The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) recently announced a multi-year process to set the stage for expanding workforce and affordable housing, with the hopes of keeping the community in the community. From nurses and teachers to servers and ski instructors, we need our workforce in Tahoe. The agency’s first move in this process was to schedule community meetings. That’s a good thing, because community involvement is the key to good planning. 

TRPA is charged with a daunting task: managing land use and growth while protecting Lake Tahoe’s clarity. The Tahoe Basin is therefore more constrained in its land use choices than other parts of California and Nevada might be. The agency must be creative in ensuring housing remains both accessible and affordable for the people who call Tahoe home. Local land use constraints mean we can’t simply build our way out of our housing shortage without a careful approach.

Tahoe, like many tourist-heavy regions around the world, has changed a lot in recent years. Between the growth of second homes driven by COVID-19 lockdowns, the boom in short-term rentals, and population growth, our housing units are increasingly reserved for visitors or sitting empty most weeks and months. What used to be busy summer and winter, with shoulder seasons locals depended on, have now transformed into high levels of tourists year-round. Meanwhile, rental and purchase prices for those who are here to raise their families or simply make a living are skyrocketing.

With all of the pressures facing TRPA, the agency doesn’t always get everything right. But its current approach to planning for housing is exactly as it should be. “Cultivating Community” is a goal we all share – finding opportunities to meet local housing needs and support our economy without compromising water and air quality or public safety, like the ability to evacuate quickly in a wildfire.

MAP (Mountain Area Preservation) is pleased to have a seat on the committee that will be guiding this next round of planning for workforce housing. We have not always seen eye-to-eye with TRPA, but after a recent settlement, we are hopeful that there is a real opportunity to improve local planning efforts together. TRPA has promised to include current environmental conditions as a baseline for this new planning effort, a commitment that is particularly important given the increased levels of tourism in our region. They have also committed to considering opportunities to unlock existing housing for long-term rentals or purchase for primary residences through policies that might include things like caps on short-term rentals, incentives to lease to locals, down payment assistance, and other innovative programs to be applied throughout the Tahoe Basin, eliminating the burden for each community to adopt these types of solutions on their own.

With the right planning, Tahoe residents can ensure our region remains beautiful, environmentally healthy, safe, and livable. This new effort by TRPA is a great first step in that direction. We encourage all Tahoe Basin residents to join the September workshops as a starting point.

Alexis Ollar is executive director of MAP (Mountain Area Preservation).