Community Enhancement Program
The Community Enhancement Program is seeking net gain solutions for the Lake Tahoe Basin which implement environmental improvements, enhance quality of life for residents, improve the visitor experience and contribute to the long-term economic vitality of the Region. Formerly known as the Demonstration Program, the CEP is doing just that, demonstrating what Lake Tahoe communities can “look and feel like” over the next 20 years if substantial improvements to our commercial core areas can be encouraged.
All nine of the CEP proposals submitted as pre-applications were approved to move into the permit application and environmental review phase by the TRPA Governing Board at its regular monthly meeting February 27, 2008.
Cumulative Impacts
Does the project have impacts that are individually limited, but cumulatively considerable? Cumulatively considerable means that the incremental effects of a project are considerable when viewed in connection with the effects of past projects, the effects of other current projects, and the effects of probable future projects.
Draft EIS/EIR and the Process
The Notice of Preparation is a 30-day scoping period. The purpose of the scoping period is to invite comments from agencies, organizations and citizens that will help identify potential impacts and determine what issues should be included in the study.
Once scoping is complete, information for the study is compiled and alternatives developed for the joint County and TRPA EIS/EIR. An EIS/EIR looks at potential impacts of different project alternatives and lays out possible mitigation strategies for significant impacts. Once complete, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be released for public comment. Those comments will be compiled and responded to in the Final EIS, which must be certified for accuracy by the TRPA Governing Board before a vote can be made on the associated project.
Public meetings and presentations will be scheduled once the draft is released for public deliberation and input.
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR)
An EIR is an Environmental Impact Report prepared by the County pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This document has been prepared to satisfy the CEQA and the State CEQA Guidelines. CEQA requires that all California state and local government agencies consider the environmental consequences of projects over which they have discretionary authority before acting on those projects.
An EIS is an Environmental Impact Statement prepared by TRPA pursuant to its Compact and Chapter 5 of the Code of Ordinances. Essentially, no net loss of any threshold can be approved for development by the TRPA Governing Board.
TRPA’s Environmental Improvement Program (EIP)
The Environmental Improvement Program was highlighted during the 1997 Presidential Summit at Lake Tahoe. EIP projects are designed to achieve and maintain environmental thresholds that protect Tahoe’s unique and valued resources.
Initial Study
The Initial Study is a public document used by the decision-making lead agency to determine whether a project may have a significant effect on the environment. If the lead agency finds substantial evidence that any aspect of the project, either individually or cumulatively, may have a significant effect on the environment, regardless of whether the overall effect of the project is adverse or beneficial, the lead agency is required to prepare and EIR in this case. In the case of the Homewood Mountain Resport Ski Area Master Plan Development, Placer County is the lead CEQA agency.
What is Net Gain?
Provides a net environmental gain for the environmental values relevant under the Compact (i.e., accelerates attainment of thresholds), and is consistent with social and economic goals of the local jurisdictions or development partners.
Net gain means that improvements benefit both the built and natural environments.
Mandatory Findings of Significance
These Findings are Environmental Issues that require a simple Yes or No but must be dealt with in the Draft EIR/EIS. CEQA has Three Mandatory Findings of Significance and they are:
- Does the project have the potential to degrade the quality of the environment, substantially impact biological resources, or eliminate important examples of the major periods of California history or prehistory?
- Does the project have impacts that are individually limited, but cumulatively considerable? Cumulatively considerable means that the incremental effects of a project are considerable when viewed in connection with the effects of past projects, the effects of other current projects, and the effects of probable future projects.
- Does the project have environmental effects, which will cause substantial adverse effects on human beings, either directly or indirectly?
Regional Plan Update
Through the TRPA Pathway Forum and Place-Based Planning process, an extraordinary level of public involvement has been incorporated into the emerging Regional Plan Update for Lake Tahoe. The final product will be the blueprint to restore the Lake, improve the environmental health of the Basin, and revitalize our communities while maintaining our Tahoe character. The last Regional Plan was completed in 1987 and should be updated every twenty years, 2007 the new Regional Plan was due.
Urban Boundaries
Areas within the Urban Boundaries are defined by their present zoning which allows for industrial, commercial residential or tourism. Areas outside the urban boundaries are recreation or conservation. When looking at a TRPA map illustrating the urban boundaries you will note that the green relates to conservation and the blue to recreation. Within the urban boundaries there are the colors of purple, red and yellow. All areas of the Tahoe Basin with either a Community Plan or Planned Area Statements (PAS) have been given this zoning coloration. Pathways 2007 voiced their views that they did not want to see an increase in the size of urban boundaries or changes of zoning to increase developments. On the contrary, within the urban boundaries there could be an increase in commercial, tourism and residential using the mixed-use develop