Opinion: Plenty of time for Meyers to be involved
By Norma Santiago
In the early ’90s, the Meyers community established a committee whose primary task was to create a community plan that was reflective of the Meyers community’s vision. The plan concept, as stated in the Meyers Community Plan, “is to enhance the identity and image of Meyers as a community center and a gateway to Lake Tahoe.” During the course of the plan’s development 20 years ago, concerns were expressed that the community plan would allow for large development or create policy that could impact the scenic character of Meyers.
Norma Santiago
As was then, today we are having the same expressions of concern, and today we are allowing a very public discussion of the new Meyers Area Plan.
Unfortunately, the misconceptions are being labeled as fact, creating fear within the community, that a large development called a “catalyst project” is waiting in the wings ready to be developed as soon as the new plan is adopted.
There is no catalyst project. There is no large development.
What can be built in Meyers is up to the community of Meyers. This two-year public process allows for input and discussion of what the Meyers Community wants to create for itself. And, that discussion continues as we approach another community meeting on Feb. 26. From more than 30 meetings, a new vision was created; something that reflects the community’s unique character. That vision states:
“Meyers is an ideally situated, spacious, historic, and walkable mountain community that values sustainability, health, wellbeing and the natural environment. Uniquely concentrated with year-round outdoor sport and recreational opportunities, the Meyers mountain culture is the hallmark of our thriving local-based economy boasting a diverse commercial and retail environment, welcoming visitors and providing residents with an extraordinary place to live, work and play.”
This effort, like the visioning workshops 20 years ago, helps to guide the community toward its future, created the vision by which a plan can be drafted, and proposes reasonable expectations within the plan.
Like the Meyers Roundtable 20 years ago, the Meyers Community Advisory Council (MCAC) was created to represent a broad spectrum of interest. Council members are Meyers’ residents and neighbors, business owners and recreation enthusiasts, who have volunteered their time to represent the community and this unique mountain town they call home. An enormous amount of input from all interests, business, recreation, education, and community members came in after numerous public meetings, with first hand access to county and TRPA supplying detailed responses.
The TRPA’s recent Regional Plan update provided a much-needed update to the rules for our communities, but there is a tremendous amount of misunderstanding as to how those rules are applied in individual town centers like Meyers. TRPA moved away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach, limiting things like height and density, to give each community specific input and help define or maintain a community’s unique character. Meyers now has the opportunity to choose what it wants to be in the future.
What has been expressed to the MCAC and the county by the community is protection of Meyers’ rural character and the surrounding sensitive lands along the Upper Truckee River, safer ways for all of us to get across Highway 50, connectivity of bike trails, a welcome sign, and simplified processes for smaller projects, to name a few. The draft plan proposes height and density limits similar to those that have been in place for years, and sets those limits significantly lower than what could have been pursued under the new Regional Plan. These elements of the plan are not final. The MCAC and the county are always accepting input.
On Feb. 26 at 6pm, a public workshop will be held at the California Conservation Corps dining hall to specifically compare the existing 1993 Meyers Community Plan with the current draft of the Meyers Area Plan. The draft plan is on the El Dorado County website.
Comments, questions, and suggested revisions to the draft Meyers Area Plan can be submitted to MeyersAreaPlan@edcgov.us.
In the coming months, there will be a formal comment period, an additional community workshop, and several public meetings at the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings, as well as, the TRPA Governing Board and Advisory Planning Commission meetings.
I am proud to be a part of this dynamic, public process to help mold the future of Meyers. It’s an incredibly exciting time for the Meyers community and I invite everyone to take part in this great purpose.
Norma Santiago represents Meyers on the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors.
I repeat: Meyers is just fine the way it is. Go away and leave it alone..
What I see: 100s, if not 1000s of people are taking a hard look at the rules and learning they have been led astray. What’s in the Meyers plan sure doesn’t look like what most of us said we wanted. How can so many people ‘misunderstand’ the rules in the Meyers and TRPA Plans? Give us a little credit. We can read a footnote just as well as the other guy.
