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The northern elevation of a luxury project proposed for the site of the former Stateline Wells Fargo.
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STATELINE, Nev. — A luxury, mixed use development across from the new events center at Stateline was recently approved by Tahoe planners.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency last week approved with a 9-5 vote a mixed-use residential and commercial project called Latitude 39, from developers PCS Stateline LLC, that will be constructed at the former Wells Fargo bank. 

The project includes the construction of seven stories, two levels of which will be underground, 40 residential condominiums, rooftop access, two levels of parking, entry-level amenities and a public commercial restaurant and bar space, and will replace a large parking lot and the former bank located at 110 Lake Parkway. 

The item was initially slated for the TRPA’s consent calendar, but was moved to discussion when it was noticed that the total predicted vehicle miles traveled came in just two miles lower than the threshold for VMT established in the Tahoe Regional Plan. 

“We’ve made great progress, but we still have many challenges in front of us, and I think this project really illustrates some of them,” said TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan. “As you will hear in the presentation … it’s time for TRPA to really take a hard look at our land use policies … and looking forward at the next 50 years, how can we adjust our land use policies to incentivize the type of projects act we want to see.” 

Plenty of positives about the project were mentioned, including that it falls in line perfectly with the Tahoe Regional Plan by promoting infill redevelopment in a town center, that will promote walkable and bikeable area and microtransit. 

“It’s also an example of how a project can meet TRPA standards, but not necessarily advance all of the goals of the Regional Plan such as affordable housing,” said Regan. 

There was many concerns raised by governing board members regarding the VMT study, which did not specifically require staff to determine the miles traveled by those who will be commuting to work in the area and those visiting short term rentals that could potentially be in the residential units. 

There will be no employee housing or affordable housing designated for this project, as it was not required by the TRPA or Douglas County. It was pointed out by the developer’s representative Lew Feldman that due to lack of financial incentive from either Douglas County or an affordable housing project itself, there were no plans for that type of housing in the development. 

There will be an employee shuttle provided, along with a donation of $10,000 a year in perpetuity for microtransit from the developers in order to help mitigate miles traveled for traffic. Developers also worked with TRPA to mitigate the VMT and environmental impacts. 

It was agreed upon that there are some holes in the VMT analysis requirements from the TRPA, and the Latitude 39 development should not be penalized for following the rules given to them. 

“I think [the proposal] is a pleasant combination of a lot of important and useful mitigations,” said Carson City Representative Shelly Aldean. “I think they should be applauded for that.” 

While some board members disagreed and thought the project needed to be brought back to TRPA staff for more analysis, the board ultimately voted to approve the project with the understanding that more workshops need to be done on the threshold analysis formulas regarding VMT. 

To watch the entire meeting, visit http://www.trpa.gov/governing-board-documents-december-14-2022-hybrid-meeting.