Originally Published in Moonshine Ink, 11/14/2024, Written by Melissa Siig
The small Tahoe enclave has seen better days. Can the redevelopment of the Cal Neva and Biltmore return the area to its former glory?
Charlie Soule has owned The Soule Domain restaurant at the western entrance to Crystal Bay for 40 years. In that time, he has watched the small casino corridor go from a vibrant neighborhood full of shops, restaurants, and a bustling nightlife to an area with boarded-up and dilapidated buildings and empty parking lots littered with trash. Out of the three anchor businesses in Crystal Bay — the Crystal Bay Club, Tahoe Biltmore, and Cal Neva — two have been closed for several years: the Cal Neva since 2013 and the Biltmore since 2022. Just to the west of The Soule Domain, another derelict building, the Tahoe Inn, has been sitting empty for almost 10 years.
“Right now, and I’ve been here a long time, the neighborhood sucks,” Soule said. “It’s about as bad as it’s ever been.”
The tiny neighborhood of Crystal Bay, which abuts the California-Nevada border and straddles Highway 28, presents a strange dichotomy.
Written by Jonathon Gardner – IVCBA’s Community Engagement Liason
In an effort to provide more structure to improvements made around Incline Village, IVCBA reached out to an organization known as Main Street. This organization has a strong presence at the state level and continues up to a national organization. The Main Street program is focused on enhancing the economic vitality and quality of life in traditional commercial districts, particularly in small towns and rural areas. As you may already know, Incline Village is considered a rural area by most definitions.
Established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the 1980s, the program promotes a holistic, community-driven approach that integrates economic development with cultural preservation and tourism. The program is structured around a Four-Point Approach—Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and Organization—and emphasizes engaging local stakeholders in planning and implementation efforts. This ensures that revitalization initiatives reflect the community’s values while fostering a strong sense of identity and encouraging investment in local businesses.
We have experimented with the Main Street organization for the last year or so and have found that it provides great blueprints for the successful implementation of community improvement projects. It aligns well with the desires of our community as well as the mission of IVCBA. The program can bolster the local economy by supporting local businesses that cater to both residents and visitors. Our Main Street program has helped several Design initiatives throughout the community and will continue to enhance the aesthetics of commercial areas through improved signage, beautification efforts, and other projects that resonate with the village’s beautiful surroundings. Through collaboration with residents, business owners, and local organizations, Incline Village can create a vibrant community atmosphere.
The Incline Village Main Street is working on several projects, one in particular is the Roundabout, and we have entered the phase where we need your opinions and feedback. Please take the Roundabout survey. Your input is critical for the success of these projects. Please see the brief description of the project below The survey has more information as well.
Roundabout project overview:
Stemming from conversations with many community members, Incline Village Main Street has set out to beautify the Roundabout. I have heard many times that people wished that the roundabout was more welcoming and beautiful. I have also seen several cars who have crashed into the roundabout and hit a bronze statue or something else.
There is no water and no electricity currently plumbed to that space. The plants that are in the roundabout have mostly died and withered away. Is there a better solution?
At the beginning of the year, the Incline Village Main Street formed a small focus group consisting of landscape designers, engineers, architects and other interested community members. We discussed the important functions of a roundabout for a community as well as the opportunities roundabouts present to unite people by creating a sense of place. We spoke with representatives from Washoe County as well as NDOT. We even walked the property several times with those in charge of transportation safety at TRPA.
Some of our early conversations discussed relocating the bronze statues to a safer location (such as the public library) so that they could be enjoyed by children. Some members of the community spoke up against that idea suggesting that the statues should remain in the roundabout.
Our goal has always been to unite the community by beautifying the roundabout and making it safer. We do not have a final design for the roundabout at this juncture, but with the help of the community, we are getting closer to a viable solution.
We seek YOUR help at this point. Please complete the survey linked here. On the survey, you’ll see a working concept for an idea of what the roundabout could look like. We hope to make the roundabout safer and more beautiful. We hope that it will serve as a welcoming representation of our little corner of paradise here in Incline Village. Your input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks to Rotary The Bus Stations Look Beautiful Now
September 25, 2024 | Jonathon Gardner
Written by Jonathon Gardner, Incline Village Main Street Manager, IVCBA, 09/25/24
Last Saturday, we spotted members of the Rotary Club of Tahoe/Incline cleaning up and painting the final bus stop of three along Tahoe Boulevard. They began work on the other two in May and have been working on them all summer. I snapped a couple of photos and then called the former co-president, Bryan Foertsch, to get the details of the project.
