Final 2019 Threshold Evaluation Summary

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Code of Ordinances, Subsection 16.8.2, requires a cumulative account of units of use, resource utilization, and threshold attainment and maintenance. Its purpose is to enable assessment of the cumulative beneficial and negative environmental impacts of the Regional Plan and the plan's role in moving the Tahoe Region toward achieving threshold standards and interim targets specified in Code Subsection 16.5. 

The Code of Ordinances states that the cumulative accounting shall include the following items:

1. Units of Use: residential units, commercial floor area, tourist accommodation units, and recreational allocations.
2. Resource Utilization: additional vehicle miles traveled, vehicle trip ends, impervious coverage, water demand, sewage disposal capacity, area of stream environment zone disturbance.
3. Threshold Attainment and Maintenance: value of investments in water quality, air quality, transportation, and coverage mitigation programs; area of SEZ restoration.

The Parcel Tracker on Lake Tahoe Info (https://parcels.laketahoeinfo.org) and other electronic tracking systems and databases have improved the analysis and tracking of development rights, particularly previously existing, banked developments. As a result, TRPA has identified units not previously counted as banked in prior analyses of regional development. The Banked Development Rights section below details the analysis identifying these banked units. Additionally, significant changes were made to the development rights system to accelerate the attainment of threshold standards and Regional Plan goals and policies. Allowable conversions from one development type to another will shift development potential into a different category of development, and those changes will be reflected as additions to the converted category and subtractions from the original development category.

The Regional Plan establishes units of use for specific types of development (residential, tourist accommodation, commercial, and recreation). Units of use are rights that allow the development of specific project types. Allocations of new or additional units are required to be made by TRPA and local jurisdictions. Metering development is a growth management mechanism consistent with progress toward attaining and maintaining environmental thresholds. Table 1 summarizes the current inventory of existing units of use in the Region, estimated banked units, remaining allocations, and total development potential for residential units, commercial floor area, and tourist accommodation units. Detailed tables for each type of unit of use follow.

As of December 31, 2019, as shown in Table 1, existing, on-the-ground development in the Lake Tahoe Region is currently 92.6 percent built-out for residential development, 90.1 percent built-out for commercial floor area, and 89.5 percent built-out for tourist accommodation units. Approximately 7 percent of the Regional residential units, 7 percent of commercial floor area, and 3 percent of tourist accommodation development potential remain to be allocated from TRPA incentive pools and local jurisdictions’ development right pools.  The remaining balances include previously existing development rights that have been removed, restored, and banked for future use onsite or for conversions or transfers. 

Table 1. Summary of units of use, bonus units, and commercial floor area inventory as of December 31, 2019

The Regional Plan provides for the verification and banking of several types of legally existing development for use or conversion onsite or for transfer to another parcel. “Banking” describes the recording of a particular amount of previously existing development with TRPA that is now available for use. Only development legally established prior to and existing on October 15, 1986, or permitted by TRPA after October 15, 1986, is eligible to be banked. To be banked, legally existing development must first be field verified, subsequently removed, and the site restored in accordance with a restoration plan approved by TRPA. The following types of legally existing development are eligible for banking:

• Existing Land Coverage (hard or soft)
• Potential Land Coverage
• Commercial Floor Area (CFA)
• Tourist Accommodation Unit (TAU)
• Single-Family Residential Unit of Use (SFRUU)
• Multi-Family Residential Unit of Use (MFRUU)
• Potential Residential Unit of Use (PRUU) (formerly called residential development right)
• Cubic Volume
• Residential or Tourist Accommodation Floor Area

Over several years, TRPA developed better tools to track development rights that have been banked by private and publicly-owned parcels (including those associated with the existing land banks: California Tahoe Conservancy and Nevada Division of State Lands). These tools improve the accuracy of the accounting of banked development rights, which are summarized in Table 2 below.

