Douglas commissioners ban vacation home rentals north of Cave Rock at Lake Tahoe

Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian asked for a ban of vacation home rentals in all areas north of Cave Rock State Park on Nov. 2, and in two meetings, the ban is now complete. The issuance of permits will end on Dec. 31, 2024, after the passing of a new ordinance.

"Two-thirds of my proposal on VHRs has now passed," Tarkanian said in an emailed overview of the meeting. "The last part is reducing the number of VHR permits in each neighborhood based upon the analysis of VHR Program Manager, Ernie Strewlow."

The final third portion he stated he wants is to limit VHRs in other areas based on several criteria including street size, parking, and neighborhood characteristics. That will be heard in January 2024.

Ordinance 2023-1627, called the "Tarkanian Ordinance" in agenda documents, states that areas north of Cave Rock are significantly far from the tourist area.

Tarkanian says his ordinance is far from spot zoning and is addressing concerns of Douglas County residents who are against "common sense and logical" in areas with the highest tourist uses.

Tarkanian said Glenbrook is not a tourist destination, though many pointed out that is far from the truth, and gambling and skiing are just two things people enjoy at the lake. Pittman Terrace and Glenbrook are in between two state parks - Cave Rock and Spooner, and Glenbrook became a tourist base once the logging operations of the late 1800s stopped, and tourists flocked to Lake Tahoe.

Tarkanian says he wants to keep tourists near the ski resorts and casinos.

The Douglas County Planning Commission did not pass the ordinance when presented to them earlier in December, and public comment during the Commissioner's December 21 meeting was heavily against the ban. Those speaking and writing in their comments included residents of Glenbrook and Pittman Terrace, the Sierra Nevada Realtors Association, a planning commissioner, those in the VHR business, and those who are not.

VHRs have been controlled by an ordinance in Douglas County since 2005, and homes were rented on a short term basis for decades before that.

"Several arduous years of putting the ordinance together, several years of work by the task force, advisory board, planning commissions, staff time, public input, and the commissions," said Commissioner Sharla Hales of the work that has gone into a balanced ordinance.

Hales said the mission of the VHR task force is to assist the county manager in drafting recommendations in a way that would balance the rights of property owners with the rights of neighborhoods. She said all changes should be for a balanced outcome.

Hales said the change via an ordinance is a solution in search of a problem in an area that is among one of the wealthiest neighborhoods not only in Lake Tahoe but in the country.

It wasn't just Hales against the new ordinance, but also the commissioner over the Tahoe Township, Wes Rice. He spoke about his 15 years of working on the Douglas County Sheriff's Marine 7 boat on Lake Tahoe, and how he'd become acquainted with those who live and vacation in Glenbrook Bay.

"This is a major tourist attraction," Rice said. "We have families who have been coming here for over four generations. This has been said not to be a major entertainment area, and I couldn't disagree more."

"I am dead set against this," said Rice of the Tarkanian ordinance.

Tarkanian, Rice, and Hales have been on opposite sides of many VHR ordinance conversations and changes in Douglas County.

Hales said this change is not a compromise like a lower cap on permits and lower occupancy rates are.

It was brought up more than once during the commissioner's meeting that Tarkanian was working for special interests who live in Glenbrook to get a ban in place. A series of texts between the commissioner and resident Larry Ruvo was obtained through a public records request, presented to the board, and sent to South Tahoe Now. The texts' topics were about the banning of VHRs in Glenbrook, dating back to January 2022.

Hales asked Tarkanian if he'd received any financial contributions from Ruvo's relatives, namely Michael Falcone. Tarkanian said he didn't know him, but received a campaign contribution from Falcone in a past election, not one for commissioner. The Nevada Secretary of State records show Tarkanian's commission campaign in 2022 received $5,000 from Falcone, whose wedding to Nicole Ruvo was celebrated in Glenbrook in 2014.

Tarkanian said that his playing favorites couldn't be further from the truth and that before his moving from Las Vegas to Douglas County, he'd never met Mr. Ruvo who was a booster of his father's basketball program at UNLV.

"A friend involved, or not a friend involved," Tarkanian said he'll fight for what he thinks is fair and right.

Hales questioned why some arbitrary line was drawn at Cave Rock for the ban. What is it about Cave Rock line rational to government interest, she asked. She said there is no factual basis to remove VHRs from Glenbrook and not Skyland, or other areas. She agreed there is no property right to a VHR, but the County can make appropriate restrictions and the County needs to determine what is appropriate.

Hales said they had two choices in front of them - balancing, or "Bow to the backroom political dealings, political imaginations, and legal threats of one wealthy entitled bully who simply doesn't want the unwashed to step foot in his neighborhood."

Tarkanian jumped on Hales' comments, saying he didn't agree with anything she'd just said, and that the bullies are on the "other side," those against a ban on VHRs.

He said the two had been "passionately involved" during the last two meetings, and he said he left both meetings thinking he should have handled things differently.

In the past, Commission Chair Mark Gardner had been accused by Tarkanian of withholding his agenda item requests from making it to the agenda. Gardner said he had been waiting for the modifications of the ordinance to work before adjusting at all.

Motion by Hales, second by Rice, that findings were not met and recommended denial of the ordinance. That failed 2-3. Tarkanian then made a motion to adopt the ordinance, seconded by Commissioner Walt Nowasad. The ordinance passed 3-2 with Hales and Rice as the minority.

Prior to the final vote, Hales offered an amendment to make the effective date of the ordinance July 1, 2025. Tarkanian suspected that offer, stating that the three commissioners in favor of the original ordinance were either retiring or up for election and may not be in office at that time.

No VHR permits will be issued in Cave Rock Cove, Logan Creek, Shakespeare Point, Uppaway, and non-affiliated Glenbrook Parcels starting on January 1, 2024. The amount of VHR permits issued within the following residential
communities shall not exceed 15% of the total number of dwelling units located withineach residential community: i. Glenbrook - South - Single Family, Glenbrook Inn, Glenbrook - Multi Family, Glenbrook - North v. Pray Meadow.

The anticipated loss off annual fees and revenue for the County for this area is $123,708.