The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Mountain Area Preservation (MAP) have reached a settlement agreement over a lawsuit brought by MAP against affordable housing policies approved by the TRPA Governing Board in December 2023. The litigation aimed to block new land use policies in the Lake Tahoe Region that combined incentives for water quality, transportation, and workforce housing improvements.
According to the settlement agreement, MAP will join other organizations on the Tahoe Living Working Group, which TRPA formed in 2020 to advise on housing policies.
“We look forward to engaging Mountain Area Preservation in a more productive dialogue along with the full range of stakeholders,” said TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan. “We must keep the Tahoe Basin moving forward to address an affordable housing crisis that is impacting Lake Tahoe’s environment and marginalizing members of our community who deserve to live and work here. Resort communities everywhere are facing similar challenges, but we have proven over the years that environmental protection and community revitalization can go hand-in-hand.”
“We are satisfied that the settlement supports the Governing Board’s decision and shows that TRPA’s high environmental standards can be maintained while advancing more affordable and workforce housing projects,” said TRPA General Counsel John Marshall. “Across the nation, we are seeing important environmental laws being leveraged to block equitable housing policies. Fortunately, the MAP litigation was short-lived and the agency is able to apply its time and resources to the important work of modernizing land-use policies.”
TRPA has initiated a new phase of housing policy work and seeks additional perspectives on the Tahoe Living Working Group. According to the settlement agreement, MAP will be invited to join other organizations on this working group.
“We are pleased to have reached a settlement that paves the way for more inclusive and equitable housing policies in the Lake Tahoe Basin,” said TRPA Board Chair and Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson. “Moving these critical policy updates forward will help us support our region’s local workforce. The agreement underscores our commitment to addressing the housing needs of our community while preserving the natural beauty and environmental integrity of Lake Tahoe.”