Banking is a leading indicator of future development potential, as it is the required first step in transferring development rights. Because the 2012 Regional Plan provides incentives to relocate development from sensitive and remote areas into town centers, analysis of banked development rights can provide valuable insight into potential future development. For example, more than 22,800 square feet of banked CFA, 98 potential residential units and 25 previously existing residential units, 15 TAUs and nearly 485,000 square feet of associated coverage have been banked and removed from stream environment zones. More than 42,000 square feet of banked CFA, 45 TAUs, 68 previously existing residential units and 217 potential residential units, and 1.25 million square feet of associated coverage has been banked and removed from remote areas.

Table 2. Estimated banked development rights by location as of December 31, 2019

Development right conversions using environmentally neutral exchange rates provide property owners with flexibility and encourage redevelopment while maintaining the overall cap on development potential in the Tahoe Region. The conversion ratio is 600 CFA to 2 TAUs to 2 residential units to 3 multi-family residential units.

Conversion among different types of development rights is relatively new. A clear trend has emerged from the conversions: a shift from commercial (TAUs and CFA) to residential development. To date, 62 residential units have been created throughout the region, while TAUs have been reduced by 29 and CFA reduced by more than 15,000 square feet (Table 3).

Table 3. Summary of development rights conversions from 2013-2019

The Tahoe Region is approaching full build-out of residential development, and the Regional Plan's growth controls will meter out most of this remaining development over the next two decades. As of December 31, 2019, 93 percent of the maximum allowable residential development exists within the Region. Approximately one percent of the remaining residential development potential is available for construction, including previously existing residential units that have been removed, restored, and banked for future use and unused residential allocations that have been released to the jurisdictions. The remainder of the residential units are to be metered out over the next 17 years or are to be used as bonus incentives for the construction of income-restricted housing, sensitive lot retirement, or for the transfer of residential development to town centers. 

Residential Units 

As of December 31, 2019, there were 47,799 existing residential units within the Region. In addition, 204 previously existing residential units have been banked for future use, conversion onsite, or for transfer to another site.

TRPA regulates the rate and timing of new residential growth by issuing a limited number of residential allocations each year to local jurisdictions. The 2012 Regional Plan amendments authorized 2,600 new residential allocations to be released through 2032, with a yearly allocation of 130 units to be released based on achievement of environmental and permit compliance performance measures. Since 2012, TRPA has released 846 residential allocations to local jurisdictions, of which 57 percent have been subsequently assigned to new residential development projects. TRPA has also placed 74 residential allocations into the TRPA Incentive Pool, for the assignment of bonus units to projects that result in sensitive lot retirement, achievable-, affordable-, and moderate-income housing, or for the transfer of residential development from remote areas into town centers.

From conversations to date, 62 residential units have been added throughout the region, while the number of TAUs has been reduced by 52 and CFA reduced by more than 4,100 square feet.

The maximum development potential for residential units in the Region is 51,597 units.

Table 4.  Residential units accounting as of December 31, 2019

Table 5 shows the number of residential allocations provided to local jurisdictions between 2009 and 2019. As of December 31, 2019, there were 406 unused residential allocations that have been released to the jurisdictions and were available for use and 61 residential allocations in the TRPA incentive pool (see "Released Allocations" in Table 4).

Table 5. Residential allocations provided to jurisdictions 2009-2019

TRPA regulates commercial structures in the Tahoe Region by issuing commercial floor area (CFA) and tourist accommodation units (TAUs) to local jurisdictions in accordance with Sections 50.6 and 50.7 of the TRPA Code of Ordinances.

CFA is based on the square footage within the outer wall of a commercial building, not including stairwells and airshafts. Accessory features such as parking areas, driveways, outside stairways, and walkways are not included in the calculation of CFA. CFA is allocated by TRPA through the Regional Plan and local jurisdictions primarily through an adopted area plan or community plan.