“Meyers now has the opportunity to choose what it wants to be in the future.”
We will hold you to that on Wednesday, Norma.
Where is the answer to questions about conspiring with a Senator and One Globe Corp. to produce an Agenda 21 pack and stack project as proven by the letter on county letterhead? People don’t want these outlandish ideas anywhere or the rezoning and high density proposals for multi-story eye sores or the selling of Conservancy lots for commercial development. Meyers should remain the small little area it is with existing small business zoning in place that allows small business to operate for the resident’s benefit. There are no needs or local wants for new tourist traps or multi-story out of place commercial development in Meyers.
Everyone who has comments or concerns about Meyers future. Please be at the CCC bld. at 6pm on wed the 26th for a public workshop. Please come and let your Voice Be Heard!
I basically agree with Mr. Hildinger. Meyers is in need of a bit of cleanup, but is doing what it needs to.
Mrs.Santiago may have Meyers in her district, but she certainly DOES NOT represent Meyerss on the Board of Supervisors.
If there is no catalyst project, I would like a succinct explanation for the letter to Feinstein.
That letter contains so many buzzwords, vague references and pseudo practical ideas it is hard to figure out exactly what she is talking about, In my view, it describes a self contained habitrail for a few hundred packed together residents in its most hostile reading. Even giving it a break in interpretation, it is talking about the use of technologies that do not exist in applicable form at this point.
Does Santiago even know how many residents the entire Tahoe Basin contains?
I think the old cliche is applicable here:
We need to learn to walk before we can learn to run.
Anyone have a copy of this letter?
Letter, from a previous LTN article:
https://www.laketahoenews.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/this-letter.pdf
“In the coming months, there will be a formal comment period, an additional community workshop, and several public meetings at the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings”
We need the BOS meetings up here in the area where the concern is. The BOS meets here once a year at the Airport, that is wrong. Between Pollock Pines and Tahoe we now have approx. 20% of the registered voters in El Dorado County. There should be at least two meetings to be held here in the basin. They should come to us not we go to them. This is our community.
So nice of her “allowing a very public discussion of the new Meyers Area Plan.”. I would also like clarification on the real estate agent that is on MACA and has ties to developers. Also, Ms. Santiago’s term will be ending soon. What are her career plans after, lobbyist, working for one of the corporations interested in moving the Catalyst project forward?
A big topic of discussion has been how to get tourists to stop in Meyers and visit local businesses. It seems that something many visitors want when they enter the basin is a restroom. If there were a clean, year-round restroom with a few picnic tables and an info kiosk, I think a lot of people would stop. Info on nearby hiking, biking trails, other recreational opportunities along with restaurant/business info could be available. People could walk or bike to destinations in Meyers. A bicycle rental might be good. I think giving people a reason to stop (the restroom, picnic tables and info kiosk) would facilitate them becoming aware of all the area has to offer. Meyers is surrounded by some of the most beautiful places in Tahoe and once people get out of their cars, they will learn about it and how to access it. Not much infrastructure is needed for this. I know a restroom is an expensive endeavor in our climate but not as expensive as some of the other ideas.
The drumbeat for Tahoe to host another Olympics is building and I would be concerned for the fate of open space in Meyers if this idea became a reality. I hope the “big plans” we’ve been hearing about are not a prequel to this possibility.
Thanks Dumbfounded……
Yeah, Meyers has developed right up to the edge of the Upper Truckee… Leave it alone. Leave Little Norway and the rest just the way it is. Stuck in time.
C’mon Norma – the Cat’s out of the Bag !
Thanks Dumbfounded – The letter tells it all ……………..
https://www.laketahoenews.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/this-letter.pdf
Hickerchick gets it. Add a dog run and give out free Tahoe Tap water bottles.
