Restoration of this site will be finished in 2017. Photo/CTC

The old blue building at the corner of Highway 50 and Sawmill Road near Meyers is coming down. Demolition began this week.

The 1.05-acre parcel was acquired by the California Tahoe Conservancy in December 2015. The structure was located on sensitive land near the former site of historic Ethel’s Pie Shop in El Dorado County. This is how the climbing area next door — The Pie Shop — got its name.

The Conservancy’s Tahoe Livable Communities Program allows aging developments on environmentally sensitive land to be acquired, demolished and restored. Development rights from the property are transferred to town centers as identified in the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Regional Plan.

Demolition, site stabilization, and initial restoration activities will be completed this fall. Full restoration will occur next year.