By Terra Breeden

Expand the beach, build a jetty, put in adult swing sets; these were a few of the options presented to the public by the Regan Beach Committee on Tuesday night during a meeting at the South Lake Tahoe’s recreation center.

After months of considering possibilities and listening to public opinion, conceptual plans that included many drastic changes to the popular beach were shown to the nearly 50 who gathered July 28.

“What we don’t want to do is recreate Lakeview Commons,” Parks and Recreation Commissioner Steve Noll said. “This is a restoration project.”

Three options were presented, each containing many of the changes discussed at previous meetings. All three options included a new concession stand and restroom facility, improved play area for children, and focused on shoreline stabilization and rebuilding the decrepit retaining wall.

Although all of the plans presented at the meeting included these changes, each had a different focus on what the future of Regan Beach should be.

Attendees were directed to choose their three favorite features from each option. The park features that are favored the most by the community will be included in a completed plan of Regan Beach due to be presented at a meeting later this summer.

Homeowners from the Al Tahoe neighborhood and other South Lake Tahoe residents who frequent the beach examined the plans, trying to visualize what this “new” park would actually look like. Contrasting opinions circulated wildly as each option was presented to the audience.

Option 1 was called “The Hub” and was geared toward creating a more park-like setting at the beach. Changes to the beach that “The Hub” include creating a larger lakefront plaza and picnic space, building separated parking lots with two-way traffic, and placing a gazebo with terraced seating on the event lawn. “The Hub” plan was also drawn to include a non-motorized boat launch for water sport enthusiasts and separated the dog beach area from the main park.

Option 2 was called “Play” and as the title suggests, this option concentrated on providing more outdoor activities at Regan Beach. Option 2 extended the beach area and implemented a large adventure play area with terraces that extended from the lawn to the beach. This conceptual plan also contained a direct walkway connection to the dog beach from Lakeview Avenue and a handicap-friendly ramp that extended from the parking lot to the beach.

Option 3 was named “Restoration” and this plan focused on renovating the park to be in tune with the Lake Tahoe environment. This option aggressively tackled shoreline restoration and concentrated on wildlife habitat creation. With this plan, a jetty would be built to the east of the park. This structure would be a physical barrier between the park and dog area and would also create an aquatic habitat for fish. The “Restoration” plan also included a large promenade walkway with a picnic area and moved the restrooms and concession stand closer to the beach with views directed toward the west for watching sunsets.

“These are not finalized plans,” Noll stressed. “We want to know what the community thinks about these ideas.”

The beach and recreation area are in need of a serious makeover after decades of neglect. The concession stand is not up to health code standards, the retaining wall around the park is collapsing, and the steep stairs that descend to the beach are not handicap or kayak and paddleboard friendly. The latter is a feature that has become increasingly problematic as the watersports grow in popularity.

Separating the dog beach area from the main park is a big concern as well.

“These days the whole beach is a dog park,” one man said at the meeting.

The preferred alternative will be decided based on input gathered at the community meetings and survey. It will be presented to the public in late August. The survey is online. The three options are also online.