SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif – A City Council agenda item originally providing an update on Heavenly parking arrangements and amending the parking agreement quickly turned to discussions of terminating the agreement altogether.

Councilmember Tamara Wallace said, “I was willing to take a soft approach on the parking agreement in order to be a good partner on the annexation, but that was obviously not an approach that was amenable to Heavenly or Vail.”

She went on to propose canceling the parking agreement, enacting permit parking in the Heavenly neighborhood, and putting up parking barriers on Ski Run Boulevard during ski season, “Until they come back to the table with a letter of support for annexing, at this point, the whole mountain.”

Wallace made this statement after Assistant City Manager Hilary Roverud informed Council through a presentation, as well as answering councilmember questions, that over months of communication, Vail has not provided a position on annexation, nor provided requested information on point of sale locations or revenue. This is all information that would help inform the City’s decision on annexing that property.

Roverud also informed Council that the police department reports significantly reduced vehicle collisions and traffic safety issues with the implementation of the Heavenly Parking Agreement this year, which allowed the resort’s use of on-street parking during peak days. Heavenly also reports the parking reservation system and parking management had a positive effect on guest experience this year with reduced wait times and travel delays.

In November, Council agreed to a less than ideal parking agreement with Heavenly in order to move the collaboration process forward with Heavenly.

Now, after the winter, Bass said at the meeting, “I do think the benefits should have been realized by Vail of the change from two seasons ago to this season’s and the partnership that we created to work together to really work on the visitor experience of not only visitors to South Lake Tahoe, but visitors to Heavenly Ski Resort. And there were real results.”

Councilmember Robbins noted, “In the 60 plus year history of the City of South Lake, not one dime of sales taxes from Vail resorts has ever once gone into the City coffers to pay for the roads that their businesses drive traffic on. It is absolutely insane.”

Mayor Cody Bass said after pointing out the benefits of the City and Vail’s partnership, “I can’t understand the line of thinking that they would not want to move forward with annexation and I think the other message that needs to be sent is that becoming part of the city is the only way that those services will continue.”

As councilmembers voiced support for a motion to terminate the parking agreement with Vail, City Attorney Heather Stroud explained that it wasn’t what was on the agenda, but they can bring it back at another meeting along with prohibiting parking on Ski Run Boulevard and ensuring permit parking is enacted in the Heavenly neighborhood.

What was on the agenda was the provided update as well as a resolution amending seasonal or permanent no parking restrictions on certain streets in the Heavenly Valley Neighborhood with residential permitted parking on certain segments. Council passed this resolution unanimously.