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Transient occupancy taxes to fund new trails, transit system upgrades and more in eastern Placer County

February 21, 2017

The Placer County Board of Supervisors voted today to fund 14 new projects in eastern Placer County to improve amenities for visitors and residents alike.

The new projects, ranging from trail restoration to transit system improvements, will be grant funded with $2 million from eastern Placer County transient occupancy tax revenues, with no cost to the county general fund.

"From Donner Summit to Kings Beach, the TOT grants reflect a wide diversity of projects, people and interests,” said Board Chairwoman and District 5 Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery. “It's great to be able to use public tax dollars for on-the-ground projects that support our visitors and our local residents. Placer County is delighted to partner with our local communities for good, thoughtful projects."

The transient occupancy tax is a rental tax paid by guests for short-term rentals up to 30 days. Because Placer County draws visitors from around the world, it is essential to balance the costs and benefits of tourism and help preserve our communities and quality of life.

The grants will be awarded to various project implementers, including Placer County’s Department of Public Works and Facilities, Tahoe City Public Utility District, Northstar Community Service District, Tahoe Public Art, Tahoe Cross Country Ski Education Association, Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association, Truckee North Tahoe Transportation Management Association, Donner Summit Legacy and Squaw Valley Ski Museum Foundation.

With this investment, Placer County has crossed the mark of $35 million in investments and leveraged over $220 million worth of other dollars for reinvestment in the visitor experience as well as improved quality of life for eastern Placer County residents.

The 14 new projects are:

  • Truckee River Trail restoration: This project will strengthen and improve various reaches of the Truckee River Trail between 64-acres Park and the entrance of Squaw Valley Resort.

  • Kings Beach Roundabout art: The Tahoe Public Art Project supports the creation and installation of artwork in the Kings Beach roundabouts.

  • Historic Schilling Ski Lodge development planning: This project supports the reconstruction of the historic West Shore Schilling Lodge for use as a cross country ski lodge.

  • Martis Valley/Northstar trail segments design and construction: This project supports the creation of a paved, multipurpose recreation trail connecting the Northstar Village to the Town of Truckee and ultimately the Tahoe Basin, as well as existing paved and unpaved trails along its route.

  • North Lake Tahoe mountain bike trail wayfinding signage:  This project will create various signage and informational kiosks for trailheads and trail intersections in North Lake Tahoe. Printed maps will also be produced to better guide the region's trail users.

  • Bike and transit user website upgrade:  This project will upgrade North Lake Tahoe’s regional transit website to integrate an interactive map highlighting all Tahoe Truckee Area Regional Transit routes and the North Lake Tahoe paved trail network.

  • Historic Donner Summit gateway visitor kiosk: This project supports site preparation and construction of the Historic Donner Summit welcome sign and visitor kiosk.

  • Northstar directional wayfinding sign: This project supports the purchase and installation of a wayfinding sign on state Route 267 between Kings Beach and Truckee at the bottom of Northstar Drive to assist visitors leaving the resort.

  • Northstar programmable message boards: This project supports the design and installation of two programmable message boards to assist with wayfinding and communication of community information. The first message board will be permanently located at the roundabout on Northstar Drive at Castle Peak parking lot entrance and Ridgeline Drive. The second message board is a portable system that will be moved to direct traffic and provide information to visitors.

  • Memorial Overland Emigrant Trail: This project will help recreate a section of the Overland Emigrant Trail between Donner Memorial State Park and Kingvale, connecting existing trails and trailheads and to help share the history and ecology of the area.

  • Kings Beach roundabout at state Route 267: This project will convert the stoplight intersection at state Route 28 and state Route 267 in Kings Beach to a roundabout to alleviate traffic and improve pedestrian mobility, safety and efficiency in the area.

  • Northstar TART passenger shelter: This project supports the construction of a passenger shelter at the TART bus stop at the Northstar Village transit center, which does not currently have a shelter. The project will also add lighting and a Nextbus digital passenger information display to the bus stop.

  • Speedboat Beach public access improvement plan: This project will assist with the construction of a permanent restroom building to replace portable restrooms, replace the aging wooden access stairway with a metal or concrete stairway, improve traction on a portion of the existing access ramp and provide wayfinding, regulatory and interpretive signage along the access route between Harbor Avenue and Speedboat Beach.

  • Squaw Valley Olympic Ski Museum planning: This project supports environmental document preparation, architectural design, planning for museum displays and community outreach for the proposed Squaw Valley Olympic Ski Museum.

Completed projects funded by the transient occupancy tax include:

Additional projects funded by the transient occupancy tax include:

Check out other exciting projects happening around Placer County by visiting Placer County’s website here.  

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