Originally published with Tahoe Living Newsletter

We’re so grateful to all the community members who showed up, shared ideas, and contributed to such meaningful conversations. A huge thank-you to our generous host locations, Bijou Elementary School on the South Shore andTahoe Community Foundation on the North Shore. Lastly, thank you to the incredible caterers, Los Mexicanos and Lupita’s, who kept everyone well-fed and happy — your support made the evening extra special.

With a great turnout and inspiring energy in the room, we’re excited about what’s ahead. Below are some next steps as we continue this important work together!

WHAT’S NEXT?

We’re taking the community’s valuable input and using it to outline potential policy pathways for the Cultivating Community project. These pathways will be reviewed for input from the Tahoe Living Working Group (TLWG) and our Community Partner Group.

This fall, we will host another round of public workshops to share and discuss policy proposals.

We are aiming to bring a policy recommendation to the TRPA Governing Board and initiate the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process in January 2026. The EIS is expected to take about a year and will include several additional opportunities for public review and feedback. 

Stay tuned for future events on our website: Tahoe Living: Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin

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 A second round of hands-on workshops are scheduled July 22 in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. and July 23 in Incline Village, Nev. to help shape the future of housing in the Lake Tahoe Region, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) said today. Participants will provide the groundwork for the Tahoe Living: Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin project, which is a regional effort to adapt regional policies and rules to better support workforce housing and maintain environmental protections.

The purpose of the two workshops is to transfer ideas the agency has gathered from community members, partners, and housing experts into potential policy changes, according to TRPA.

South Shore Workshop
Tuesday, July 22 from 5-8 pm
Bijou Community School
South Lake Tahoe, Calif. 

North Shore Workshop
Wednesday, July 23 from 5-8 pm
Tahoe Community Foundation (formerly Parasol)
Incline Village, Nev.

Both workshops will include catered food, Spanish interpretation, and activities for children.

Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin is a multi-year project to help address the crisis of affordability happening in the Tahoe Region and in mountain communities across the nation. As part of the project, TRPA has created a Community Academy, awarded scholarships and grants, published a series of webinars, and convened the Tahoe Living Working Group to modernize land use policies and establish long-term, two-way engagement between communities and agencies, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups.

Workshop attendees can register and find out more at www.tahoeliving.org.

Images

Domus Kings Beach Workforce Units
Caption: TRPA’s Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin project aims to make deed-restricted affordable housing projects like the multiple Domus Kings Beach Affordable Housing projects easier to build.
Credit: Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

SShore Community Workshop 2024.09.09
Caption: TRPA Senior Planner Jacob Stock speaking to South Shore community members at affordable housing workshops in Sept. 2024. The second round of workshops this month will help the agency convert ideas into potential policies.
Credit: Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

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The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency leads the cooperative effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region, while improving local communities, and people’s interactions with our irreplaceable environment. For additional information, contact Jeff Cowen, Public Information Officer, at (775) 589-5278, or jcowen@trpa.gov. 

Originally published by TRPA

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is partnering with the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation and other regional partners to complete an updated assessment of the region’s housing needs. We are seeking survey responses from those who live or work in the region.

The survey takes just 5 minutes and will help direct programs and projects to expand housing options in the Tahoe-Truckee region. We appreciate your help forwarding this survey, particularly to employers you know in the region! 

TAKE SURVEY >

Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 05/31/2025, Written by Eli Ramos

Short-term rentals (STRs) have been hotly contested in recent discussions of Measure T in South Lake Tahoe, but their presence in the Tahoe Basin has existed long before online platforms like VRBO and AirBnB. Are STRs really harming housing in the greater Lake Tahoe area? The nuanced answers to that question are what we’re diving into for this housing series article.

A brief history of short-term rentals

Short-term rentals, also called vacation home rentals (VHRs), have been around since the 1950s, providing a homey and often cheaper alternative to staying in hotels and motels. Currently, STRs are defined in the basin as properties that are rented for 30 days or less. While people used to advertise their own homes in newspaper ads, the establishment of online platforms like VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) in 1995 made listings even easier, boosting the popularity of STRs everywhere, but especially in vacation destinations like Tahoe.

READ MORE >

Submitted by NLTFPD, Tia Rancourt, 05/20/2025

In recognition of Wildfire Awareness Month, a coalition of wildfire experts, technology companies, energy providers, and nonprofits launched a groundbreaking pilot project today aimed at creating the most wildfire-ready community in the Lake Tahoe region. 

