Stateline, NV – What began more than 2 years ago as a community vision has resulted in the drafting of a new Meyers Area Plan that captures the unique qualities of the area, El Dorado County and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) announced today in advance of a public hearing for the draft plan scheduled to take place tomorrow.
The draft Meyers Area Plan will be reviewed by the TRPA Governing Board Regional Plan Implementation Committee Wednesday afternoon at the TRPA offices in Stateline, Nevada, although the basic elements of plan have been publicly discussed many times already, according to El Dorado County Supervisor Norma Santiago who represents the Meyers community on the Board of Supervisors.
“The vision and drafting of the Meyers Area Plan was a community-driven process that began with listening to what was important to the people who live and work here,” Santiago said. “The outcome is a draft plan that emphasizes the outdoors and Meyers’ unique character.”
Over 20 public meetings were conducted by the Meyers Community Advisory Council, a volunteer group of local residents, business, recreation and other interested parties. Additionally, four community workshops created the Meyers Vision and assisted in the updating and drafting of the new plan.
The draft Meyers Area Plan emphasizes bike and pedestrian improvements, preserving Meyers’ unique community character including the spectacular views and rural setting, and focuses on permit streamlining to enhance efficiency and encourage private investment by property owners, according to the County and TRPA. The plan can be viewed online at www.edcgov.us/Meyers/.
Members of the public are encouraged to submit comments on the draft plan anytime, and the agencies expect final hearings for the plan to be scheduled in the spring. The next official comment period will be for an environmental analysis of the plan, which is expected to be available in February. Comments can be sent to MeyersAreaPlan@edcgov.us or PO Box 5310, Stateline, NV, 89449.
Area Plans are part of the larger framework of the new Lake Tahoe Regional Plan adopted by TRPA in 2012 that transfers more responsibility for environmental improvement to local governments along with greater responsibility for land use decisions and project permitting. Area Plans crafted and managed by local governments can be adopted by TRPA if the standards match or surpass regional standards. Area Plans in the City of South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County have already been adopted by TRPA and four others are under development throughout the Tahoe Basin.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency leads the cooperative effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region, while improving local communities, and people’s interactions with our irreplaceable environment.
Contact:
Jeff Cowen
Public Information Officer
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
(775) 589-5278
jcowen@trpa.gov
Judi McCallum
Assistant to Supervisor Norma Santiago
District V, County of El Dorado
(530) 621-6577
judi.mccallum@edcgov.us
MEDIA RELEASE Meyers Area Plan RPIC 1-28-2014
Background & Further Information
The Meyers Community Vision is a statement that will guide the community and development proposals now and into the future:
Meyers is an ideally situated, spacious, historic, and walkable mountain community that values sustainability, health, wellbeing and the natural environment. Uniquely concentrated with year-round outdoor sport and recreational opportunities, the Meyers mountain culture is the hallmark of our thriving local-based economy boasting a diverse commercial and retail environment, welcoming visitors and providing residents with an extraordinary place to live, work and play.
- The recent Meyers Area Plan builds upon the 1993 Meyers Community Plan adopted by the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors and provides comprehensive long-term planning for the Meyers community in accordance with the county’s General Plan. It also complies with the TRPA’s updated Regional Plan and environmental thresholds and complements the Regional Transportation Plan Sustainable Communities Strategy
- The Area Plan includes approximately 669 acres of mixed-use, recreation, and conservation lands and recognizes Meyers’ role as the hub of the surrounding community. The plan includes policy direction, zoning, and regulations, as well as guidance on how the Area Plan should be integrated with surrounding areas.
- The Area Plan is implemented through a zoning ordinance, design standards, and a Capital Improvement Program. The ordinance is a supplement to both the TRPA Code of Ordinances and the El Dorado County Zoning Ordinance and it ensures consistent rules govern development within the Area Plan.