As of December 31, 2019, approximately 6.37 million square feet of CFA, or 90 percent of the maximum development potential, is built within the Region. In addition, more than 191,000 square feet of previously existing CFA has been removed, restored, and banked for future use, conversion, or transfer.

Table 6: Commercial floor area accounting as of December 31, 2019

Approximately 65 percent of the existing CFA is in town centers within the Region (Table 7) and 69 percent of existing CFA is on non-sensitive lands. Eighteen percent of CFA is in stream environment zones, mostly commercial properties along the shores of Lake Tahoe. 

Table 7: Existing commercial floor area by land capability and land use district as of December 31, 2019

Under the Regional Plan, new allocations of CFA are made by local jurisdictions based on the availability of CFA in adopted community plan and area plan pools. Additional bonus pools of CFA are held by TRPA and can be used for certain projects that result in significant environmental improvements, such as Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) projects and community enhancement projects. Finally, existing CFA may be banked onsite for use by projects in the future on the same parcel, or for transfers to other parcels.

Table 8 summarizes CFA allocations from local jurisdictions from 2011 through 2019. The City of South Lake Tahoe allocated CFA from its pools for recent redevelopment projects near Stateline and for mixed-use development in the Tahoe Valley Area Plan. In addition, numerous commercial projects have been constructed in recent years using banked and transferred CFA, including the Bijou Marketplace (Whole Foods)/Bijou Park Creek Watershed Project, U-Haul redevelopment, Blue Granite Gym, and Tunnel Creek Café projects.

Table 8. Commercial floor area allocations (in square feet)

Tourist Accommodation Units are defined as units with one or more bedrooms and with or without cooking facilities that are primarily designed to be rented by the day or week and occupied on a temporary basis. TAU bonus units are reserved for special projects that transfer existing units from sensitive lands that have been restored, as incentives for the transfer of existing development to centers, or as incentives for the removal and retirement of excess coverage. 

As of December 31, 2019 (Table 9), there are 11,092 existing TAUs within the Region (including approximately 2,352 private guest rooms associated with Casino properties in Douglas County; and approximately 722 private guest rooms associated with Casino properties in Washoe County), over 89 percent of the maximum development potential for tourist units. In addition, 963 previously existing TAUs have been removed, restored, and banked for future use, conversion, or transfer. These figures include 425 units that have been allocated and/or transferred to permitted projects which are not yet constructed. The approved Boulder Bay project will receive an allocation of 31 TAUs from Washoe County. Additionally, the Boulder Bay and Homewood Mountain Resort projects are approved to receive allocations of 40 units and 50 units respectively from the TRPA Incentive Pool for TAU bonus units (previously the Community Enhancement Program Pool). The approved Tahoe City Lodge project redevelops a previously existing commercial complex into a 118 unit lodge and includes the conversion of commercial floor area to tourist accommodation units. 

Table 9. Tourist accommodation units accounting as of December 31, 2019

Approximately 77 percent of the existing TAUs are in town centers within the Region (Table 7) and 77 percent of existing TAUs are on non-sensitive lands. Fifteen percent of TAUs are in stream environment zones, mostly hotel/resort properties along the shores of Lake Tahoe. More than half of the Region’s TAUs are located in the City of South Lake Tahoe, and more than 83 percent of TAUs are on the South Shore (City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, and Douglas County). 

Table 10. Tourist accommodation units by land capability and land use district as of December 31, 2019

The Regional Plan establishes the rate and distribution of new recreation facilities in the Region using PAOT, or “people at one time,” a measure of recreation capacity for a developed recreation. PAOT are issued and assigned to three categories of facilities: summer day use, winter day use, and overnight use.

The TRPA Code of Ordinances section 50.9 establishes maximum allowances for these categories: 6,114 PAOT in overnight facilities, 6,761 PAOT in summer day-use facilities, and 12,400 PAOT in winter day-use facilities.  To date, approximately 30% of the available PAOT have been assigned and 70% remain unused.