“It all started in November 2022, thanks to Linda Offerdahl. She told Mike [McCallum] about the idea of decorating the bus stops for the holidays, which we did that year. The following year, in July, Mike and I became co-presidents of the Rotary Club of Tahoe/ Incline, and we made restoring the bus stations one of our top 5 priorities.”
Bryan mentioned that when they began the project, the bus stops were in rough shape and did not smell good. In May of this year, they started the project by power washing the structures and the concrete. Then, they scraped away the old paint and rebuilt portions where the wood had rotted away. Over a dozen different members of the club showed up to paint and fully restore these bus stations. “I’m a big believer in giving back to the community,” said Bryan, “It was embarrassing for me to see the condition of the bus stops for our residents and guests. I’m glad we got it done.”
Thanks to the Rotary Club of Tahoe/Incline, the bus stops are now in great shape. Mike and Bryan have since left their co-presidency of the club, and Kevin Hunt is the new president. We are excited to see what community beautification projects the Rotary Club will take on next.
Bryan added, “Our motto is service above self. Please join us on any of the first three Thursdays of the month at 7:30AM at the Hyatt for breakfast.” He extends that invitation to any community member who resonates with the motto.
The Local Lens – Beautification Efforts in Full Swing
July 17, 2024 | Member Submitted
Written by IV Main Street Manager Jonathon Gardner 07/16/2024
As we settle back into our routines post-4th of July celebrations, it’s the perfect time to refocus on the beautification of our community. The Incline Village Crystal Bay Association (IVCBA) has been hard at work, partnering with local businesses and organizations to enhance the aesthetic appeal of our village.
Recently, IVCBA collaborated with Chris Talbot, of Talbot Fine Art Galery to beautify the island at the front of the Mountain Workspace parking lot on Tahoe Boulevard. Together, we planted new flowers, weeded, added some pottery, and laid down plenty of wood chips. For the Independence Day festivities, we adorned the area with lots of American flags, adding a patriotic touch to our efforts.
The Rotary Club has also made significant contributions by painting our two bus shelters, which look fantastic. These efforts are just a part of the broader beautification initiative that includes various projects around the community.
Betsy from IVGID Parks and Recreation has been busy as well. A few weeks ago, she was spotted beautifying the garden just outside the North Tahoe Nevada Welcome Center. Her dedication is a testament to the collaborative spirit that drives our beautification projects.
Throughout the village, you may have noticed beautiful planters, including innovative hanging planters with built-in watering wicks. These planters are designed to reduce the frequency of watering, making them both practical and attractive. If you’re interested in these planters, our local plant experts can provide more information, and you can also find options online or at big box home improvement stores. Let’s continue to support these beautification efforts and promote the businesses involved in making our community a more beautiful place to live.
If you have any updates or contributions to share, please reach out to jonathon@ivcba.org
Main Street Introduction: Revitalizing Our Historic Districts with Local Efforts
July 17, 2024 | Member Submitted
By: Jonathon Gardner, IV Main Street Manager, Jul 16, 2024
Main Street America is an integral program under the National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Established in the late 1970s, it emerged in response to the decline of historic downtowns and business districts across the United States, driven by suburbanization and the rise of large shopping malls. The initiative’s mission is to revitalize and preserve these areas through a comprehensive strategy that marries economic development with historic preservation.
The Main Street Approach is a community-driven, holistic strategy designed to rejuvenate older and historic commercial districts while retaining their unique character. This framework is built around four key points:
Economic Vitality: Enhancing the district’s economic base by diversifying it, providing jobs, and ensuring financial sustainability.
Design: Improving the physical appearance of the historic district through building rehabilitation, street and alley improvements, and landscaping.
Promotion: Marketing the district’s unique characteristics to shoppers, investors, new businesses, and visitors.
Organization: Fostering a cooperative effort among various stakeholders, including residents, business owners, government agencies, and community organizations.
