Tahoe Truckee Region Local News: Housing

TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Go Electric Truckee Tahoe program launched its free personalized electrification coaching service, offering technical assistance to home and building owners in the Truckee Tahoe region. This service is specifically for those interested in replacing natural gas appliances with heat pumps for space heating & cooling and water heating. 

The Truckee Chamber of Commerce invites the community to their first Good Morning Truckee of 2025: Flipping the Script on Housing - Truckee Housing Success stories. This program will feature four locals who will speak about their success using some of the innovative housing solutions available in our community. 

A one-story residence at 3515 Rancho Circle has been a concern of the city of South Lake Tahoe since 2022. Though it has stood since 1961, in the past few years, it has fallen into disrepair and has become a health and public safety concern.

To most people, having a mother-in-law unit or guest house on their property would be considered a luxury, something not very common in the Tahoe region. But what if there were more guest houses built here, where local workers could live and thrive and contribute to our community?

Last week's final city council meeting of the year had several housing updates, including the second hearing on employee housing signage ordinances, the Prohousing Incentive program grant application for Sugar Pine Village, and an ADU agreement with Workbench.

As Truckee grapples with California's push for more affordable housing, a growing number of local residents, including homeowners John Kedzie and Jim Francis of Winter Creek, are sounding the alarm about the long-term impact of high-density developments on their small mountain town. Their concerns, initially raised in opposition to the recently approved Silver Creek Estates housing project, have now become part of a broader conversation about the future of growth and development in Truckee.

Following approval of the Village at Palisades Tahoe Specific Plan at its Nov. 19 meeting in Kings Beach, the Placer County Board of Supervisors will hear a pair of items related to that plan at its Dec. 10 meeting in Auburn. The board will consider approval of the plan area's vesting large-lot tentative subdivision map and granting an exception to the state minimum fire safe regulations.

The November 19 South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting had city housing manager Jessica Wackenhut Lomeli at the podium for several items, including discussing an amendment to employee housing ordinances, contracts with the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless and Live Violence Free, and decisions on Placemate's role in the Lease to Locals program, which ends on January 15, 2025.

The measure prohibiting vacation home rentals in residential areas will once again be heard in the El Dorado County Superior Court of California. A trial is scheduled on Nov. 27 on issues a higher court sent back.

Truckee Town Council exercised their gratitude muscles during their Tuesday, Nov. 12 meeting. To celebrate Gratitude Month, each council member picked an organization or person which exemplified the Truckee Way.

939 people are on the waitlist for the eight affordable housing properties in the City of South Lake Tahoe, according to the most recent report from analyst Lydia Zuniga. It's a small increase from the 891 people on the waitlist reported last quarter.

As the election approaches and ballots arrive in the mail, residents are finally getting their chance to officially vote on Measure N, also known as the Tahoe Vacancy Tax. The Tribune spoke with six residents of South Lake Tahoe to see what their reasons were for voting yes or no on the hotly debated topic.