When the League decided to support the 2012 Regional Plan Update for the Lake Tahoe Basin, one of the most compelling reasons was the new plan’s emphasis on driving environmental restoration through private, lake-friendly redevelopment. Five years later, construction is underway at the first such commercial redevelopment site in South Lake Tahoe’s tourist core.

The new Bijou Park Creek Watershed Restoration Project is located at the southeast corner of Ski Run Boulevard and U.S. Highway 50, and includes the site of the former Knights Inn. Much of the lot sits atop Bijou Creek, which runs through an aging and deteriorating underground pipe. As part of the redevelopment, underground sections of Bijou Creek will be restored back to daylight. The project will also result in improve stormwater management around the creek, which will help protect the clarity of Lake Tahoe.

The commercial redevelopment replaces an aging motel with a new grocery store and other retail and restaurant space.

The League would like to see more private projects move forward with environmental restoration components. In particular, it would be ideal to see creative projects that retire older development outside Tahoe’s center with the redevelopment to occur in our communities’ downtown neighborhoods.