Main Street America provides essential resources, education, training, and networking opportunities to local Main Street programs nationwide. It also champions historic preservation policies and economic development initiatives that support small businesses and sustainable communities.
In Incline Village, several projects embody the Main Street Approach:
Inclined to Bloom: This initiative focuses on beautifying our community with vibrant flowers and well-maintained green spaces, enhancing the overall aesthetic and inviting atmosphere of our village.
Improving Commercial Signage: Efforts are underway to enhance the visibility and attractiveness of commercial signage, making it easier for visitors and locals to locate businesses and services.
Wayfinding for Walkers and Bikers: To promote a pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly environment, we are increasing wayfinding measures, including clear and attractive signage, to help people navigate our community safely and enjoyably.
Through these efforts, Incline Village is transforming into a more vibrant and welcoming place to live, work, and play. Main Street America’s mission to create economically resilient communities rich in character, featuring a thriving local economy, is reflected in our local projects. These initiatives not only preserve our historic charm but also foster a sense of community, local pride, and cultural heritage. What ideas do you have about our charming village? Send me an email and we’ll go for a walk and talk about it!
The Incline Green Clean Community Clean Up Day was a great success this year. Last Saturday we had over 95 volunteers cleaning up the Village and Diamond Peak Ski Resort. It was great seeing all the families out cleaning up our town! And check out these stats:
Total Trash collected 410lb with 95 volunteers
DP Ski Team Ski resort cleanup: 110lbs ~20 volunteers (A team of 3 collected over 40 pounds on their walk to Snowflake and down the Lakeview chair line)
IVGID Community Cleanup: 301lbs ~75 volunteers
A huge shout out to Incline High Students Samiya J and Bekie S for helping organize the event and gathering data on the trash collected. With the level of turnout we had we could not have done this event without them!
Next community cleanups:
Friday July 5th
Great Sierra River Cleanup: Saturday September 21st
Written by John Crockett of the Incline Village Library
A block party has all the sights, sounds, and smells emblematic of a summer day: grilling food, music from outdoor speakers, games, laughter, and to meet and talk with your neighbors. Block parties are also about community pride, and this Saturday, the community comes together at the Incline Village Library for the 2nd Annual Summer Reading Kickoff Block Party from 11 am to 2 pm. This year, the library partners with IVGID Waste Not and IHS National Honor Society to host the Incline Green Clean from 9 am to noon.
This year’s summer reading theme is “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” By reading 20 minutes a day, students can avoid the summer slide. Sign up for the summer reading challenge, choose a free book, and earn more by tracking minutes read and completing activities. Include reading in all your summer adventures and set your children up for academic success.
The Block Party features over 20 information booths from our non-profit and community partners, including the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, IVCBA, and Washoe County Human Services. Visit with many more great agencies, non-profits, and community groups dedicated to serving all of Incline Village.
Visit the used book sale to find your next great read, with sales supporting library events. The new library bookmobile will make its Incline Village debut, and kids can read in the garden with the Paws4Love therapy dogs.
Refreshments, including hot dogs, chips, and soda, are generously provided by the hard-working team at Raley’s and the grillmasters at The Rotary Club of Incline Village and Rotary Club of Tahoe-Incline, the “get stuff done” service groups of our town. Enjoy summer grooves from DJ Castillo and DJ Twist and tour the newly reopened Incline Village Justice Court and Community Center.
In addition to the fun and information at the booths, we have a slate of great activities including face painting, a graffiti art demonstration with Incline High’s Mr. Dominguez, soda bottle rocket launches, and a community group photo.
And don’t forget—it’s early primary voting time, too! Cast a vote for the primary election, register to vote, or update your voter information in the library meeting room. Complete election information is on the Washoe County Registrar website.
The Block Party and Incline Green Clean are not only great community events, they are part of the Main Street Incline Village Beautification Campaign. This campaign aims to beautify, unify, and revitalize the heart of Incline. Through initiatives such as Inclined to Bloom flower boxes, roudabout improvements, lighting, and public art, we can grow this sense of community pride and stewardship, inspiring all who visit and make Incline Village their home to care for our town.
