There were several items on the agenda that drove a series of public comments, but none more so than the mobility hub being proposed at the old elementary school at 771 Southwood Blvd.
This mobility hub has been a hot topic for years. The general feeling from the comments being shared online and in the room, was that residents would like better bus access to help locals get around the Basin that does not include more tourist parking options within the Incline Village and Crystal Bay boundaries. That message doesn’t seem to be getting through to the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD).
Tonight TTD shared they have whittled the prospective list of locations down from nine locations to four, with the elementary school location seemingly at the top of their list. The locations being considered are:
- Former Incline Elementary School at 771 Southwood Blvd.
- The old Ponderosa Ranch property on Highway 28
- Washoe County Sheriff Sub-Station at 625 Mt. Rose Hwy
- The University of Nevada Reno campus at 999 Tahoe Blvd
Community members reiterated their claims this school location is hazardous – there is asbestos present in the existing buildings, there is a possibility of oil contaminants, and this location sits atop a geological hazard (fault line). The property is also located across from high-density housing full of school-age children.
When asked about the old Ponderosa Ranch property, the location that seems to make the most sense, TTD admitted that Mr. Duffield, the property owner, has no interest in selling and/or granting use of this property for the mobility hub, so there was some confusion in the room about why this was still on their consideration list. No one from TTD seemed to have an answer.
Back to the elementary school … Capital Program Manager, Jim Marino, noted the TTD acquired the grant used to purchase the old elementary school as a potential mobility hub location through Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) and with this grant funding, they have to go through screening to see which locations are feasible.
They reviewed all nine original locations and ran them through a feasibility score that was made up of the following:
- Transit system: How close where the location is to existing transportation elements like bike paths, other bus routes, etc.
- Transit propensity: Where this might be located in relevance to people who would use it.
- Recreation access: How close it would be to widely used amenities like hiking, biking, skiing, swimming.
- Key destination: Proximity to town centers, community centers.
- Walkability
- Bikeability
- Road safety: Crash data with respect to transportation (it was noted during the meeting that the corner of Southwood and Highway 28 where this would be located is one of the most hazardous in Incline Village)
- Property size: It has to be large for parking, ease of access, amenities to support the mobility hub
- Land ownership: How easy is it to get the land? The will not use eminent domain here, it has to be willfully gotten.
- Zoning
- Environmental constraints
- Hazmat
- Topography: Need a flat site for buses and riders to get and out easily
- Access to existing infrastructure: Electrical, plumbing, existing buildings
Now that they have reduced the list to 3-4 locations, they plan to do traffic studies and other research to get it down to their preferred location. TTD stated their primary goal is to connect communities around Tahoe and reduce the number of vehicle miles driven around the Basin by 20% – not the bring visitors into the basin. However, in the same breathe they admitted that they know this will bring more cars into the mobility hub from non-residents and they will have no way to prevent this. This was another area of concern for residents in that the roads in and around Incline Village and Crystal Bay are already congested during the summer months and adding more buses into the mix was not expected to decrease that volume as much as TTD would expect.
They also acknowledged the shuttering of the mobility hub committee as the team felt the rigidness of the program and open meeting law at meetings negatively impacted the dialogue around the project. They also admitted that communications with the various communities has been weak at best over the past couple of years, and they are working on a new outreach plan with the goal to get more residents and businesses engaged to drive more dialogue.
As a way to potentially temper some of the anger and concern in the room, the TTD team did note that the FTA grant does provide exit options for properties that are determined to not be feasible as a mobility hub. If that were to happen at the elementary school, the TTD could choose to donate it or sell it and then give the money back to FTA. This seemed to calm some folks down, but most realize the elementary school is where TTD wants this mobility hub, and not much is going to stop them from the looks of it. It is all part of the Lake Tahoe Transit Master Plan.
Washoe County Commissioner, Alexis Hill, joined the meeting over Zoom tonight and tried to dispel some of the rumors around the “water taxi” landing on the shores of Incline Village’s private beaches. While this is noted on page 68 of the Master Plan, Hill noted this was no longer being discussed as a feasible option due to the restricted access and they will be looking at another location on the north shore.
Hill also shared that the 2024 strategic plan for Washoe County was focusing on mental health and our seniors. They are also working on new and/or updated rules for e-bikes in and around the Basin. More updates on that to come in the next meeting.
Other items discussed tonight:
PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATES
North Lake Tahoe Fire District Chief Ryan Sommers gave a short update:
- The window to request chipping and defensible space inspections has now closed.
- They began prescribed fire projects near Ponderosa Ranch Road.
- They have started prepping for winter operations.
Tonight we also met Valley Division Patrol Commander Captain Brandon Zirkle. He has stepped in to oversee Incline Village and Crystal Bay following the recent retirement of Captain Blaine Beard.
Captain Zirkle was pleased to report that crime was mostly down across our Village with the exception of car burglaries. He recommended that residents take extra caution to lock our car doors and not leave valuables in them.
He also spoke about the new e-bike program that will officially launch in the spring as a way to improve and expand patrol, especially around the East Shore Trail area. They know e-bikes are becoming more common and they have created some hazards on paths shared with walkers and regular bike riders. Deputies will begin to work with and educate Incline Village area bike rental businesses on local laws and begin conducting education and enforcement of those riding their e-bikes on trails and sidewalks under Washoe County Code 95.365:
- Only “pedal assist” e-bikes are allowed on trails and sidewalks, no “all throttle” bikes.
- On streets, e-bikes are allowed to go up to 25 mph, and they should adhere to all the rules of the public roadways.
- Reminder: walkers do have right of way over bikers on paths.
The CAB hopes to have a dedicated e-bike discussion in either the December or January meeting to dive into this topic further.
PRESENTATION FROM CAB TO WASHOE COUNTY COMMISSION
CAB Member Roxanna Dunn provided an update on the draft presentation regarding the top issues/concerns of Incline Village and Crystal Bay residents that will be presented to each of the commissioners during one on one meetings.
A key area of concern noted in the presentation is around TRPA’s desire to drive more density along the Highway 28 corridor as it seems counterintuitive to the needs of a community who is already concerned with how residents and tourists will be able to evacuate in case of an emergency. Comments were made about developing a robust emergency communications plan – not just residents, but tourists as well – and getting Washoe County to realize that an evacuation plan built for Washoe County residents in Reno is not the same as creating an evacuation plan for Washoe County residents who live in Incline Village and Crystal Bay.
There is more work to do to solidify the stats provided in the presentation, but it seems Dunn has done a good job in putting pen to paper to keep this conversation moving along. We look forward to seeing how this progresses over the next couple of months.
NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT HUB
There were no updates on this topic.
CAB SCHEDULE 2024
Meetings will now be held on the 4th Monday of every month for the Incline Village/Crystal Bay CAB meetings in 2024.