slam others and their opinions. Can you, CJ, Cosa Pescado, and a few others make that statement? I don’t think so!
This isn’t a left/right issue, but rather an issue of some who have forgotten how adult conversation rolls.
Unlike your remarks? Is that your point?
Archie said it best, “YOU ARE A MORON!”
Remember? he was talking about a liberal.
This is a history lesson.
You should pay more attention and respect to your elders. They know what you don’t.
Here is another lesson,
The most ten most dangerous words in the English language “Hi, I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” -President Ronald Reagan
Done with all of you. Comments are off.
LTN staff