At the Lake: Replacement of basin gas lines set for summer

Southwest Gas will begin replacing some of their pipelines within the Tahoe Basin beginning May 1.

The work may cause traffic disruptions in the communities of Incline Village, Northstar, Carnelian Bay and Homewood, said company spokeswoman Cynthia Messina.

Southwest Gas is replacing the pipes as part of a program to assure that pipes are strong and reliable.

The company does not anticipate any road closures, said Messina.

"As I understand it, it will just be one side of the road," said Messina. "They will not be closing down roads."

Southwest Gas will only do the work during the day, and avoid weekends and holidays, according to Messina. All gas customers should have uninterrupted service during the projects, the company said.

Southwest Gas serves 1.8 million customers in Arizona, California and Nevada.

California may need Nevada's help again.

A parking analysis conducted by the city for South Lake Tahoe's revised $410 million convention center project has determined insufficient parking along the Stateline casino corridor " but that's if the perfect storm of summer events occurs.

Construction of the 11.5-acre project between Highway 50, Friday, Cedar, Stateline avenues is set to begin as early as next week. The project is anchored by an entertainment venue that could seat up to 4,400 people. But a sellout could result in a shortfall of at least 900 parking spaces. The deficit may require use of the city's parking garage on Heavenly Village Way or an agreement with the casinos to use their parking.

"We can't have (these concerts) in the summer (anyway)," South Shore developer attorney Lew Feldman said Wednesday, the day after the city Planning Commission approved the environmental impact report and Highway 50 landscaping and design with a multitude of conditions.

But before approving the agenda items in a five-hour meeting, the commissioners scratched their heads at facing the unknown with a variable the city has experienced before. When the Marriott-anchored Park Avenue Redevelopment Project was built across the highway, the city realized it needed more parking than it had. It financed and built a $9 million parking garage within the $250 million project. The parking garage has failed to break even.

"Parking is a serious problem there," city Planning Commissioner Bill Ottman told Feldman at a special meeting Tuesday.

Unlike the parking problem that has occurred across the highway at Heavenly Village, some factors work in the city's and developer's favor. Harrah's Lake Tahoe already hosts a series of summer concerts in Harveys' back parking lot. Plus, the developer envisions convention center attendees having fewer vehicles, and most events should be much smaller in scale such as a local prom night or a conference for a regional association.

"I have a high degree of confidence that's a done deal," Feldman told commissioners of the casino deal. "But we don't want construction to be tied to Harrah's legal department getting through the documents."