STATELINE, Nev. – Douglas County has announced the postponement of South Shore Area Plan (SSAP) amendments related to the proposed Healthcare Overlay Subdistrict. Barton Health, a major proponent for the subdistrict, is now conducting an Environmental Analysis before bringing the subdistrict amendments forward.

The analysis will include the hospital relocation project and the proposed healthcare subdistrict, which would create a medical facility use and increased height limit within the proposed Barton Hospital project area.

Once this study is complete and the data is analyzed, Barton Health may bring forward their amendments at the appropriate time, according to Douglas County’s website.

The subdistrict is part of Barton Health’s proposal for their hospital relocation project which has garnered both support and opposition. Barton cites the growing need for healthcare services in the community and aging infrastructure as reasons for expanding services and relocating to the Stateline campus on Highway 50 and Kahle Drive.

Barton says it has been working with experts on the environmental analysis of the project this past year and now has direction from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on the type of report required to move forward with this project. Once the environmental analysis is complete, meetings will be scheduled with the regulatory bodies in furtherance of project approval. 

However, this change of circumstance does not keep several other SSAP amendments from proceeding.

These amendments will revise the land use element of the SSAP, as well as the SSAP Zoning Map. They will also incorporate signage regulations that were inadvertently omitted, and add and revise language relative to the energy conservation strategy.

The amendments undergo series of public meetings before final approval with the TRPA Governing Board. The next public meeting on the amendments is Tuesday, December 10 at 1 p.m. where the Douglas County Planning Commission will recommend approval or denial to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners for the proposed zoning test amendment and zoning map amendment.

Other meetings are available on Douglas County’s website, https://douglas-county-nv.civilspace.io/en/projects/2024-south-shore-area-plan-amendments.