And with an engaging children’s area, natural light, murals and galleries, park and museum passes, as well as a collection and events for everyone, the library is the place to come together.
See you at the Block Party this Saturday to help clean up, enjoy some food, music, and fun, sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge, and kick off the best summer ever with our neighbors!
Schedule
Incline Green Clean – 9 am to noon
Bookmobile, Book Sale, Local Non-profit Booths – 11 am to 2 pm
Face Painting – 11 am – 12:30 pm
Graffiti Art Demo – Noon
Bottle Rocket Launch – Noon and 1 pm
Hot Dogs – Noon – 2 pm
Communty Group Photo in lower parking lot – 1:15 pm
Beautifying Efforts and Events Underway for Incline Village
May 28, 2024 | Kayla Anderson
IV Main Street Beautification Campaign Kicks Off, Incline Green Clean is Coming Up, and More
Local businesses and entities in Incline Village/Crystal Bay recently started collaborating on ways to make Incline Village/Crystal Bay look nicer, welcoming, and more accessible to visitors and residents alike. Here are some upcoming sustainable, green initiative events to take part in as we usher in summer at the lake:
Incline Village Main Street Beautification Campaign
Businesses have been complaining about the lack of having a “main street” in Incline Village for a long time, therefore the IVCBA has partnered with the Incline Tahoe Foundation (as well as Main Street America and Nevada Main Street) to launch the Incline Village Main Street Beautification Campaign. According to the Incline Tahoe Foundation, the purpose of the campaign is to facilitate and support transformational strategies for economic revitalization and commercial core redevelopment of Incline Village.
Thanks to a one-time reinvestment grant in the amount of $75,000 from Washoe County, the Main Street Beautification Campaign is focused on revitalizing Incline’s commercial core through fresh organization, design, promotion, and economic vitality. Beautification committees are chaired by volunteers, working towards building Incline with a consistent design with elements that are incorporated into the landscaping, lighting, signage, and public art.
Some of the first projects underway to help fulfill this goal include: promoting spring and fall community clean-ups with local organizations; working with local landscapers to create a better-looking commercial area; improving commercial zone signage; reviewing the current landscaping in the Highway 431/Incline Village roundabout; identifying, enhancing, and promoting public art; reviewing and possibly installing new streetlights to increase safety while also considering the effects of light pollution; and more.
The IVCBA just hired Incline Village Main Street Manager Jonathon Gardner to help facilitate Beautification Campaign efforts. For more information about the IV Main Street Beautification Campaign, feel free to contact Jonathon Gardner directly at jonathon@ivcba.org. To donate to the Incline Village Main Street fund, do so through the Incline Tahoe Foundation at https://www.inclinetahoe.org/incline-village-main-street.html.
June 1st, 9am-noon: Incline Green Clean Community Clean Up Day
The entire community will be coming together on June 1st to help clean up Incline Village, and the more who participate the merrier. In a coordinated effort between the IVCBA, IVGID Waste Not, Tahoe Blue Crew, Clean Tahoe, Waste Management, the Incline Education Fund, Incline Highlanders, and the Washoe County Library System, the first big community cleanup day of the year– Incline Green Clean– is happening the morning of June 1st. The event kicks off at the Incline Village Library at 845 Alder Avenue at 9am where you can pick up tools, safety vests, trash bags, disposable masks/gloves, and meet fellow clean-up crew members. At 11am, everyone will meet back up at the library as it begins its block party to enjoy food, fun, and more.
The whole family is encouraged to attend, as this teaches our kids the importance of stewardship and taking care of our town and environment. For more information, contact Waste Not at (775) 832-1284 or email wastenot@ivgid.org.
June 1st, 11am-2pm: Incline Village Library Block Party
Following Incline Green Clean, the Incline Village Library is hosting its second annual block party filled with activities and information booths from local organizations around Incline Village/Crystal Bay. Grab friends and family, play some cornhole, eat a hot dog or two, and don’t forget to sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge and claim your free book.
