The original item was published from 2/16/2018 1:36:00 PM to 3/1/2018 12:00:01 AM.

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City News

Posted on: February 16, 2018

[ARCHIVED] Bijou Park Creek Watershed Project Update (a.k.a. Whole Foods)

The Bijou Marketplace project (a.k.a. Whole Foods) project is currently on schedule according to Chris Peto of the Bijou Marketplace, LLC, the owner of the project. Whole Foods 365 will anchor the shopping center; the businesses occupying the other spaces have not yet been announced by the owner.

City of South Lake Tahoe Development Services Director Kevin Fabino confirms that the City has issued permits for the Bijou Marketplace project and has also received copies of the bidding documents that Bijou Marketplace, LLC has released to potential construction companies.

The project occupies the former Knights Inn location and Southwest Corner parcels. While Halferty Development purchased the parcels from the City of South Lake Tahoe, the City maintains ownership of the Bijou Park Creek Watershed to correct harmful development impacts to the watershed. Improvements will increase ecosystem/watershed filtration processes, restore parcels located in an SEZ, reduce nutrients and sediment into Lake Tahoe, reduce localized flooding and initiate larger watershed restoration efforts. When constructed, these improvements will increase the effectiveness of future upper watershed projects.

The City of South Lake Tahoe’s City Council adopted a resolution to establish the Bijou Park Creek Watershed Restoration Project Area Phases 1, 2 and 3 on March 14, 2017. Restoration and enhancement of this project has long been considered an important aspect of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program. Although the watershed was long-ago developed and includes a high concentration of residential and commercial properties, the City, the Conservancy, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and other local agencies and environmental groups have identified improvements to the watershed as a high priority.

City staff has been busy working on Phases 1 and 2 of the Bijou Park Creek Watershed Project and property acquisitions with the following updates;

• Bijou Park Creek Watershed Project Phase 1 – This phase is currently on schedule and includes new stormwater treatment basins, which greatly reduces the pollutants reaching the lake, and is on schedule to be completed in 2018.
• Bijou Park Creek Watershed Project Phase 2 - The City recently received Proposition 1 grant funds from the State Water Resources Control Board for stormwater planning funds to assist with the study and development of a compressive plan to restore the watershed and reduce pollutant loading that impacts Lake Tahoe. The City will be issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to select a qualified consultant team to complete soils investigations, hydrologic studies, conceptual plans and alternatives, and the required environmental review documents for the preferred alternative.
• Bijou Park Creek Watershed Project Property Acquisitions - The California Tahoe Conservancy also recently awarded the City Proposition 1 and Proposition 50 funds for the acquisitions of three key properties from willing sellers in support of the project. These key acquisitions will provide more contiguous public land that will be used for the larger watershed restoration project. Staff will be working on these three property acquisitions, bringing the total to four properties being acquired for SEZ restoration.

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