Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 1/9/2026, Written by Eli Ramos

Winter is usually the time when people in the basin think about homelessness—it’s when the risks are highest for those who are unhoused and when operations like warming centers are the most critical. But year-round, organizations like Sierra Community House and the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless as well as others provide critical services to those in most need.

Part 1 of this feature covered what homelessness looks like in the Tahoe Basin and how homelessness services collect data. Now, we’ll cover what services are available to unhoused people and what changes are on the horizon for them.

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Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Written by Maria Palma KUNR, 12/24/2025

Housing affordability has long been a challenge in the Lake Tahoe region, and a new survey is now putting hard numbers behind what many residents experience every day.

Earlier this year, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), in partnership with the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, surveyed people who live and work in the Greater Lake Tahoe region. The goal was to better understand how housing and transportation challenges are affecting daily life in the basin.

The survey included more than 40 questions and was offered in both English and Spanish. Organizers also worked with local nonprofit organizations to reach people who are often underrepresented or left out of traditional surveys.

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Originally published in the TRPA newsletter 12/19/2025

The Van Sickle Bi-State Park on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore is getting park ranger housing, and accessory dwelling units are now allowed on more properties following Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board approvals this Wednesday.

“Throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin, momentum on affordable housing is continuing to build as organizations and individuals work to ensure Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities can thrive together,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said. 

The Board approved a project by Nevada Division of State Parks at the Van Sickle property to construct a maintenance shop plus two deed-restricted housing units for park staff. Van Sickle Bi-State Park is a 725-acre, day-use park co-managed by the California Tahoe Conservancy that offers hiking trails, scenic views, picnic areas, and historic ranch buildings steps away from the busy state line area of Tahoe’s South Shore. Having affordable housing on site will help park rangers and reduce vehicle miles traveled.

The Governing Board also adopted amendments to the Washoe Tahoe Area Plan for Incline Village and Crystal Bay, Nevada to allow accessory dwelling units on properties less than one acre in size. The housing incentives incorporated into the plan, originally approved in 2023, encourage more affordable units near transit and services to help reduce traffic and support water quality improvements through environmental redevelopment.

The Board’s action on accessory dwelling units brings consistency to both sides of the lake and allows all local governments in the basin to consider allowing them on residential parcels smaller than one acre. Resort communities across the country are incentivizing these types of granny flats or backyard cottages as a strategy to address housing affordability, according to TRPA.

Caption: An illustration of the Nevada Division of State Parks employee duplex approved for Van Sickle Bi-State Park.
Credit: Nevada Division of State Parks

Published on YouTube – TRPA Channel

Summary — TRPA Housing Presentation (Advisory Planning Commission, Dec 10, 2025)

Context & Initiative

• The presentation was part of TRPA’s ongoing housing policy work under the initiative “Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin.” SnowBrains
• This is a multi-year regional planning effort to address the Lake Tahoe housing crisis while protecting environmental goals like water quality and growth limits. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

Key Goals of the Housing Policy Discussion

The staff presentation to the Advisory Planning Commission likely covered:

1. Housing Challenges in the Tahoe Basin
   • Local workers and families are increasingly priced out of housing.
   • Many workers commute into the region, increasing traffic, emissions, and environmental impacts. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
2. Overview of the “Cultivating Community” Policy Process
   • The initiative explores updating land-use policy and the growth management system to promote affordable and workforce housing without weakening environmental protections. SnowBrains
   • It builds on previous phases like accessory dwelling unit (ADU) incentives and deed-restriction monitoring programs. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
3. Draft Policy Directions (Likely Covered in Presentation)
   While I can’t view the exact slides, TRPA’s published draft policy ideas include: Tahoe Regional Planning Agency• Development Rights Reform
   • Options to scale required development rights based on unit size/impact, so large homes cost more rights and smaller, workforce housing costs fewer.
   • Alternatives could reduce or internalize rights for small ADUs or multi-family units.
   • Fees & Mitigation Costs
   • Exploring scaled mitigation fees based on environmental impact, potentially lowering fees for small workforce units and raising them for large homes.
   • Land Coverage & Standards
   • Looking at coverage requirement tweaks to make it easier to build smaller, multi-unit housing while maintaining water-quality protections.
   • Missing Middle Housing
   • Options to allow duplexes, triplexes, or fourplexes in more neighborhoods as part of broader regional plan updates.
   • Local Government Flexibility
   • Increasing local adoption of incentives and standards that support multi-family and workforce housing.
4. Public Engagement & Next Steps
   • The Dec 10 advisory commission presentation was one step in gathering feedback before the Jan 28, 2026 Governing Board hearing to initiate the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for these housing policy recommendations. SnowBrains
5. How Environmental Protection Fits In
   • TRPA emphasizes maintaining current growth limits and water quality protections while finding ways to support housing — a principal theme of “Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin.” Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

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The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is calling on community members, nonprofits, and partner agencies to continue sharing ideas and provide feedback on how to incentivize housing that is affordable while protecting Lake Tahoe’s unique environment. See the next box for more details on the draft proposal. 