TRPA allocated 168 winter day-use PAOT to Heavenly Ski Resort (under lease with U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit) for the Tamarack area at the top of the Gondola, and 32 Summer Day Use PAOT for a beach recreation use in Incline Village/Washoe County during the reporting period. Table 11 shows PAOT allocations and current balances for each PAOT category. 

Table 11: Cumulative accounting of PAOT

TRPA measures changes in highway traffic with vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and daily vehicle trip ends (DVTE). VMT represents the total miles traveled by vehicles during a given period within the Tahoe Region. In 2018, the most recent year for which traffic modeling data are available, there were an estimated 1,393,994 VMT in the Tahoe Region (see VMT discussion at https://thresholds.laketahoeinfo.org/ThresholdIndicator/Detail/4 in the Air Quality chapter of this evaluation). Trip ends are the total of all trips entering plus all trips exiting a project area during a given period; one daily vehicle trip end is counted each time a vehicle enters or exits a property.

As Table 12 indicates, DVTE and VMT have fluctuated annually during the five-year reporting period. Overall, the change in DVTE and VMT indicate 17,600 more daily trip ends and 80,825 more vehicle miles traveled during the period. 

Table 12.  Change in Daily Vehicle Trip Ends and Vehicle Miles Traveled 2015-2019

Added impervious land coverage for the 2016-2019 reporting period is shown in Table 13. New land coverage in this table was calculated using Water Quality Mitigation fee collection data for TRPA approved projects, including projects approved by local jurisdictions through delegation memorandums of understanding. Water Quality Mitigation fees are based on the amount of new land coverage created by projects. Water Quality Mitigation Funds are then used for Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) projects that improve water quality in local jurisdictions. Examples of water quality projects include placing rock slope protection and planting vegetation along roadways to reduce erosion from barren slopes. Curb and gutters are also installed on main roadways to help control stormwater runoff and protect water quality.

More than $1.9 million in Water Quality Mitigation fees or an average of more than $490,000 per year was collected during this period as in-lieu mitigation for 24.3 acres (average of 6 acres/year) in new coverage in the Region. More than 385 acres of new land coverage were created from 1991 through the end of 2019. This figure does not account for reductions of land coverage for environmental restoration projects or excess land coverage mitigation. 

New land coverage is different from “transferred” and “relocated” land coverage, which is not considered “new” in Chapter 90 of the Code of Ordinances and is not reflected in Table 13 for this reason. Similarly, Table 13 does not account for decreases in land coverage that have occurred due to coverage removal for banking purposes; nor does the table reflect decreases in land coverage that occurred pursuant to TRPA’s excess land coverage mitigation programs included in Chapter 30 of the Code of Ordinances. 

As Table 13 indicates, the amount of new land coverage created from 2011 to 2019 is considerably lower than was added from 1991-2010. This decrease is likely related to the redevelopment of existing structures (which may not require new coverage), the overall economic conditions during the recent periods, and a decrease in developable vacant land in the Region as it approaches “build-out.”

Table 13.  New impervious land coverage acres by evaluation period

Table 14 summarizes placement of impervious cover in theTahoe Region using the Bailey (http://www.trpa.org/wp-content/uploads/Bailey-Land-Capability-Report.pdf) land capability classes. (Refer to data from the Soil Conservation threshold section for impervious coverage in each category.) Based on these findings, impervious coverage in land capability class 1b (SEZ) and class 2 are estimated to exceed allowable coverage limits while all other land capability classes are below the allowable levels. However, the analysis of the SEZ function threshold standard, shows that more than 196 acres of SEZ were restored or enhanced between 2015 and 2019. Eight acres of previously existing land coverage has been removed from stream environment zones lands since 2012 and nearly four acres of coverage has been removed from other sensitive land classes (including class 2) during this period.

Table 14: Total area and estimated impervious cover within each land capability class in 2019.

