By Annie Flanzraich

Sierra Sun

KINGS BEACH, Calif. — Before deciding on a change to allow more affordable housing in Kings Beach, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board and staff Wednesday will get an up close look at the area.

A walking tour through the community, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will come before the board's discussion to change language of the Kings Beach Community Plan.

TRPA staff is requesting the governing board make three amendments in support of an affordable housing project that Domus Development, out of San Francisco, is working on as part of the agency's Community Enhancement Program.

Proposed changes include: expanding the plan's boundary to add two parcels to the project, deleting a policy that would limit the incentives of commercial uses on another parcel in the area and creating a landscaping buffer along some of the parcels.

TRPA's Advisory Planning Committee unanimously voted to support the changes at its meeting earlier this month.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe has argued that expanding the boundary line could set a precedent for now and the future TRPA regional plan that could result in boundaries being pushed further and further into rural lands.

Read more about the proposed development online at www.tahoebonanza.com/domusdevelopment.

Twitter coverage

Follow reporter Annie Flanzraich as she walks Kings Beach with the TRPA Governing Board members through twitter @northtahoenews. If you have a question, direct message her and she'll get the answers.

You can also view love coverage of Wednesday's meeting at the North Tahoe Conference Center at tahoebonanza.com/TRPAJuly.

For more information and a meeting agenda visit trpa.org.

Environmental Improvement Program

The governing board, which begins meeting at 8 a.m., Wednesday at the North Tahoe Conference Center in Kings Beach, will review the 10-year, $1.5 billion plan to restore Lake Tahoe, and could vote to support it.

“We're looking to launch the next period of investment in the broad restoration of the lake, and in order to do that, we need to get buy in from both states, the federal government, private sector and local governments,” said TRPA Spokesman Dennis Oliver.

According to the Environmental Improvement Program, funding targets for proposes capital programs total $1.5 billion. The projects focus on six areas: watersheds, habitat and water quality; forest management; air quality and transportation; recreation and scenic resources; applied sciences and program support.