Board of Adjustment approves three Tahoe-area special use permits with conditions

The Washoe County Board of Adjustment on Wednesday approved three special use permits for residential projects in the Tahoe Area Plan, granting permits for a new 5,304-square-foot Lakeshore Boulevard house (WSUP25-2), a parking-deck rebuild and storage conversion on Teresa Court (WSUP25-3), and a remodel on Bridge Court (WSUP25-4), each with the conditions listed in staff reports.

Staff planner Trevor Lloyd of Washoe County Planning and Building told the board the Tahoe Area Plan currently requires special use permits for certain residential work and that staff is working to remove that requirement in a future plan update. “This is very unique. We don't have this anywhere in the county,” Lloyd said as he introduced the items.

The projects approved were described in the staff reports as follows: demolition of an existing dwelling at 1713 Lakeshore Boulevard and construction of a 5,304-square-foot residence with a connected garage; refurbishment of an existing parking deck at 490 Teresa Court with a storage area under the deck; and a non-footprint-expanding exterior remodel and deck adjustments at 17683 Bridge Court. Staff found the required development-code findings for each application and recommended approval with the conditions included in exhibit A for each case.

Questions from board members focused on site-specific issues. Board member Kathy Julian asked about a partially abandoned right-of-way connected to Lakeshore Boulevard; Corinne Hoida, the applicant’s land-use consultant with Basin Strategies, confirmed a 20-foot portion had been abandoned while a 30-foot portion remained and that the proposed building would not encroach on the remaining right-of-way. For the parking-deck project in Crystal Bay, staff recommended two additional conditions because the property sits in a moderate avalanche zone: (1) execution of a hold-harmless/indemnification agreement prior to building permit issuance acknowledging avalanche risk, and (2) compliance with the natural-hazards provisions of Washoe County Code Section 110.2220.125; the applicant said the hold‑harmless requirement was standard and acceptable.

Board member Peter Gishon moved approval of the Lakeshore Boulevard special use permit “after giving reasoned consideration to the information contained in the staff report and information received during the public hearing,” citing the five findings set out in Washoe County Code; Leo Harishni seconded. The motion passed. Similar motions were offered and passed for the Teresa Court and Bridge Court permits; each motion referenced the staff report findings and the exhibit A conditions required by staff.

Public comment on these items was minimal: no speakers appeared in chambers or on Zoom for these projects. Notices were mailed to nearby owners for each permit as required by code (80 parcels noticed for the Lakeshore proposal; 48 for the Crystal Bay application; 342 for the Bridge Court remodel). The staff reports documented reviews of potential natural hazards (flood, seismic, avalanche, wildfire, landslide and tsunami/ seiche) and included relevant agency approvals where applicable (for example, TRPA approval for the Lakeshore project was noted in the staff packet).

By approving the permits, the board authorized staff to proceed with the conditions listed in each exhibit A; the approvals were recorded by voice vote during the hearing.