The Incline Fire Smart Community Pilot is taking place in the Tyrolian Village HOA, a neighborhood encompassing 228 homes across 60 acres in Incline Village, Nevada that has been identified as a high priority wildfire area by the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District. 

The pilot is leveraging new technology to identify which mitigations matter the most, while informing insurance outcomes and demonstrating how comprehensive wildfire defense can be implemented and replicated across Tahoe and the West. 

“This initiative has the potential to fundamentally change how communities approach wildfire resilience,” said Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund. “We’re combining cutting-edge modeling and state-of-the-art technology with on-the-ground mitigation on public lands, NV Energy’s utility corridor, and in the neighborhood to create a replicable blueprint that can save lives, protect property, and preserve natural resources, while informing insurance outcomes.”

During a demonstration today, the public was able to see a remote-operated masticator from BurnBot remove hazardous fuels in the neighborhood up to five feet from homes. Attendees also heard from a panel of experts on how the project came together and the science and strategy behind it. You can watch the panel discussion here.

May 22 at the Chateau 5:30pm-7:30pm

Published May 19, 2025 – Written by Laura Vitencz PhD IVR CEO

A First Time Homebuyers Workshop, open to the public, will be hosted by Incline Village Realtors on May 22, 2025, from 5:30pm -7:30pm, at the Chateau in Incline Village. The Workshop here will feature speakers from the regional community, including mortgage lenders, credit repair agencies, insurance companies, banks, title companies, and leaders from Incline Village Crystal Bay Association (IVCBA) and Incline General Improvement District (IVGID). Resources and information geared toward breaking down barriers for the first-time homebuyer will be provided to consumers as part of a grant obtained by Incline Village Realtors from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) consumer advocacy grant program.

Spanish translators will be available at the event.

“IVR is excited to work with our local community businesses and leaders to provide consumers information and resources they need to purchase their first home and break down barriers to homeownership,” said the CEO.

The grant will also facilitate an IVR webpage with multiple language options for First Time Homebuyers. The webpage will host video (s) of the event and information that could be helpful to members of the public interested in purchasing their first home.

Dr. Laura Vitencz is the chief executive officer for IVR in Incline Village, NV. Vitencz worked closely with a team of community volunteer business leaders, real estate professionals, Membership Services Director Camryn Murray and Sean McDonald, 2025 President of the IVR board to make this workshop a reality.

Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation’s Achievable Housing in Action Lunch & Learn “A Deep Dive into Affordable Housing”, was held last Friday, May 9th. Thank you especially to our featured speakers, Denisse Vega Zarate (Housing Coordinator for Sierra Community House) and Cathie Foley (Program Director for North Tahoe Truckee Homeless Services) for addressing the challenges facing families in need of affordable housing and the successes of folks placed in these homes. Slides shared during the Lunch & Learn are attached. 

I also wanted to share out the resources that were mentioned by housing experts during the call together:

• To access Sierra Community House housing services, please call their mainline at (530) 546-0952.
• To access the Tahoe Truckee Workforce Housing Agency housing navigation services, visit their website or call their office at (530) 582-6593. 
• All local affordable housing projects can be found on the Mountain Housing Council of Tahoe Truckee’s resource page. 
• Town of Truckee housing programs include the Truckee Home Access Program, First Time Homebuyer Programs, Lease to Locals and Rooted Renters, Accessory Dwelling Unit Program, Token Program, and Deed Restriction for New Housing Development Program. To learn more, contact Lynn Baumgartner (Housing Program Analyst) at 530-582-2492 or housing@townoftruckee.gov 
• Find information on East Placer County housing resources here on affordable housing, home ownership programs, and information for developing workforce housing. Folks can also reach out directly to housing@placer.ca.gov.
• Rachel Vargas, Regional Manager for Coldstream Commons and Meadowview, can be contacted by email at rvargas@jsco.net or by calling (916) 561-0323 ext. 4084.
• Check out this video regarding Brown Bear Studios to demonstrate North Tahoe Truckee Homeless Services and Brown Bear Studios’s work.

