CTC busy buying property, building trails
The California Tahoe Conservancy is buying this parcel with the idea the building will be demolished. Photo/LTN
By Kathryn Reed
KINGS BEACH – Land acquisition, bike paths and public access projects dominated the most recent quarterly meeting of the California Tahoe Conservancy.
The old blue four-plex on the corner of Sawmill Road and Highway 50 in El Dorado County will be demolished in 2016 so the 1-acre parcel can be restored to a natural setting. It is deemed environmentally sensitive land.
The board agreed to spend $435,000 to make this happen. The bulk of the money is to buy the property. Escrow is expected to close at the end of the month. The development rights will be banked to be used in South Lake Tahoe or Meyers.
There was a question as to whether the sewer hook up had value. The answer was not today. It’s also not a parcel State Parks would be interested in because that agency wants contiguous property. They own the land across Sawmill Road.
No one is living in the structure, and it has been in foreclosure for about a year.
For about 30 years starting in the 1920s this is where Ethel’s Pie Shop was. It’s how the rock climbing area got its name.
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Proposed Lakeview Lookout in South Lake Tahoe. Rendering/Design Workshop
Funding is still being sought to transform the old Alta Mira site in South Lake Tahoe into something more than a wood-chipped parking lot. It has been renamed Lakeview Lookout.
Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe’s membership voted not to spend the quarter million dollars it has in the bank on this project. CTC is hoping the city of South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Fund will be partners. The board may discuss funding in more detail in December or early next year.
A cantilevered walkway and deck, as well as slope stabilization are proposed. The idea is to make it a complementary bookend to Lakeview Commons.
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The initial phase of the long-anticipated Greenway Trail is done. Eventually it will link Meyers and Stateline.
“It felt so good this summer to get some pavement on the ground after working on this for so long,” CTC staff member Sue Rae Irelan told the board.
The first segment is 0.43 miles going from Herbert Avenue to Glenwood Way.
Last week the California Transportation Commission allocated $2 million to a consortium on the South Shore for trails. Part of this will be used to continue the Greenway through the Bijou Meadow, connecting to Al Tahoe Boulevard, and from Lake Tahoe Community College to Sierra Tract.
Most likely at the March board meeting there will be a land swap item on the agenda involving the CTC, the city and Lake Tahoe Community College. This will also involve a modification to the design plans for the path.
“We are trying to make a more direct connection to the Martin-Barbara intersection,” Irelan said.
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The Upper Truckee Marsh’s final EIR/EIS should be out in December. Photo/LTN file
The final environmental documents for the Upper Truckee River and Marsh project should be before the board in December. Construction could begin in 2018. Environmental and recreation improvements on both sides of the river are planned.
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Talks are still under way for CTC to not have a role in Van Sickle Bi-state Park. CTC stepped in when California State Parks couldn’t put money into the upkeep of the South Shore park.
“Ultimately the goal is to have Nevada manage it on both sides,” Wright said. He added there is still work to be done involving both states to make this a reality.
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The Conservancy owns 3.5 acres or six “asset lands parcels” between Tahoe Valley Pharmacy and the Factory Stores at the Y.
“The city would like the back parcel to be part of the green belt,” Aimee Rutledge of the CTC told the board.
The Tahoe Valley Area Plan calls for a green belt in this area. Rutledge also said staff envisions the Factory Store owners wanting those parcels, but the owners told Lake Tahoe News they have enough on their plate.
When there is a buyer the board will take a vote on it.
Executive Director Patrick Wright explained that new legislation allows the board to know what the future use of the property will be before agreeing to sell it.
“This give us leverage to shape the future of this property,” Wright said.
This is a completely different process from past CTC parcels that went to the highest bidder. One of the parcels was the old drive-in on Glenwood Avenue that has since had what is called a single-family residence built on it even though it looks like a mini hotel. It was built specifically to be a vacation home rental.