Lots of good comments regarding Meyers. I’m with Mr. Hildinger and several others who say “just leave it alone”. Sure, some fixing and sprucing up are in order but definetly not a large developement. Joe Tveten’s old place would be a good spot for a public restroom as Hikerchick suggested and add a dog park as sunrise2 said. Liras, Meeks, Roadrunner and all of Meyers would benefit from just a few small upgrades. LET THE LOCALS DO THE PLANNING!!! Let the folks of So. Shore decide the future of our community, not some out of touch government agencies, consultants and out of town developers who are only here to rape, rob, plunder and pillage. Thanks, OLS
Go away Norma, find someplace else to vandalize.
How could it not be a conflict of interest when a County Supervisor sits on the TRPA, Tahoe Conservancy, and Tahoe Sustainable Collaborative Boards ?
These agencies/groups are all self serving special interest groups thick with influence and membership of corporate developers and consultants.
Granted – Maybe Norma is required to sit on some of these boards……. but the result is a person who was supposed to be representing us has become part of the One Globe Corporation with catastrophic intentions for “Our Community”
The idea of a dog run is excellent. People who have been driving for hours to get to Tahoe would welcome a restroom, picnic table, a safe place to get their dog out of the car and a kiosk to learn about Meyers. A bike rental would allow them to get on the bike trail or they could walk down to a restaurant. A new stop light would allow a safe crossing of Hwy 50 to access businesses on both sides of the road. How much would a rest stop cost to build and maintain? Would the cost be prohibitive?
If there is no catalyst project, why did she pay for this company to draft this plan? This woman needs to go. Its clear there is a personal agenda behind each project she is for or against.
I think we need to spruce up the existing welcome area on the right, add lighting so you can actually see the restaurants on the left at night, and knock down, or restore any empty buildings. And plow sidewalks in the winter, whats the use of putting all this money into sidewalks when they can only be used 5 months of the year.
Good idea Hikerchick. As a dog owner, I am always looking for places we can get out and stretch when I travel and will browse around rest stops and information boards. Not sure of the ongoing cost but seems there are always options for how to pay for those things, especially if the community is on board.
yay! Ideas rather than just criticism!
If you don’t want large developments allowed in Meyers, go to the meetings and tell them that.
To hikerchick and others,
Here’s an idea,(oh gawd, not another of OLS crazy ideas?): Bulldoze Tvetenville, build a large log cabin in its place, with public restrooms, info center, dog park, bike rental and maybe even an electric car rental lot, free coffee and tea and perhaps a small Lake Tahoe Historical Museum.
As a little kid me and brother Eric had to pee so bad as we wound our way up hwy 50 ,coming up from the bay area, we couldn’t wait to get to the motel! So I think a rest stop would be well used and a good way to welcome our visitors, plus it would look much better than it does now. Just a thought, Old Long Skiis
All too often these types of public review meetings become a senseless shouting match which wastes everyone’s time.
I think this meeting will be much more productive if we simply ask for more time to amend this plan, and more legitimate public input in the final decision making. Then we can determine a method to pool everyone’s diverse personal conceptions of what Meyers should be and incorporate them into the final plan adoption.
Sorry Old Long Skiis. Nobody in Meyers want to do anything about anything; I mean it’s not like the Upper Truckee River needs help or anything. Houses right up the edge, golf course for fertilizer, airport, Tahoe Keys and all. Stuck in the 70’s.
And Other Side, your comment is way out of line with that vandalize bit.
Great Job MEYERS COMMUNITY in last Wednesday’s Meyers Community Meeting !!!
You sent a very Loud and Clear Message to both our local federal governing agency and County Supervisor Norma Santiago that “WE” Plan and approve Our OWN Community Development !!
You were calm and concise with your public comments !
Please come to the next Meyers Community Meeting March 19th at 6pm at the CCC building ( 1949 Apache Ave, So Lake Tahoe)
AND please AGAIN speak up with your constructive suggestions of what YOUR “Vision” is for future development in Meyers !
Your comments last Wednesday evening were OUTSTANDING !
Thank You ALL So Much !