Second Tahoe Property Rights Case Could Be in the Making

Seeking to restore "scenic equilibrium" to the shores of Lake Tahoe, the same regional agency that recently won a long-running property rights case is flexing its muscle again.

Later this month, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, which successfully defended its planning moratoria in the U.S. Supreme Court, will consider a new set of development rules that would materially restrict what landowners can build on their lakeside properties. The goal would be to restrict high-profile development not in keeping with the surrounding natural area.

As written, the proposal would stipulate against bright colors, tall windows that tend to throw glare, and large elevations facing the lake. It also would require extensive landscaping to screen as much of the home as possible. Lake Tahoe's moneyed elite are not taking the proposed changes lying down. A group of owners has spent $80,000 on lawyers and public relations specialists in Washington, D.C., California and Nevada.