City of South Lake Tahoe Initiates Heavenly Annexation, Community Reacts

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The City Council of South Lake Tahoe has initiated proceedings for the annexation of parcels incorporating the Heavenly area, a move that has been in discussion for about a year and a half. The decision was made during their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

The primary reason for this annexation is to provide more efficient public services to the area, which is geographically isolated from habitable portions of El Dorado County. The city aims to receive tax revenue to support services such as snow removal and road maintenance for the roads accessing the annexation area.

The annexation involves 30 parcels totaling 2,800 acres, with a majority held in public ownership and some privately owned. The city has pre-zoned these parcels and amended the city’s General Plan Land Use Diagram to incorporate the parcels’ zoning, which includes conservation, recreation, or resort recreation. However, these zoning changes will not take effect until the annexation is approved.

Community members have expressed concerns over the changes, particularly regarding parking arrangements. The cancellation of the parking agreement with Heavenly Resort has raised issues about overflow parking, with some community members suggesting that Heavenly should be allowed to plow the streets during winter to facilitate bus access to the mountains.

The next steps include approving the second reading of the pre-zoning ordinance at the Nov. 19 council meeting and negotiating a tax-sharing agreement with El Dorado County. This process is expected to take several months before the annexation application is submitted to the El Dorado County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) for approval.