Stateline, NV – In a unanimous vote Wednesday, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) Governing Board approved Tahoe Douglas Visitor’s Authority’s proposed $100 million event center project. The proposed event center also includes associated transit and parking improvements for the South Shore casino corridor. The project now moves to Douglas County Commissioners for final consideration, the agency said today.
The proposed project will create a 138,000 square-foot, 6,000 seat center for performances, trade shows, ice shows, and sporting events. Attendance will be capped at 2,500 people during peak summer months in an effort to manage traffic congestion, according to TRPA documents. The Tahoe South Events Center will be located at the corner of the Highway 50 and Lake Parkway in Stateline, Nevada. This property currently serves as a parking lot for the Mont Bleu Hotel and Casino.
“We have seen redevelopment projects right next door on the California side of the state line that brought air and water quality improvements and significant reductions in vehicle use,” TRPA Executive Director Joanne Marchetta said. “This project offers the opportunity for revitalization to continue through the Nevada side of the South Shore’s most highly-developed community area and can serve as a catalyst to improve transit services.”
Wednesday’s meeting was also the first TRPA Governing Board meeting to be conducted entirely online since stay-at-home orders were announced by California and Nevada. Approximately 60 people submitted public comments to the board during the meeting with more having submitted comments in advance. While most comments praised the economic benefits the project could bring to the South Shore, those opposed raised concerns about potential increases in traffic and vehicle emissions.
To meet TRPA transportation and transit goals, Tahoe Douglas Visitor’s Authority proposed next-generation transit and parking management plans to lower the likelihood of traffic congestion. Transportation elements of the project are to include:
- Free and frequent transit service with free year-round transit to surrounding neighborhoods.
- Consistent paid parking at four neighboring hotel/casinos.
- Creation of a new mobility hub for public buses and so-called microtransit (van) shuttles located at the gateway to the Stateline.
- Use of emerging technologies, to connect people to transportation, ridesharing, parking information, transit, and alternative transportation options.
- Bus and shuttle lane turnouts and separate areas for Uber/Lyft access.
- Traffic control officers deployed at key intersections during peak times.
TRPA believes this project will be a major catalyst in moving forward the revitalization of the South Shore while also meeting the agency’s goal of supporting environmental redevelopment projects.
Douglas County Commissioner and TRPA Governing Board member Wesley Rice praised the broad collaboration and over a decade of planning that allowed the project to move forward. “I want to recognize the multitude of stakeholders who worked tirelessly to develop and lay the ground work for Wednesday’s vote,” Commissioner Rice said. “A year-round facility will bring year-round jobs and a more broad economic foundation for the area.”
The Event Center project heads to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners hearing on April 2 which will also be streamed online. The Tahoe Douglas Visitor’s Authority aims to break ground on the project this summer.
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. For additional information, contact Jeff Cowen, Public Information Officer, at 775-589-5278.
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