New trails coming to Placer County paid by transient occupancy tax

New trails and more coming to eastern Placer County
​March 09, 2016
The Placer County Board of Supervisors voted to fund 11 new projects in eastern Placer County to continue Tahoe’s tradition of being a world-class place to live, work and play.

The new projects, ranging from trail restoration to a new ice skating rink, will be grant funded with $2.2 million from eastern Placer County transient occupancy tax revenues and not from the county taxpayer’s general fund.

“I love these projects and how they cover the entire region of eastern Placer County,” said District 5 Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery. “I also love how the transient occupancy tax is returned back to the community in the form of preserving Tahoe’s natural beauty while creating new and exciting opportunities for all to enjoy."

The transient occupancy tax is a rental tax paid by guests for short-term rentals up to 30 days. Because Placer County draws visitors from around the world, it is essential to balance the costs and benefits of tourism and help preserve our communities and quality of life.

The grants will be awarded to various project implementers, including Placer County’s Department of Public Works and Facilities, Tahoe City Public Utility District, Northstar Community Service District, Sierra Business Council, Donner Summit Business Association, and Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows.

The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association is contracted by the county to provide recommendations on tourist-serving capital projects and transportations, as well as provide marketing and visitor information services.

With this investment, NLTRA and Placer County have crossed the mark of $33 million in investments and leveraged over $220 million worth of other dollars for reinvestment in the visitor’s experience as well as improved quality of life for eastern Placer County residents.

The 11 new projects are:

• Truckee River Trail restoration
  The project will strengthen and improve various reaches of the Truckee River Trail between 64-acres Park and the entrance of Squaw Valley Resort.
  
  
• Tahoe City ice rink
  Establishes a seasonal ice skating rink in the Tahoe City Public Utility District's Winter Sports Park, scheduled to open for the 2016-2017 winter season.
  
  
• Truckee River access trail (funds environmental document preparation for the project)
  The project will connect the north end of the existing shared-use trail at Squaw Valley Road north to the Placer County line at the Town of Truckee near West River Street. The total trail distance is about eight miles.
  
  
• Tahoe City mobility improvements (funds environmental document preparation for the project)
  The project will improve the lakeside shared use trail connection between Commons Beach and Fanny Bridge, parking and pedestrian access to Tahoe City’s downtown business core and pedestrian crossing facilities.
  
  
• Squaw Valley bike trail and staging area rehabilitation
  The project finalizes the rehabilitation of the asphalt surfaces of the Squaw Valley bike trail and the trail staging area located within Squaw Valley Park.
  
  
• North Tahoe shared-use trail (funds environmental document preparation for the project)
  Facilitates permitting of a trail connection between the Cedar Flat neighborhood and the North Tahoe Regional Park. The project extends the multi-use trail network in eastern Placer County by 6 miles, linking residential, commercial and recreational uses.
  
  
• Tahoe Truckee Area Regional Transit bus shelter
  Provides an attractive, durable and protective bus shelter for transit riders along the Tahoe Truckee Area Regional Transit route in the eastern Placer County region. The smart shelter uses GPS technology giving transit riders real-time bus arrival information.
  
  
• Water trailway interpretive signage
  Signage will provide useful water safety and resource conservation tips, as well as navigable paddle routes and distances to locate public beach access to shoreline businesses, nearby hiking trails, historic sites, lodging and campgrounds at six public launch landing areas within the eastern Placer County region.
  
  
• Martis Valley trail design and construction
  The project will provide a 9-mile, 10-foot-wide. multipurpose trail connecting Northstar Village to the Town of Truckee, and ultimately the Tahoe Basin.
  
  
• Solar-powered message boards
  Installs a solar-powered message board at Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, providing traffic updates, wildfire alerts, avalanche hazards, snow removal activity, mountain conditions and parking conditions,
  
  
• Historic Donner Summit Gateway welcome sign and visitor kiosk
  The project implements the first of two phases to install a welcome sign and visitor kiosk at the historic Donner Summit Gateway. 

Previous projects funded by the transient occupancy tax include:

• Commons Beach restoration;
• Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project;
• Kings Beach Community House;
• Snow Creek wetlands restoration;
• Tahoe City Transit Center; and
• Tahoe pedestrian safety program

Completed and additional future projects funded by the transient occupancy tax include:

• Dollar Creek shared-use trail:
• King Road safety improvement:
• Northstar/Martis Valley community multipurpose trail:
• State Route 89/Fanny Bridge revitalization; and
• Truckee River corridor access plan

Check out other exciting projects happening around Placer County by visiting Placer County’s website here. ​
To see the complete article GO HERE.