Sponsorship & Multi-Year Program

The NTCA will conduct a community-wide survey to inform investment opportunity criteria and help assess priorities within the guiding documents referenced above. The survey results are intended to provide a data point for decision-making and should not be the only data point used. Committees and the NTCA board should also consider guiding documents and public input. After the NTCA staff compiles survey results, the team will confer with Placer County CEO staff to discuss alignment with county priorities. Then, a request for Letters of Interest (LOI) will be released. A sample LOI is included in ATTACHMENT 2 of this document. Applicants must complete the LOI, including a summary, budget, matching funds, schedule, and measures of success as defined by the NTCA and implementing agency, i.e., ridership, number of units constructed, number of local workers placed in existing housing, miles of trail built/maintained, reduced wait times for transportation service, Etc.  

Eligible investment opportunities must fit within one of several categories listed below: 

• Workforce Housing
• Economic Development, Transportation, and Other Priorities
• Sustainability and Mitigation of Tourism/Limited Maintenance
• Trails

After applicants submit the LOI, NTCA staff will convene a meeting with the chair and vice chair of each participating committee to ensure the investment opportunities outlined in each LOI meet minimum standards, including response to community feedback, alignment w/ guiding documents, leveraged funds, and ability to demonstrate a measurable impact. Placer County Executive Office staff in Tahoe may also participate in these initial meetings. Finally, NTCA staff will route the LOI to the appropriate committee for review/consideration as detailed below.  

Each committee will receive a report on all LOIs received and a justification for sending the LOIs to specific committees or rejecting an LOI. The information will allow the committee to understand the entire landscape of investment opportunities, reasons for eliminating an LOI, and opportunities to collaborate across committees throughout the process.  

Each committee will review LOIs and determine which investment opportunity/opportunities to consider for Sponsorship. In addition, the NTCA may schedule joint committee meetings for housing and transportation-related investment opportunities due to the overlap identified above.  

Investment opportunities that meet requirements will move to the second stage of vetting, including presentations from applicants to committees. Committees may request additional information from the applicant and review it before committee action. Finally, all committees may convene jointly to review the final list of recommended investment opportunities before submission to the NTCA board of directors.  

The NTCA board of directors will consider the recommendations and may invite applicants to attend. Then, the board will take final action on TBID-funded investment opportunities and recommend TOT-funded Investment Opportunities to the Placer County Board of Supervisors.  

Once approved, the applicant will contract directly with the NTCA and must provide regular updates on status, metrics, unanticipated challenges, schedule updates Etc.  Should an Investment Opportunity not meet contract terms, the NTCA may eliminate the investment from the Program and replace it at the discretion of the NTCA Board of Directors with concurrence from the Placer County Board of Supervisors for TOT-funded sponsorships.

Currently, this opportunity for investment is closed. Please learn more about the Annual Grant Program, which will open in Fall 2023.

After applicants submit a proposal for Sponsorship, NTCA staff will convene a meeting with the chair and vice chair of each participating committee to ensure the investment opportunities outlined in a proposal or Letter of Interest meet minimum standards including response to community feedback, alignment with guiding documents, leveraged funds, and ability to demonstrate a measurable impact. Placer County Executive Office staff in Tahoe may also participate in these initial meetings. Finally, NTCA staff will route proposals to the appropriate committee for review/consideration.

As part of the NTCA’s new Community Vitality and Economic Health Investment Program, 17 projects and programs that benefit residents, businesses, and visitors in the areas of workforce housing, transportation, trails, and tourism mitigation services were selected to receive three years of funding support through the Sponsorship grant program.

The NTCA intends to work with each applicant to outline contingencies, key performance indicators, metrics of success, and other outcomes and parameters that will be considered in subsequent years when determining the continuation of funding.

The allocation impact of the funding supports initiatives in alignment with community feedback and Sponsorship program criteria:

• Workforce housing: $7,900,000 (39%)
• Trail Transit Corridor: $5,700,000 (29%)
• Transportation: $5,242,558 (26%)
• Tourism impact: $1,185,000 (6%)

Proposals approved by the NTCA Board of Directors as recommended by the TBID Zone 1 and TBID Advisory committees to receive $2,515,558 in TBID funding include:

• BEBOT Beach cleaning robot 3-year deployment and youth/adult education, outreach and advocacy in North Lake Tahoe
  • Expanded beach cleaning to detect and remove debris including potentially harmful microplastics on North Lake Tahoe beaches.