Upcoming hearings:Wednesday, December 10 – Advisory Planning Commission (APC) public meeting and APC workshop on Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin policy recommendations.

Wednesday, January 28 – The TRPA Governing Board will consider an action to move the Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin proposed policies forward for analysis in an environmental impact statement (EIS) to be conducted next year.

Wednesday, February 11 – APC will hold an environmental scoping meeting for the Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin EIS.

Community members can submit written comments in advance to publiccomment@trpa.gov, or attend any of the meetings virtually or in person to provide comments during designated public comment periods. 

Calendar of Events

Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 12/04/2025, Written by Katelyn Welsh

After a gamut of increasing premiums and a notice of non-renewal, the McCloud Condo Association in Incline Village ventured to try something new this year when it came to insurance. The result yielded a 33% premium reduction.

The association worked with RockRose Risk, a new company within this last year that is redefining how property coverage works in high-risk areas.

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Photos: McCloud – provided by RockRose Risk

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 11/19/2025, Written by Eli Ramos

On Monday, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church officially launched The Sally Fund, a community effort that will provide flexible funding to Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions. Named after longtime Tahoe resident Sally Jane Hammel, the fund will provide housing assistance and rapid re-housing to those in need.

Sally Jane Hammel was a Tahoe resident for over 30 years and was a member of St. Patrick’s as well as a U.S. Postal Service worker. When she died in 2020, she willed her condo to the church, and a portion of her gift is the seed money for the fund.

Senior Warden at St. Patrick’s Connie Skidmore said, “We wanted the love in her house to live on for others.”

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Published on YouTube, 2023

During the winter of 2021/2022, a group of Tahoe based skiers, snowboarders, and filmmakers came together to explore the causes of the immediate housing shortages affecting their mountain town community and to look for real solutions. Motivated by their personal passion for skiing and snowboarding, they chose to focus on others who share that same love for the mountains, many of whom are struggling to stay in the places they call home.

The film was completed in 2023 and went on a film festival and screening tour during the 2023 to 2024 season. It traveled across the country and even made a stop in a resort town in Australia where the story deeply resonated with the local community. Want to learn more about housing issues and what can be done to help? Explore the resources listed below and feel free to drop others in the comments.

https://www.ttcf.net/housing-solutions-fun…

https://strongnorthtahoe.org/resources/com…

https://tahoeprosperity.org/housing-tahoe/…

This film was made possible due to a the generous support of donors, Alibi Ale Works for hosting our fundraiser and an early screening, the The Truckee Community Foundation, and the businesses that donated goods to our raffle (listed at the end of the film). Thank you!

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is providing opportunities over the next three months to learn about and give feedback on policies intended to increase the availability of affordable and workforce housing in the Lake Tahoe Region, the agency said today. Following a year of meaningful engagement with community members, housing experts, and decision makers through the Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin project, TRPA will launch an environmental impact statement (EIS) process in early 2026 and is seeking feedback on draft policy recommendations to include in the study.

“Most of Lake Tahoe’s essential workers and underrepresented community members are burdened by housing costs and that’s causing impacts to both our environment and communities,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said. “The Tahoe dream shouldn’t be out of reach for so many families, seniors, and local workers who are commuting into the basin for jobs. We’re driving innovative environmental policies to address this massive challenge, and we want to ensure the community’s voices are heard.”

Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin is a multiyear project to make housing more accessible while maintaining and improving environmental quality. The project will modernize land-use policies and the regional growth management system to ensure new building and redevelopment projects increase access to affordable and workforce housing in a thriving, protected environment, according to the agency.

TRPA will hold a workshop and public presentation on draft policies to include in the EIS at the November 19 Governing Board meeting. Additional presentations are scheduled for December and January meetings to finalize the scope of the EIS.

Public Input Opportunities

Nov. 19, 2025
Presentation and Governing Board workshop

Dec. 10, 2025
Advisory Planning Commission presentation

Jan. 28, 2026
Governing Board hearing to initiate an EIS

The EIS will analyze short- and long-term effects of proposed policies on regional environmental goals, including improved water quality, reduced vehicle use, and evacuation planning by emergency management and law enforcement agencies. Visit TahoeLiving.org for more information and to get involved.

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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.

Originally Published in The Tahoe Daily Tribune, 11/12/2025, Staff Report

 St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Incline Village, announces the creation of The Sally Fund to generate support for our housing-insecure neighbors in North Tahoe-Truckee. Using part of a generous bequest from a longtime member as seed money, St. Patrick’s invites our community to add to this fund–and help prevent homelessness.

Donations will flow to those in need through two outstanding partners—Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions—who serve individuals and families struggling to enter housing or to stay housed.

As Connie Skidmore, St. Patrick’s Senior Warden states, “When Sally Jane Hammel willed her Incline condo to her church family on her passing in 2020, St. Patrick’s leadership intentionally made a decision to spread her spirit of generosity. The legacy of her home, where Sally shared warmth and hospitality, as well as Sally’s known desire to help others, inspired us to launch a housing assistance fund in her name.”

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