Logo courtesy of Placer County

TAHOE CITY, CA (MPG) - The Placer County Superior Court has denied a request to reverse the Placer County Board of Supervisors’ approval of amendments to the county’s Tahoe Basin Area Plan.

The court’s Jan. 3 order allows the county to continue implementing updated development guidelines approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2023.

The amendments are intended to focus redevelopment efforts in North Lake Tahoe’s town centers of Kings Beach and Tahoe City and facilitate achievable housing by encouraging environmental restoration, supporting local businesses and reducing traffic congestion, among other goals.

Changes to the county’s Tahoe Basin Area Plan were required to ensure consistency with updates to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s development guidelines for the Lake Tahoe Basin.

“We’re grateful for the court’s decision and appreciate its fair look at the facts,” said Board of Supervisors Vice Chair and District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson. “These amendments were shaped by input from our community from the beginning and aim at much needed workforce housing goals. We remain committed to working together with our residents to build the kind of Tahoe we all want to see.”  

In its ruling, the court found that the county’s Tahoe Basin Area Plan amendments would not, as the petitioners alleged, result in significant changes to density and building heights that would require additional environmental review. It also found that wildfire risks and changes to local road infrastructure that could affect emergency evacuations had been appropriately considered.