Water rights in the Tahoe Region are controlled by the Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA, http://www.troa.net/), which was signed on September 6, 2008 and went into effect in December 2015. The TROA formalizes, regulates, and monitors water rights and water use in the Tahoe Region, the Truckee River watershed, and the final outflow areas of Pyramid Lake and the Carson River in Nevada. The agreement mandates permanent water storage amounts, including enough water to cover emergency supplies and droughts.

For the Tahoe Basin, the agreement provides that the total gross diversions for use within the basin in the State of California, from natural sources, including surface and groundwater, and under all water rights shall not exceed 23,000 acre-feet per year, and total gross diversions for use within the basin in the State of Nevada shall not exceed 11,000 acre-feet per year.

The Tahoe Region has numerous public water systems, both large-scale and small-scale (i.e., less than 200 households) systems. In addition, there are many single-use intake lines along Lake Tahoe’s shoreline and wells. The large-scale water and wastewater treatment systems in the Tahoe Region are provided by public utility districts (PUDs) and general improvement districts (GIDs). On the California side of the Region, PUDs may acquire, construct, own, complete, use, and operate a variety of services, including water, electricity, recreational facilities, drainage facilities, street lighting, and fire protection. Similarly, Nevada GIDs oversee the development, maintenance, and use of public facilities such as water and sewer systems, streets and sidewalks, and parks and open space. Since 1968, all wastewater in the Tahoe Region has been treated and pumped out of the Region to avoid discharge into the lake. Districts are bound by service areas and directed through boards created by local governments. The following PUDs and GIDs operate within the Tahoe Region:

The Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA, https://www.yourtahoeplace.com/public-works/water/source-water-protection), formed in 2002, consists of public water suppliers in the Tahoe Region that use Lake Tahoe as their source of drinking water. The 2020 TWSA Annual Report (https://www.yourtahoeplace.com/public-works/water/source-water-protection/documents-links) compiles water quality data and water utility activities for its members. It also provides an annual compilation of regional watershed activities such as research and pollution control programs. TWSA membership includes:

In 2019-2020, TWSA suppliers provided 22,263 service connections, supplying water to approximately 33,347 full-time residents. The average daily water flow for TWSA suppliers ranges from 115,000 gallons per day (gpd) to 2,449,000 gpd. Peak daily water flow ranges from 252,000 gpd to 5,330,000 gpd (TWSA, 2020).

Water demand in the Tahoe Region varies year to year due to changes in resident and/or visitor populations, length of summer growing seasons (for outdoor irrigation), and drought conditions (which can lead to local water restrictions imposed by local utility districts). Water conservation is encouraged by many Lake Tahoe water purveyors. The South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD), for example, provides a lawn turf buy-back program, water-efficient appliance rebates, leak detection assistance, and irrigation efficiency evaluations.

The Porter-Cologne Act in California, and an executive order by the Governor of Nevada dated January 27, 1971, prohibit discharges of domestic, municipal, or industrial wastewaters to Lake Tahoe, its tributaries, groundwater, or the portion of the Truckee River within the Tahoe Region. As a result, Tahoe Region wastewater is generally collected, treated, and discharged to locations outside of the Region in one of the following four sewer export systems:

1. South Tahoe Public Utility District – Wastewater for the City of South Lake Tahoe and unincorporated portions of El Dorado County (south of Emerald Bay) is exported to Alpine County, California, via a sewer export line over Luther Pass (California State Route 89).
2. Douglas County Sewer Improvement District – Wastewater for Douglas County is exported to the Carson Valley in Nevada, via a sewer export line over Daggett Pass (Nevada State Route 207, Kingsbury Grade).
3. Incline Village General Improvement District – Wastewater for Washoe County is exported to the Carson City/Stewart area, Nevada, via a sewer export line over Spooner Summit (U.S. Highway 50).
4. Tahoe City and North Tahoe Public Utility Districts – Wastewater for Placer County and the portion of El Dorado County north of Emerald Bay is exported to the town of Truckee, California, via a sewer export line in the Truckee River Canyon (along California State Route 89).

