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City hopes for land swap

by Robert Stern

The City Council has chosen a site for a new city hall, but it still must convince El Dorado County to make good on a land swap.

The 5-acre plot sits on U.S. Highway 50 at the site of the South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce. “We have been talking about this one site for a very long time,” Mayor Hal Cole said Tuesday at a council workshop.

City staff will make a formal presentation to El Dorado County supervisors at a future board meeting, said City Manager David Childs.



There were questions raised about the cost of the project, which could reach up to $4 million. But Childs said that is just a round number for purposes of discussion.

“It’s going to be dictated by economics clearly,” said Councilman Tom Davis.



Council members hope to centralize municipal buildings within the recreation area near Tallac Avenue. That site, which is near the ice rink set for construction, would provide for shared parking, improved highway access and a more central location than the Services Center, according to a city staff report. The city pays $120,000 a year to lease the building on Lake Tahoe Boulevard where the Planning Department and City Council chambers are located.

Interest in the 5-acre parcel dates back to a 1972 deal under which the city has allowed the county to build a jail, court facility and legal offices on city property on Johnson Boulevard. A juvenile hall is currently proposed.

Davis said it is time for the city to find out if the county will make good on the land exchange.

One of the other primary options included building at Bijou Community Park, which would impact the disc golf course. The City Council was not keen on that idea.

“I don’t think we should take out a recreation area to put up an administrative building,” Cole said.


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