TRPA seeks expressions of interest (RFEOI) in a 2.5- to 3-year project to build racial and social equity and climate considerations into key TRPA policies, while simultaneously building community and regional agency capacity to meaningfully engage on planning and implementation policy and programming, increasing community resiliency and inclusivity. This project includes community engagement, capacity building, policy and code assessment and update, environmental analysis, and dissemination of results.

Introduction: The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency was awarded a Higher Impact Transformative grant in the amount of $2.4 million in July of 2023. This grant is part of the State of California's Regional Early Action Program (REAP) 2.0, administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. The funding provides planning and implementation dollars to cities, counties, and regional governments to build sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities that are inclusive and take measurable strides toward reducing vehicle miles traveled.

Through the HIT grant, TRPA and regional partners will:

1. Transform Tahoe's transfer of development rights (TDR) and growth management programs to address equity, climate change impacts, and housing choice and affordability;
2. Develop an environmental clearance approval process for infill multi-family development that supports housing supply, choice, and affordability;
3. Build community and regional agency capacity to meaningfully engage on planning and implementation policy and programming, increasing community resiliency and inclusivity; and
4. Disseminate results throughout the region and the state.

TRPA will seek a consultant team or individual consultants to complete the major deliverables of the grant application (see Attachments A and B at the link provided). Note that the final budget for this project may differ from the amount listed in the grant application, as some funds may be added to support supplemental tasks, and a portion of the HIT-granted funds will be reserved for TRPA staffing purposes and possible provision of other resources, such as software and web-based tools.

Agency and Project Background: High in the Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe is one of the world's largest, deepest, and clearest mountain lakes. Renowned throughout the world, Lake Tahoe is federally protected as an Outstanding National Resource Water. The region, part of the ancestral lands of the Washoe Tribe, now attracts nearly 15 million visitors every year, especially from the growing Bay Area and Sacramento metropolitan areas. The economic effects of growing visitation, coupled with increased impacts from climate change, threaten Lake Tahoe's diverse community and valued environment. To encourage conservation of the waters and area in and around Lake Tahoe, the United States Congress and the States of California and Nevada established the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) through the Bi-State Compact in 1969 and as amended subsequently (Public Law 96-551). As a bistate regional environmental planning agency, TRPA has land use planning authority over the area within Lake Tahoe's watershed (the Tahoe basin). TRPA's jurisdiction straddles the California and Nevada border, and consists of portions of five counties, one incorporated city, and more than 40,000 private properties. TRPA also serves as the Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the region and thus has a unique combination of regional land use and transportation planning authority.

To protect, preserve and enhance Lake Tahoe for both the residents and visitors to the region, TRPA has adopted some of the strictest environmental protections in the United States.

This project will build on TRPA's more than 50 years of experience with two key regulatory systems: the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) and growth management programs. These programs accomplished important environmental goals of restoring sensitive lands and slowing the loss of lake clarity, but there have also been unintended consequences, such as an increase in the development of large, vacation-oriented luxury homes to the near-exclusion and even demolition of low and moderate income housing types. Those who work in Lake Tahoe find it increasingly difficult to live in the basin.

The project will draw from substantial existing work within the Tahoe basin and lessons learned from other regions. As a watershed with a complexity of jurisdictions and interests, the Tahoe region can serve as a model for other areas seeking to integrate conservation, housing, and equity to promote regional prosperity for all.

Additional Background

Transportation Equity Study. TRPA recently completed the region's first ever Transportation Equity Study to develop equity-based transportation and engagement policies to better serve Lake Tahoe's communities. The TRPA Governing Board endorsed the slate of policies for inclusion in the next Regional Transportation Plan. Proposed policies and actions from the study are also intended to improve TRPA's engagement and outreach practices throughout the agency. These recommendations should be carried forward and expanded upon in this project. More information at: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c0b3a4f9e9ca403bbb7ad81560a6c661.

Tahoe Living Housing and Community Revitalization Working Group. In 2020, the TRPA Governing Board appointed a 20-member working group called the "Tahoe Living Housing and Community Revitalization Working Group." This working group is a committee of the TRPA's Advisory Planning Commission (APC) and has advised staff on two phases of housing-related code updates since 2020, including code updates related to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and development standards for multi-family development and ADUs. This group includes representatives from different agencies, organizations, and community-based organizations with an interest in and/or specific expertise in housing issues in the Tahoe region. The group includes representatives from local government, the TRPA Governing Board, affordable housing developers, contractors, social service organizations, public lands managers, community land trusts, the environmental community, large employers, real estate, and community collaboratives. This group will also provide input on this project throughout the process. More information can be found at https://www.trpa.gov/tahoe-livinghousing-and-community-revitalization-working-group-2/

For more information on submittal requirements, please visit: https://www.trpa.gov/contact/request-for-proposals/