KINGS BEACH, Calif. – At their meeting at the North Tahoe Event Center on Tuesday, Nov. 18, the Placer County Board of Supervisors conducted a public hearing and unanimously adopted amendments to the Placer County Tahoe Basin Area Plan that impact a variety of development factors, including density.

Despite its placement at the end of the meeting, the item received considerable attention from both the Supervisors and the public.

The amendments target housing affordability and availability issues in the Tahoe Basin and were sparked by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s own Dec. 13, 2023 and June 26, 2024 amendments to its codes and regional plan. The amendments are required to be subsequently incorporated into each Tahoe jurisdiction’s area plan, which is what this Placer County item does.

The amendments seek to address housing challenges by increasing building coverage, height (by a maximum of 9 feet), and density, all while lowering parking requirements. These adjustments are only allowed in areas already zoned for this type of development, such as town centers and areas zoned for multifamily housing.

The changes are intended to aid by allowing developers more units on a smaller footprint in order to make them more affordable. The added flexibility these amendments offer is only available for deed restricted residential developments for achievable housing.

According to the TRPA’s definitions, deed restricted achievable housing requires at least one of the following:

• a household income not to exceed 120% of the county’s area median income, or;
• at least one occupant to work at least 30 hours per week for a Tahoe-based employer, or;
• the resident is a retired person who has lived in a deed-restricted unit in the Tahoe Basin for more than seven years.

During public comment, residents expressed alarm at the changes, claiming the changes are driven by developers, would drastically increase population density, make evacuating from wildfire harder, and felt the changes necessitated a full environmental review.

Although comment at the meeting was overwhelmingly opposed, Supervisor Shanti Landon said they also received written comments in support.

Staff addressed numerous resident concerns, explaining that the changes aren’t substantial enough to trigger a subsequent Environmental Impact Report, and that changes do not increase or change the growth caps the TRPA established in 2012.

In addition to the deed restriction requirement, staff explained, in order for developers to take advantage of the changes, they still have to meet the TRPA’s high bars that include not impacting scenic views, meeting stormwater runoff requirements and other thresholds.

CAL FIRE and Placer County Sheriff’s Office representatives expressed that they do not expect the increased density to impact evacuation plans, though it would change how they prepare for an evacuation incident.

All Supervisors expressed support for the changes. Supervisor Landon felt comfortable, especially knowing the amount of people who have worked on these amendments. Supervisor and Chair, Bonnie Gore, appreciated the additional tools these amendments provide for workforce housing and the thoughtfulness with which they were drafted.

Both Supervisor Cindy Gustason and Anthony DeMattei touched on the concerns that these changes are developer driven.

“We’re not handing somebody economic incentives to make more money,” Gustafson said. “We’re trying to get housing built.”

DeMattei shared that in his investing experience, these provisions do not create an attractive return for investors, but do create an opportunity for investors who have the funds and want to help with workforce housing.

For more details on the amendments and discussion, visit the Board of Supervisors’ webpage on placer.ca.gov.