Planning commission approves Tahoe Cider Company redesign, allocates 1,033 sq ft of commercial floor area

The City of South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission approved a major design review, a TRPA permit and the allocation and transfer of 1,033 square feet of commercial floor area to allow the Tahoe Cider Company to redevelop and expand an existing commercial building at 2280 Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

Gretchen Skullman, an assistant planner with the City of South Lake Tahoe, told commissioners that the applicant, Ted Brown of Tahoe Cider Company LLC, requested the transfer to accommodate a cider production area, storage, a tap room and limited food service. Skullman said the project would reduce on-site coverage to about 15,579 square feet, add sidewalks and landscaping, and is consistent with the Tahoe Valley Area Plan (TVAP) and the city’s scenic corridor guidance. She said a TRPA mobility mitigation fee is required for the change of use.

The project site, Skullman said, is bordered by Lake Tahoe Boulevard, Winnamaka Avenue and Barden Avenue and sits adjacent to a transit stop. Because the site is within a half-mile of that stop, the project qualifies for a 25% TVAP parking reduction; staff said the applicant proposes 18 parking spaces and that this meets the reduced standard (the code requirement without the reduction would be 20 spaces). Skullman recommended approval of the major design review, TRPA permit and the CFA allocation and transfer.

Applicant representatives and the project’s designer described operational and technical details. Designer Joseph Ward said a structural engineer is evaluating the existing garage roof and that new construction will be engineered to meet current codes. The applicant described delivery operations (a delivery truck expected roughly once a month using the lower lot/garage), storage and a mobile canning arrangement. The team said the production area includes three 30-barrel fermentation tanks and a fourth tank that can be used for fermentation and as a bright tank; the applicant characterized the facility as a small production site intended primarily to supply the tap room with possible local distribution.

Public comment included concerns about traffic and winter safety from a nearby long-time property owner. Oie Olsen, who said they own property across the street, told the commission: “It’s been a huge traffic situation right there,” and described summertime cut-through traffic, difficulty turning left onto the highway, accidents near Barton and Winnamaka and snow-plow constraints that limit where snow can be placed. Commissioners and staff responded that the project would relocate the lower driveway further from Lake Tahoe Boulevard, add curbs, striping and signage and that improving driveway definition should help reduce conflicts; they considered, but did not impose, a right-turn-only condition out of concern about shifting traffic into adjacent neighborhoods.

Commissioners also asked technical questions about the roof, snow loads and outdoor amenities; project representatives said the retained masonry (CMU) portion facing the upper lot will be painted to match new siding on the Lake Tahoe Boulevard facade, the patio will use pavers and include two elevated fire pits, and that mechanical equipment will not be placed on the existing low-slope roof. The staff report and presentation made clear the on-site coverage would be reduced and that sidewalk construction in the city right-of-way is a condition of the permit package.

A motion to find the project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Section 15302 (Class 2), to approve major design review permit DR25-00002, TRPA permit DR25-00002 and the allocation and transfer of 1,033 square feet of commercial floor area was moved and seconded; the motion carried. The transcript records the motion and that it "carries," but does not record a roll-call tally.

With the approvals, staff may proceed with related permit processing and coordination with TRPA and public works as required by the conditioned permits. The commission closed the hearing and staff announced there will be no meeting in July; the next scheduled meeting is August 21.