The S.F. Chronicle loves Lake Tahoe. Any articles written about "The Lake" elicit comments from far and wide. Yesterday, Mother's Day, May 8,2011, they did it again. The article included a stunning photo taken from the top of the Quail(lake) chairlift at the Homewood Ski Resort. The article includes 3 bylines representing 3 viewpoints regarding west shore development. The authors are: Rochelle Nason of the League to Save Lake Tahoe; Theresa May Duggan, a planning consultant of the Place-Based Planning Process; and Rob Weston, a very small business owner in Homewood(bikes and skis).
The three are not authoritative in any way, nor do they represent the heavy hand of county, state, or regional government. Any discussion of the "Lake" without some government input is a hollow gesture on the part of editors and writers both. Any resident or visitor understands that this area is not newly developed or discovered-it's been around awhile. Whether you're visiting to enjoy the Lake, gamble some at the casinos, or just to enjoy the environment within the basin, it becomes evident that the overlay of government is EVERYWHERE!
The Parks
In addition to Tahoe National Forest, State parks also can be found around the shoreline. Many offer a variety of attractions, mainly, camping and hiking. On the west shore, the big sites are at Sugar Pine Point Park, just south of Tahoma. Here was the site of the 1960 Olympic crosscountry events, including the biathlon. The park includes lake frontage along the shore in front of the Erhman mansion(now an historic site).
Continuing south, there's the Meeks Bay Resort with its boat ramp, small boat harbor, and camp ground(RVs OK). Across Meeks Creek is the public camp ground that fronts the lake on the other half of Meeks Bay.
After another 5 miles, there is D.L.Bliss State park. This public camping area is large, and has a great beach with large boulders at waters' edge. Shoreline hiking trails are an added bonus.
From Bliss, Highway 89 continues on to Emerald Bay, the iconic landscape known around the world. Here are 2 more parks, one is available for camping, the other, for day trips(Vikingsholm).
Moving south, the Richardson Camp straddles the road before coming to the Wye, where US 50 meets State 89.
North of Homewood, toward Tahoe City and the stateline, numerous parks dot the lake area.
Arriving in Tahoe City, one can see the park at the lake outlet(Fanny Bridge area).
Whereas one can see much development along this stretch of 89, there isn't much commercial development at all. Take away the ski resort area, and that's about the extent of it all. Obexers makes an impression, but only in the abbreviated summer season.
The Summer Season-Where have you gone??????
The article seems to focus on the Homewood Resort and Village Development and what it will mean to the West Shore and to the Lake itself. What is not addressed is the rational behind the investment: why would a property owner invest millions in light of the recent recession and the continual ebb of economic factors, mainly reduced spending by visitors, reduced visits, higher taxes on property, higher costs of living in the basin, drop in resident population, and the inability of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to see beyond its nose?
Any one factor would /should give the builder pause. The permit application process has been going on now for over two years and more time to come before approval. This is typical and doesn't include anytime for build out on the site. Since 1969, close scrutiny of everything inside the basin by TRPA has slowed growth to a trickle. Getting a permit for anything requires patience and a bit of luck.
On top of all this is the new Lake Tahoe Research Center in Incline Village, Nevada. The $35 million dollar project was funded by the Feds and planted in Harry Reid's backyard(US Sen Reid!) This center for the ongoing study of the Lake is a state of the art building on the campus of Sierra Nevada College. IT holds great promise, and has already contributed much to the knowledge base.
But all of this concern hinges on the assumption that hoards of visitors will debase the basin environment. But will they? Have you seen what passes for summer vacation lately? What a face!!!! Summertime used to begin on Memorial Day-May 30. Now, it starts on 4th of July and barely makes it to August . Some folks stick around to August 7th or August 10th, and that's it.
Goodbye Middle Class Vacationers
The high cost of gasoline puts a crimp in driving habits and trips to Tahoe have taken hits along with all the others. With sales taxes, utilities, and food prices going up and wages going down, there is falling demand for recreation at the Lake. Witness the continued closing of restaurants, motels for sale, and lack of beach goers on any weekend. The signs are all there.
The authors fail to recognize the obvious as they grind their favorite axes, hoping somebody will listen. The editors call this article a "New future for Old Tahoe". I call it "the Sad Future of Tahoe".
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