City of South Lake Tahoe looks at selling property for workforce housing needs

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City of South Lake Tahoe has several undeveloped lots and has taken steps to sell them with the proceeds going into a fund that has been earmarked for workforce housing projects.

During their meeting Tuesday, City Council directed City Manager Frank Rush and staff to take steps to market and sell City-owned parcels at 3483 Ralph Drive and 2180 Washington Avenue. Neither spot would work for affordable multi-unit housing and are better suited for single-family residential homes.

Sale proceeds would be used for future workforce housing initiatives and will be combined with other dedicated revenues as part of a new Workforce Housing Fund.

The three city-owned lots at 3141 Riverside Avenue may be better suited for workforce/affordable housing as they rest in both an Opportunity Zone and the popular Al Tahoe neighborhood. (An Opportunity Zone (OZ) is an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Al Tahoe and Stateline are the only two areas of South Lake Tahoe classified in this OZ).

Council said they wanted St. Joseph's Community Land Trust to have first right-of-refusal on the Riverside lots. The trust's mission is to "improve the quality of life for individuals and families who cannot otherwise afford housing by acquiring real estate and developing programs to benefit individuals and families."