Accord Reached in Tahoe Building Suit

Major issues have been resolved in a lawsuit that has stopped most development at Lake Tahoe for the last three years, spokesmen for environmentalists and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency said Wednesday.

But before the suit can be dismissed, a settlement agreement must be drafted and approved by the California attorney general and the governing boards of the bistate planning agency and the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will convene June 19, and the league’s board will meet June 18 to consider the settlement. After that, the agreement will be presented to a Sacramento federal judge for dismissal.

“We have worked through all of the issues that have been identified and have reached essential agreement at the attorney level,” said Bill Morgan, executive director for the planning agency.

“And now we’re setting it forth in writing and believe there will be no problem,” he added.

All parties have agreed not to disclose the settlement’s contents until the document has been approved by the boards.

In the spring of 1984, the regional agency passed a plan that the league and attorney general’s office claimed did not go far enough to protect Lake Tahoe. The league and attorney general sued, and a Sacramento federal judge issued an injunction until the matter could be resolved.