• Lease to Locals Program
  • Providing cash incentives to homeowners who rent their homes seasonally or for one year to qualified local employees.

• Tahoe City Park & Ride winter operation (USFS 64 Acre parking lot snow removal)
  • Snow removal from areas at 64 Acres in Tahoe City to provide for 70 additional parking spaces for peak ski days from the start of January through mid-March, expanding the Park and Ride program from two to 26 service days.

• Tahoe Wildfire Preparedness Guide
  • Production of a 50,000-copy publication created by Tahoe Weekly that provides critical wildfire preparedness information for locals, visitors and vacation homeowners.

• Secline Beach enhancement project
  • Support planning and preliminary design for public recreation access upgrades and facility enhancements at Secline Beach to protect Lake Tahoe’s unique environment.

Proposals recommended to the Placer County Board of Supervisors by the NTCA Board of Directors, TOT and CAP committees for allocation of $17,512,000 in TOT funds include:

• North Tahoe Trail Segment 1
  • A 2.4-mile paved trail connecting the North Tahoe Regional Park in Tahoe Vista to Carnelian Bay.

• Tahoe City Downtown Access Improvements
  • Expansion of the Grove Street parking lot, including pedestrian access improvements for businesses and recreational amenities, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

• TCPUD multi-use trail system (trail segment reconstruction project)
  • Reconstruction of aged and failing infrastructure in the existing trail system to address pavement cracking, root intrusion, visibility issues, ADA compliance, trail transitions, shoulder erosion, and drainage.

• Resort Triangle transportation plan project component (SR89 & SR267 adaptive corridor management/transit priority)
  • Transit-only lane from Tahoe City to the Placer County line on SR 89, and on Northstar Drive to the Placer County line on SR 267. Enhancement of operations on steep grades of SR 267 and provision of a climbing lane specifically for trucks and transit vehicles.

• Pam Emmerich Memorial Pinedrop Trail reconstruction and extension
  • Make the 1.5-mile paved trail the primary North Tahoe Trail trailhead location serving as the main access point to Lake Tahoe and the Kings Beach/Tahoe Vista community, and connecting to the North Tahoe Regional Park.

• Kings Beach Western Approach Project
  • Converting intersections of SR28/SR267 and SR28/Brassie to a roundabout and enhancing landscaping throughout the project area.

• Workforce Housing Preservation Program
  • Provide financial grants to local workers and homebuyers for the purchase of a deed-restricted home. Grants are available for 16% of the home’s purchase price, up to $150,000.

• RTTP Project Component (TART Connect expanded service hours)
  • Extending service hours during non-peak season to provide a more equitable transportation option year-round.

• Chalet Blanc mixed-use achievable housing project, Tahoe City
  • Contributing to 16-20 deed-restricted achievable rental housing units in downtown Tahoe City with mixed-use space inclusive of a restaurant space, and gallery/studio/lecture hall.

• Dollar Creek Crossing
  • Contributing to the project development/entitlement and construction, including gap financing of up to 80 units of rental apartments, 20 units of for-sale homes, each with an attached junior accessory dwelling unit, with construction estimated in spring 2025 subject to entitlement and funding approvals.

Proposals recommended for a combination of TBID and TOT funding include:

• Resort Triangle transportation plan parking management program in Kings Beach
  • Funding to support capital costs, operations and maintenance, and enforcement of the parking management program in Kings Beach.

• Sierra Community House’s workforce housing advocacy and direct assistance program
  • Contribute funds to the Sierra Community House’s well-established Workforce Housing Advocacy and Direct Assistance program that provides grants for rent and utility assistance for eligible residents who are part of the local workforce.

The four committees convened by the NTCA reviewed the project applications and determined which investment opportunities to sponsor. The NTCA Board of Directors approved the committee recommendations for TBID-funded investment opportunities and recommended TOT-funded investment opportunities to the Placer County Board of Supervisors for their consideration and approval at their October 17 meeting.