TUESDAY, FEB 10 2026 ON ZOOM
In attendance: Linda Offerdahl, Chris Wood, Clare Novak, Elise Fett, Laura Levine, Laura Vitencz, Kathie Julian
Note: River Coyote had the meeting recorded via AI and then sent to the participants. Here’s my summary. (Linda); Clare may make additional comments when she returns.
The purpose of the meeting was to identify possible programs for the Workforce Housing Series in 2026. Priorities are:
- Potential WF housing on the old IES site; Reno Housing Authority is researching the feasibility for Washoe County. Meeting targeted for April.
- Presentation by TRPA on its Phase 3 policies that focus on their EIS that impacts workforce housing. Chris Wood has summarized the proposed phase 3 policy changes.
- Incline Village Realtors would like to partner with the Housing Committee for presentations to businesses and employees on attainable home ownership.
Other things on the list include St. Joesph’s program for helping renters purchase from their landlord. We could also do a program to highlight the work of Tahoe-Truckee Homeless Services.
A vigorous discussion was held on various housing topics, particularly on ADUs. Interest was show in starting a committee to research how ADUs currently work and could work in Washoe Tahoe. Elise Fett and Laura Levine may get this started.
There was a program in Truckee on what other mountain resort communities are doing. Laura Levine is going to provide a link to that program. We can learn what others have tried, but often these communities have city councils and means of funding that support these plans. So the relevance to Washoe Tahoe may not be there.
We reviewed the various working groups of the Housing committee:
Community Outreach: Clare/Linda: Workforce Housing Series programs, newsletter and webpage through IVCBA.
Programs: IVR Attainable housing for first time home buyers: Laura Levine and Laura Vitencz
Policy and Strategy: Chris Woods and Kathie Julian. Chris attends TRPA Living Communities meetings and condenses their policies into legible summaries. Kathie Julian is a member of the Washoe County APC.
Redevelopment and Development: Clare, Laura Vitencz and Linda will follow up on the efforts of RHA to utilize the old IES site.
Finance: This represents programs like Lease to Locals and St. Joeseph Land Trust’s TAHOE program. Placemate also has a program called Rooted Renters. We could work to identify funding for such a program in Incline.
UPDATES and REVIEW OF 2025 (to go into Quarterly Update)
OLD IES SITE
Tahoe Transportation District made the decision last December to put the IES site up for use by Washoe County. If RHA determines it’s not feasible for WF housing or other public use, it will be available for purchase by a private entity. Priority would be given to a group building something for use by the community. Read TTD news brief on it.
LEASE TO LOCALS
Washoe County funded the program that was run by Placemate in Truckee. WC’s $350k resulted in 15 properties with 28 people housed. We do not have any follow up data that may be available. We could look into it and identify more funding for it.
WORKFORCE HOUSING SERIES
This is our meeting program format with topics based on the community survey we did in Spring 2024. Top priority was to Unlock Existing Housing. January’s program was on Placemates Lease to Locals. It was attended by approximately 40 people. We counted TRPA’s Phase 2 housing workshop as a meeting. It was attended by 100+. The third meeting was in November. “Housing Insecurity in Paradise: New Solutions to a Chronic Problem” introduced St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church Sally Fund. It is designed to raise funds and encourage collaboration between Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions with emergency funds for people facing housing insecurity.
HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM
Reno Housing Authority has a program that allows renters to access financial vouchers for rent. It requires vetting by the landlord. There is a waiting list. Due to lack of interest by an informal poll of landlords, and lack of a volunteer to compile a list of landlords and reach out to them, this opportunity is on hold.
TRPA ENVIRIONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY
By Chris Wood, February 13, 2026, for IVCBA Housing Newsletter
TRPA Launches Environmental Impact Study: In a quest to promote development of needed workforce housing in the Lake Tahoe Basin on January 28 TRPA (Tahoe Regional Planning Association) began an Environmental Impact Study of its proposal to incentivize building of affordable housing. It is now seeking community input on what is to be studied in the scope of the Environmental Impact Study (“EIS”). This “scoping period” runs for 6 weeks, ending March 16. Send comments to: housing@trpa.gov; examine details on the web at: www.trpa.gov/major-projects . Public comment can expand what should be studied.
When the scoping period ends a summary report will be created and made available to the public for comment this Summer (2026). Thereafter, a draft EIS will be prepared and circulated for comment. A final EIS is expected in the Fall of 2026 and early 2027.
So far, TRPA has a list of 14 topics to be analyzed in the EIS. In no particular order, these include:
- “Public safety hazards including wildfire and evacuation”;
- “Land use, neighborhood compatibility, and growth management”.
- “Earth resources (soils, land capability, coverage”);
- “Population, housing, socioeconomics and environmental justice”;
- “Hydrology and water quality”
- “Transportation”,
- “Air quality and greenhouse gases”, and
- “Cumulative effects” of all the changes
The EIS is intended to analyze the environmental impacts of potential actions in the proposal to incentivize workforce housing. The EIS the highest level of environmental analysis under the rules governing TRPA.
Incentives For Workforce housing: Because there is a regulatory restriction on the number of “development units” for building in the Lake Tahoe Basin, some of the policies in the housing proposals include moving “development units” to deed restricted residential projects from commercial and tourist development unit pools. Further, new forms of housing would be incentivized like “junior ADUs” (units of 500 sq. ft. or less, within an existing house footprint) and “affordable by design” housing. Moreover, ADUs up to 1200 sq. ft. would also be eligible for program incentives consistent with local jurisdiction policies.
To increase housing choices TRPA’s proposal would zone for “missing middle” housing for, e.g., teachers, firefighters, police and medical staff. All new development would be approved if it contributed proportionately to the housing need in the basin. TRPA would “scale” its fees to reflect the size and impact of housing. And, like single family homes, fourplex residential structures would be exempt from environmental review standards.
Further, the limited (impermeable) land coverage allowed in the LT Basin would be directed toward multifamily and workforce housing rather than single-family homes. At the TRPA Advisory Planning Commission (“APC”) meeting February 11, TRPA proposed that the “goal is for less coverage” in the LT Basin.
TRPA would also continue to move toward neighborhood-scale storm water treatment to limit human generated runoff into the Lake. Local jurisdictions would be allowed to increase height and density if they demonstrate progress toward unlocking vacant housing stock. TRPA is proposing creation of a housing authority to facilitate funding and oversee housing programs and policies.
Negative environmental impacts will be paired with mitigation proposals, one of which could include “no growth” and no population increase, as discussed at the February 11 APC meeting. Other APC member comments emphasized analyzing the cumulative impact of all changes if they succeed and “the interconnectedness” of each change.
Other topics for consideration in the EIS that were raised at the January 28 TRPA Board of Directors meeting, where the EIS project was approved and the scoping period opened, include a look at restricting short term rentals (STRs) and/or putting them on the same terms with hotels and motels. Speakers also focused on the need for means to enforce Deed Restrictions.