I also want to encourage folks to sign up for TTCF’s future Achievable Housing in Action Lunch & Learns! Our lineup includes: 

• THIS FRIDAY (May 16): Home Hardening, Insurance, & Wildfire Risk
  • Hosted in partnership with TTCF’s Forest Futures program, this Lunch & Learn will focus on “Home Hardening, Insurance, and Wildfire Risk Housing Solutions”. Join us over Zoom on 5/16 from 12:00 – 1:00PM to learn about these community wildfire mitigation strategies! 
  • You can register here directly or through the QR code on the flyer attached. 
• June 13: Lessons from Other Mountain Communities 
  • Housing experts from Ketchum, Idaho, Vail, Colorado, and Jackson, Wyoming will share what’s working in their towns and how it could help other places too. Join us over Zoom from 12:00 – 1:00PM to learn from these outside experts! 
  • Register here! 

Last but not least, please take some time to complete the 2025 Housing Needs Assessment Survey, hosted by TTCF in partnership with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). This survey data is extremely important for local developers, public agencies, and other community partners. The survey closes May 30th; don’t wait! 

Thank you! Maeve Donovan – Program Manager – Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation

TAKE THE HOUSING SURVEY!

TRPA and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation have prepared a survey to assess the needs of the entire region: SURVEY >

ATTEND THE IVR FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS WORKSHOP ON MAY 22, starting at 5:30 at the Chateau.  Details in the attached flyer. This is sponsored by the Incline Village Realtors. The Housing Committee is helping to organize it and promote it. It is the second event in the Workforce Housing Series. Please invite anyone who is looking to buy property and would like to hear about overcoming the considerable barriers.

Update on Lease to Locals

This is a vehicle for “unlocking existing housing stock” by giving an incentive to landlords to open up a new rental or convert a short-term rental to a long-term rental. It is funded by Washoe County. Since February, one landlord has been accepted into the program, with three more in application review. Of the 54 property leads, almost half have expressed a strong interest. Learn more at: https://placemate.com/lease-to-locals/

Community Outreach
Clare, Linda, and River have made presentations and spoken with several community groups, including the two Rotary clubs, AAUW, St. Vincent group at St. Francis of Assisi,  and St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church.

Workforce Housing Series

#1 was the event on Placemate’s Lease to Locals at UNR in January.

#2 is the IVR First Time Homebuyers Workshop

#3 is TBD and tentatively planned for the fall.

TRPA’S Living Communities Working Group

Jim McNamara is the Washoe County representative. Chris Wood is the alternate and will be attending meetings on behalf of Washoe Tahoe. The committee is in the second phase of its efforts to make housing more accessible while maintaining and improving environmental protections. The current phase of policy review and capacity building is called Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin. The Phase 2 amendments for height and density are intended to make deed-restricted multi-family projects more viable. Washoe County has just finished a series of public input meetings to consider the viability of those policies in Washoe Tahoe. 

IVCBA.org/Programs/Housing

Find resources and information on various housing topics on the housing page!

About IVCBA Housing Committee

The IVCBA Housing committee was formed last year to replace the Washoe Tahoe Housing Partnership that managed the housing study and roadmap funded by Washoe County. Its goal is to be a clearinghouse for housing information in Washoe Tahoe and to work to find housing solutions in the community. It consists of community members with a breadth of experience and knowledge.   

Community Engagement and Outreach – Clare Novak and River Coyote
Finance – Laura Levine Kalisch
Redevelopment and Development – Jim Clark and Mike Young
Policy and Strategy – Chris Wood and Kathie Julian
Programs – Laura Levine Kalisch and Christina Fahad
Organization – Linda Offerdahl

Sponsors: Rotary Club of Tahoe-Incline and Rotary Club of Incline Village

Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 5/2/2025, Written by Eli Ramos

As prices for housing continue to climb, with non-equivalent wage increases, finding affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult, even for those earning above 80% of the area median income. What does “affordable housing” actually refer to? Here in the basin, who is it meant to serve? And is there enough of it to help those who need it?

Defining affordable housing

Affordable is a tricky term to nail down in the housing sphere, since it’s often used to refer to something that anyone, regardless of income bracket, can pay for. It’s also been used to address the undue burden for most people renting and owning a home—that the combined cost for the housing payment and utilities shouldn’t make up more than 30% of the income for those paying (an uptick from the 1980s, where that number was 20%.)

READ MORE >

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is partnering with the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) and other regional partners to complete an updated assessment of the region’s housing needs. Partners request survey responses from those who live and work in the region, including local residents, seasonal workers, in-commuters, and individuals experiencing homelessness. 

The survey takes approximately 5-10 minutes.

TAKE SURVEY HERE >