Community Services

Tahoe Area Plan Update

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities

No engagement opportunities are currently scheduled. 

Purpose

The 2025 Tahoe Area Plan Update is a limited and focused update to the Tahoe Area Plan, which was adopted after a comprehensive public outreach process in 2021. The overall purpose of the project is to:

1. Implement housing-related Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) codes and policies, including conformance with recent amendments. This includes updates related to housing supply and attainability. It also includes changes that TRPA identified as necessary during the 2021 update process; and
2. Make minor changes to Article 220 of the Washoe County Development Code in order to fix known code issues that have emerged since the 2021 update.

The scope of this project is limited to these topics in order to complete the update in the timely manner necessary to bring the Tahoe Area Plan into conformance with recent changes required by TRPA.

Public Engagement

Phase 1

December 2024-January 2025

Phase 1 is the kickoff phase. It will include a public kickoff meeting, pop-up events, and stakeholder outreach. The purpose of this phase is to share information about the project’s scope and process and to raise awareness of the project across different groups. Drafting will occur in early 2025.

Phase 2

February-March 2025

Phase 2 is the draft review phase. It will include release of the draft amendments, online opportunities to provide feedback, and workshops to discuss draft materials. This phase will inform revisions made to the draft before the public hearing process.

Phase 3

Begins April 2025

Phase 3 is the public hearing process. This starts with a pre-Planning Commission neighborhood meeting, in which staff will share the revised draft and report on public input received. The Planning Commission hearing will tentatively occur in May 2025. Meetings before the Board of County Commissioners, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Regional Plan Implementation Committee (RPIC), the TRPA Advisory Planning Commission (APC), and the TRPA Governing Board will be scheduled thereafter as board schedules allow.

Past Events/Meetings

• January 14, 2025—Pop-up Event #2 at the Incline Village Community Center
  • Pop-up event summary
• January 6, 2025—Pop-up Event #1 at the Incline Village Community Center
  • Pop-up event summary
• December 16, 2024—Incline Village/Crystal Bay Citizen Advisory Board Meeting
  • Citizen Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Resources

The Tahoe Area Plan update is situated in a complex regulatory environment, with many regulations, plans, and recent changes. Washoe Tahoe falls under the jurisdiction of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), a regional environmental planning agency created by a bi-state compact between Nevada and California in 1969. They regulate land use in the Tahoe Basin. The following resources may be useful in understanding the current conditions and update.

• Tahoe Area Plan—The currently adopted Master Plan and zoning regulation for Washoe Tahoe.
• The Washoe County Development Code—The zoning regulations for Washoe Tahoe are also incorporated into Sections 220 and 220.1 of the Washoe County Development Code.
• TRPA Code of Ordinances—TRPA is the land use authority in the Tahoe Basin, whose rules and regulations are established in the Code of Ordinances.
• TRPA Housing Webpage—This page is where TRPA keeps information on their past and ongoing housing efforts.
• TRPA Phase 2 Housing Amendments Governing Board Staff Report—The staff report describing the changes for the Phase 2 housing amendments, the requirements for local jurisdictions, and the changes in code and policy language.
• TRPA Phase 2 Housing Amendments Presentation—The slide deck from the TRPA presentation at the Governing Board hearing for the Phase 2 Housing Amendments.
• TRPA Phase 2 Housing Amendments 2024 Amendments—This staff report describes amendments made to the Phase 2 Housing Amendments in 2024, after a settlement agreement with Mountain Area Preservation (MAP).
• TRPA Housing Map—This map shows areas where the Phase 2 Housing Amendments are applicable.
• Washoe Tahoe Local Employee Housing Needs and Opportunities—A 2021 report on housing needs and opportunities for employees and employers produced by the Tahoe Prosperity Center.
• Wood Creek Regulatory Zone Development Code Amendment Staff Report—The Tahoe Area Plan has been amended twice since its adoption in 2021. In both cases, the amendments were changes to the Development Code, not changes to the zoning or master plan designations of any properties. This is the staff report for an amendment adding Schools – Kindergarten through Secondary as a permitted use in the Tahoe – Wood Creek Regulatory Zone.
• Incline Village Commercial Regulatory Zone Amendment Staff Report—The staff report for the first Tahoe Area Plan amendment since its adoption, which allowed single family dwellings in the Incline Village Commercial Special Area 1 under certain conditions.
• TRPA Climate Resilience and Mixed Use Development Staff Report—This staff report describes recent changes made to the TRPA Code of Ordinances related to mixed use design standards, replacement of affordable and moderate income housing units, and standards supporting climate resiliency.
• TRPA Phase 1 Housing Amendments Governing Board Staff Report—This staff report describes changes for the Phase 1 Housing amendments, which included expanded allowances for accessory dwelling units.
• Tahoe Area Plan 2021 Adoption Governing Board Staff Report—The staff report for the original adoption of the Tahoe Area Plan in 2021.
• TRPA 2024 Deed Restriction Annual Monitoring and Audit Status Report—A report on TRPA deed restriction monitoring and compliance efforts, describing resources put towards compliance and an audit of post-2018 deed restrictions.
• TRPA 2023 Deed Restriction Status Report—A report on TRPA deed restriction monitoring and compliance efforts from 2023, and a description of resources put towards compliance and future compliance plans.
• TRPA Bonus Unit Fact Sheet—A summary of requirements for the utilization of a bonus unit for deed restricted affordable, moderate, or attainable housing.

 

Questions or comments? Email planning@washoecounty.gov or call (775) 328-6100.