Exceptions may be granted to discharges under alternative plans (for wastewater disposal authorized by state law and approved by a state agency with appropriate jurisdiction). TRPA may also approve sewage holding tanks or other no-discharge systems in accordance with Subparagraph 60.1.3.C of the TRPA Code of Ordinances as a temporary measure, or as a permanent measure in remote public or private recreation sites, where a sewer system would create excessive adverse environmental impacts.

The California Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Region, has the authority to issue wastewater discharge waivers in the California portion of the Tahoe Region. In Nevada, this authority rests with the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP). Exceptions have been given to cabins in remote summer home tracts on the California side of the Region (including Upper and Lower Echo Lakes, Fallen Leaf Lake, Lily Lake, Glen Alpine, and Emerald Bay). Some summer homes are allowed to discharge “gray water” to leach field systems but are also required to contain and transport “black water” sewage to an approved sewer dump station for treatment in a sewer plant.

Five sewer treatment plants serve the Tahoe Region, each of which exports treated sewage into one of the four export lines noted above. Existing sewage capacity for these plants, including “reserved” capacity, is summarized in Table 15, below. As the table indicates, none of the five Tahoe sewer treatment plants are near total capacity. In discussions with sewer plant officials, all five sewer plants were originally designed for a much larger population than is planned for Lake Tahoe. Excess plant capacity is attributable to regional growth controls, localized population decreases, water conservation efforts, and public purchases of environmentally sensitive lands.

Table 15.  2019 Sewage Disposal Capacity in Millions of Gallons per Day (MGD)

Subparagraph 16.8 of the TRPA Code of Ordinances requires reporting of the value of investments in water quality, air quality, transportation, coverage mitigation programs, and the area of stream environment zone (SEZ) restoration. Table 16 reports balances, contributions to, and expenditures from the various mitigation funds maintained for these purposes from 2015 through 2019.

Table 16: TRPA capital improvement expenditures from 2015-2019

Water Quality Mitigation Funds

The TRPA Water Quality Mitigation Fund provides local jurisdictions with funding to implement water quality improvements, erosion control or stream environment zone restoration projects.  Water Quality Mitigation fees are required to be paid for any new land coverage that is created by projects. 

From July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2019, the Water Quality Mitigation Fund received contributions and interest totaling more than $3.18 million. TRPA allocated Water Quality Mitigation Fund expenditures totaling $2.15 million (Table 16). Of the expenditures, 58 percent were invested in water quality treatments, including erosion control and source runoff improvements, and the implementation of best management practices on developed properties. Forty-two percent was allocated for water quality maintenance and operational support (Table 17).

From July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2019, the Stream Zone Restoration Program received contributions and interest totaling more than $800,000. TRPA approved Stream Zone Restoration Program expenditures and obligations totaling nearly $835,700 during this period (Table 16). Eighty-six percent of these funds were invested in water quality treatments, including erosion control and source runoff improvements, and the implementation of best management practices on developed properties. And 14 percent was allocated for water quality maintenance and operational support (Table 17).

Air Quality Mitigation Fund

The TRPA Air Quality Mitigation Fund offsets the regional and cumulative traffic and air quality impacts of additional development, typically projects that add commercial floor area or otherwise increase daily trips. The funds are distributed to local jurisdictions or the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) for expenditure consistent with the Regional Transportation Plan or 1992 Air Quality Plan, in accordance with Section 65.2.6 of the Code of Ordinances. In general, these mitigation funds are used to build bicycle trails, improve intersections, purchase and operate street sweepers, and enhance public transportation systems.

From July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2019, the Air Quality Mitigation Fund received contributions and interest totaling nearly $1.9 million. TRPA allocated Air Quality Mitigation Fund expenditures totaling $1.87 million during this period (Table 16). Of the funds, 68 percent was invested in pedestrian and bike trails supporting air quality improvements and enhanced recreation. Five percent was invested in roadway improvements and 15 percent was invested in street sweepers. Twelve percent was allocated for water quality maintenance and operational support (Table 17).

