Three families selected as Riverside Avenue land trust project gets underway in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Three families are waiting in the wings to live in the three new homes provided through the Saint Joseph Community Land Trust (SJCLT) in South Lake Tahoe.

During an official groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, many of those involved in the lengthy process of creating the permanently affordable homes were on hand. SJCLT Board President and founding member Lyn Barnett told those gathered Thursday that the project is for locals, by locals, and he thanks the many partners including the American Century Championship, Tahoe Women’s Community Fund, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, many community-minded individuals, the City of South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and South Tahoe Public Utility District, many of who were there.

"Thank you everybody for building our home and allowing us to stay here," said one of the new homeowners Diana Lozano.

The Lozanos have lived in South Lake Tahoe for 18 years, having first lived in the Sierra Garden Apartments and then in a view different houses. They are expecting their second child in August so the family of four will move into a two bedroom-two bath home, one of two on the Riverside Avenue project. The third home fronts San Jose Avenue and will be a three bedroom-two bathroom home. Many may recognize Diana from when she worked at the South Lake Tahoe Library, and husband Patrick works at Sierra Veterinary Hospital.

All three homes had to be under contract before loans could be issued and building could start, and the selected buyers had to qualify for those loans. The local building partner is Affordable Construction Services.

The three-home project is not the first for the community land trust, not will it be the last. Another long-time local family from a nearby home that was purchased through Saint Joseph's program were at the groundbreaking to celebrate with the new homeowners. SJCLT is also the agency responsible for the upcoming Sugar Pine Village at the Y. Ground is expected to be broken on the first phase of the residential, mixed-use affordable community this summer. Sixty-eight units will be in that first phase with financing underway for the second phase.

The three lots on Riverside Avenue were owned by the City of South Lake Tahoe and sold to SJCLT for $1. There had been discussion of turning the lots into parking lots for the nearby Lakeview Commons and commercial area, but creating a ground lease program for affordable housing was deemed a much better use of the property.

"The City used its resources to get this built," said Mayor Devin Middlebrook during the groundbreaking ceremony.

South Lake Tahoe City Council has said it was important to make this land available to SJCLT as one more way to address the affordable housing crisis in the community.

SJCLT owns the land, the buyers own the home with a 99-year ground lease. The homes can never be used for vacation rentals, or resold to people that don't meet the criteria, ensuring permanent residents with permanent rules.

The Riverside homes are for households earning no more than 120 percent of El Dorado County Area Median Income (currently $122,639 for a family of 4).

Sugar Pine Village project will deliver much-needed affordable, workforce housing to residents earning 30-60 percent of the Area Media Income (AMI), and is the largest multi-family housing project in South Lake Tahoe’s pipeline. The income requirements will be at the time of renting, but at this time those earning approximately $26,100 - $52,200 annually would qualify.