KINGS BEACH, CALIF. -- Placer County continues to work to obtain approval of environmental documents for the Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project. The project, which will transform and upgrade the 1.1-mile stretch of State Highway 28 through downtown Kings Beach, has been in the works for almost a decade.
Last March, the Placer County Department of Public Works released a 1,800-page public draft environmental document on the project. The release of that document began a 60-day comment period during which the county held numerous workshops to educate the public about the four alternatives presented in the plan and begin building community consensus on favored alternatives.
The public comment period ended June 18, 2007 and resulted in 500 pages of comments. Public Works' responses to the public comments filled 250 additional pages. This response to comments was submitted by Placer County to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on July 31, 2007. A completed review by all the Agencies is anticipated by the end of the year. After receiving agency response, Public Works will then incorporate all comments and responses into a final environmental document.
The final environmental document will then be presented to the Placer County Board of Supervisors. At that time Public Works will recommend a preferred project alternative. Should the Supervisors approve the environmental document, TRPA, Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration would all have to give approval for the project to proceed.
The Department of Public Works will give an update on the project to the Board of Supervisors at their Oct. 23, 2007 meeting at Kings Beach although there will be no action taken on the project.