How to Organize Your Own Community Clean Up Crew
The League to Save Lake Tahoe formed the Tahoe Blue Crew to empower and support anyone taking the initiative to create a litter-free Lake Tahoe, which is why they’ll be at the June 1st Incline Green Clean community cleanup. However, if you can’t make the June 1st event, there are many other ways to get involved. One of them is by forming your own Tahoe Blue Crew. To become a Blue Crew leader, pledge to adopt a litter “hot spot”, clean it at least three times a year with your crew, and report the results back to the League. For more information, visit https://www.keeptahoeblue.org/join-us/tahoe-blue-crew/.
Additionally on the East Shore, Incline Village Enhancement Fund is “calling all trashbusters” who are interested in organizing neighborhood clean-up crews. For more information, visit InclineEnhancement.com.
Why It’s Important to Keep Tahoe Clean
According to the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s website, “Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but the Lake’s environment feels the impact of 15+ million visitors each year. Litter is the most visible sign that Tahoe is at risk of being loved to death.
Litter harms the Tahoe ecosystem by spreading bacteria, clogging storm drains, leaching chemicals, marring our pristine outdoors, and harming wildlife. Community cleanups like those conducted by the Blue Crew reduce litter, protect our ecosystem, raise awareness, and build environmental stewardship.
Tahoe receives three times the number of annual visitors to Zion National Park or Yellowstone National Park, but it doesn’t have the same strict protections as a national park. Public land managers don’t have the staff or resources to keep up, so they need the help of Tahoe-lovers to protect Tahoe’s delicate environment.”
In The News – Psychologist steers Tahoe leaders away from highlighting problem litter behaviors
May 23, 2024 | Member Submitted
Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 05/23/2024, Written by Katelyn Welsh
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Photos of trash strewn beaches and dizzying stats on the thousands of pounds of trash pulled from Tahoe may not be hitting the mark on changing litter behavior, according to a psychologist brought into Tahoe’s litter conversation.
“It can be a little bit worrisome to spend too much effort focusing on problem behavior,” Dr. Renee Bator explains, “Instead, try to find what’s going well and what people are doing right.” That’s because learning what others are doing, can be very influential in what people decide to do, the State University of New York Plattsburgh professor says.
This information has Tahoe environmental organizations and government agencies preparing positive success stories for messaging as they head into summer—the fourth of July lurking just around the corner.
The Local Lens – Incline Green Clean: CleanUp Day Initiative
May 14, 2024 | Member Submitted
Submitted and written by Incline High School students, Samiya Jenkins & Bekie Sussman
Incline Green Clean, it takes a community to clean our home!!
Our names are Samiya Jenkins and Bekie Sussman. We are juniors and IHS and love being outdoors. Some of our favorite activities include paddle boarding, hiking, and relaxing on the beach. At IHS, we are a part of the National Honors Society (NHS).
In NHS we elevate a culture of scholarship, service, leadership, and character through a service project of our choice. For our NHS, project we are organizing a community trash clean up on June 1st from 9-12am! Our goal is to connect the community by cleaning our home.
We chose this as our project because we love our home and hate to see it getting destroyed. It is everyone’s responsibility to keep our home clean, which is why we want to get the community involved. It takes a community to clean our home!! It is important that we prevent trash from ending up in the lake, which is why we also need to raise awareness. Thus, we are going to Incline Middle School to teach the next generation about the importance of keeping our environment clean.
We created an informative powerpoint on the importance of keeping our beautiful home clean. We hope that they will learn to value their home and take initiative to keep it clean. Furthermore, we are advertising to the whole community! We want as many people involved in our town’s beautification.
This is a great family-friendly event; kids of all ages are welcome. Teaching kids the importance of taking care of the environment and our village is very important, not just one day a year but everyday of the year.
Join us at 9am at the Incline Village Library. The route is created by Waste Not, and we will be cleaning the areas that contain the most trash around the village. Permission slips for children and clean-up supplies (trash bags, gloves, etc.) will be provided at the Incline Village Library. Please join us on June 1st (9-12 am) at the Incline Library to clean our beautiful home!
From 11am – 2pm back at the library is the Incline Village Library Summer Block Party and Summer Reading Kick-off. There will be activities and informational booths from organizations around town. Sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge and get a free book, grab a few friends and play a game or two of cornhole, enjoy free hot dogs, and many other fun summer time activities.
Follow: @inclinegreenclean on Instagram for more updates and education!!
Incline Green Clean, it takes a community to clean our home!!