Operations and Maintenance Mitigation Fund

The TRPA Operations and Maintenance Fund funds the repair and maintenance of EIP projects, such as bike lane/path restriping or surface repairs, and water quality treatment facility maintenance. It also funds EIP project-related operations of either a one-time or limited duration, such as project effectiveness monitoring, project implementation management, and expanded transit operations. Up to 25 percent of the Air and Water Quality Mitigation Funds received into those accounts above may also be set aside for EIP project/program related administration, operations and maintenance, or effectiveness monitoring expenditures. 

From July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2019, the Operations and Maintenance Fund received contributions and interest totaling more than $928,000. TRPA allocated Operations and Maintenance Fund expenditures totaling more than $613,700 during the period (Table 16). Of the funds, 19 percent was invested in erosion control and source runoff improvements, 63 percent was invested in the operation and maintenance of street sweepers, and 18 percent went to the maintenance and operation of water quality improvements (Table 17).

Excess and Offsite Land Coverage Mitigation Fund

The TRPA Excess Land Coverage Mitigation Fund is established in Subsection 30.6 of the Code of Ordinances and is collected in lieu of on-site or off-site land coverage reductions for projects with excess land coverage. Excess land coverage is the amount of legally created land coverage existing within a project area that exceeds the area’s base allowable land coverage. Excess land coverage can be mitigated several ways: 1) through payment of an excess coverage mitigation fee; 2) by reducing land coverage onsite or offsite; or 3) by expanding the project area.

TRPA provides Excess and Offsite Land Coverage Mitigation Funds to land banks operated by the California Tahoe Conservancy (Conservancy) and Nevada Division of State Lands (NDSL) for land coverage/impervious surface reduction. Land banks reduce land coverage by purchasing and deed restricting vacant parcels with development potential, or purchasing covered properties and removing the coverage. Reducing land coverage has been demonstrated to improve water quality and habitat quality because it allows water to infiltrate the soil rather than flow directly into surface waters and allows for the re-establishment of native vegetation important for wildlife.

From July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2019, incoming contributions and interest for the Excess Land Coverage Mitigation Fund totaled more than $4.4 million. TRPA allocated more than $2.1 million from the Excess Land Coverage Mitigation Fund to the land banks during the period (Table 16). 

TRPA collects mitigation fees for projects approved by the agency or one of its partners (through memoranda of understanding) in place of physical mitigation incorporated into approved projects. Priority for release of “in-lieu” mitigation funds is given to restoration projects or capital improvement needs listed in the Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) in accordance with Chapter 15 of the TRPA Code of Ordinances. The types of projects that were allocated these funds between 2015 and 2019 are listed in Table 17 for each mitigation category.

Table 17: Project type by mitigation fund source (percent of funds expended and obligated)

Shorezone Mitigation Funds

Mitigation fees collected for certain shorezone projects fund assessments of existing or potential impacts of shorezone structures, restoration within the shorezone, or fish habitat restoration projects (Subparagraph 84.11, Code of Ordinances). Currently, there is approximately $100,000 in this fund.

Rental Car Mitigation Fund

The Rental Car Mitigation Program in Chapter 65.4 of the Code of Ordinances assists in achieving and maintaining air and water quality threshold standards. TRPA collects and transfers the funds to the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) when it finds that the expenditure is consistent with the Regional Transportation Plan and Air Quality Plan (RTP-AQP 1992). The TTD primarily uses these funds to support public transportation systems and TTD administration. Revenue and expenses for the TRPA Rental Car Mitigation Program from fiscal years 2015 to 2019 are summarized in Table 18. The net differences between revenues and expenses are related to the timing of the receipt of funds and subsequent distributions to TTD.    

Table 18:  Rental car mitigation fee revenue and expenses (by fiscal year, in dollars).