Business View Magazine | April 2021

99 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE APRIL 2021 LAKE TAHOE A I RPORT general aviation airport. Many of the original facilities have been maintained and are still in use. However, they were also built prior to regulations set by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Formed in 1969 through a bi-state compact between California and Nevada, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s mission is to maintain the natural resources that are the primary draw for visitors and residents of the Tahoe Basin. This is accomplished, in part, through development restrictions. Work is being done now to ensure Lake Tahoe Airport can grow without violating those restrictions. In that regard, community stakeholder outreach is being conducted ahead of the 2023 airport master plan. “We really have to work closely with our agency and industry stakeholders,” Gibbs reports. “And even though the master plan is in 2023, I’m already reaching out to stakeholders and starting preliminary discussions and looking at environmental considerations, making sure they’re aware of what we’re planning on doing. Because, really, that’s the kind of business model that works in Tahoe.” The plan will include steps to move forward with the South Lake Tahoe City Council’s priorities for the airport. Those include improving the airport’s role in emergency response and recovery, ensuring it is a positive contributor to the community’s economic vitality, and reducing the amount of general fund subsidies required to operate the airport. Lake Tahoe Airport is not financially self- sufficient and receives about $261,000 in subsidies annually. A 2020 Economic Impact Study complete by the University of Nevada estimated the Lake Tahoe Airport contributed $25,990,000 in annual economic activity to the local economy. Gibbs plans to engage with entities such as the