It took a village to build largest affordable housing project in the history of South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Leaders from several state, regional, and local agencies gathered at the Sugar Pine Village last Thursday to celebrate the opening of the first phase of 68 affordable housing units. When completed, Sugar Pine Village will be a 248-unit community, transforming what was once vacant state-owned land into affordable housing for families and workers in the Tahoe region.

“Today we advance our strategy of transforming underutilized state properties into thriving affordable living communities for Californians. Sugar Pine Village opens the door to more affordable living in South Lake Tahoe, creating hundreds of new homes,” said Governor Newsom. “I congratulate and extend my thanks to Related California and the Saint Joseph Community Land Trust, as well as the state agencies who led the way by quickly transforming this state property into a place where many families can call home.”

Newsom was not in South Lake Tahoe for the ceremony, but several housing partners were gathered during the first cold, blustery day the region has seen in months.

“It’s inspiring to see Sugar Pine Village open its doors and provide urgently needed housing to the South Lake Tahoe community,” said Ann Silverberg, CEO of Related California’s NorCal Affordable and Northwest Divisions. “This is a major milestone for building high-quality housing efficiently and affordably, and we look forward to welcoming more residents into their new homes when additional phases are complete. Thank you to Governor Newsom, the State of California, the City of South Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and our many other partners for their collaboration.”

"It takes a village to create a village," said Silverberg. "This is a big day, a really big day."

Sugar Pine Village was a collaborative effort on many levels, from using state excess lands to funding during in difficult and competitive financial situation with rising interest rates and getting it all done during the pandemic when the world, and construction costs, were changing almost daily.

The site for the project was owned by the California Tahoe Conservancy, and Newsom signed an executive order to make the land available for affordable housing.

During the pandemic, remote workers moved to Lake Tahoe and took up available housing so low-income workers were left behind. The partners involved in getting the Village built said they knew they had to deliver housing, and to do so they had to do it together.

Every single tool at their disposal was used, and that is evident in South Lake Tahoe, said Tomiquia Moss, the California Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. Moss said Sugar Pine Village met all of its goals for an affordable project - pedestrian-friendly, sustainable, and transit-focused.

"This is one of our first projects to come to fruition under Newsom's orders," said Moss. "It doesn't just take a village, but all collective assets together."

Sugar Pine Village is the first large project under the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD) excess lands order. They saw the City of South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) were already delivering on creating plans for affordable housing, so the State accelerated its timeline in helping get Sugar Pine Village completed.

The City leveraged $2.4M in state funds to get the project done as quickly as possible.

"I can't thank you all enough," South Lake Tahoe Mayor Cody Bass told the gathered partners. "We are grateful and proud. The City will keep this [affordable housing] as a priority - This is a roadmap for the State."

"TRPA is a key partner," said their Executive Director Julie Regan. "This is a journey we all share. The lot was planned for car sales until bought by the Conservancy."

"We went to bed as Tahoe and woke up as Aspen," Regan said of life during the pandemic and new residences moved to town. "Sugar Pine Village is breaking the mold for affordable housing."

"If we can do this here, we can do it anywhere," added Regan.

These affordable housing projects are stand-out examples of the state working together to ensure that every Californian has a place to call home,” said Department of General Services Director Ana M. Lasso. “With Sugar Pine Village, DGS is proud to be part of creating a sustainable and inclusive community that reflects the values of South Lake Tahoe.”

One of the new residents of Sugar Pine Village was also a guest speaker, and she brought the crowd to tears.

"I am beyond stunned," said Wendy Warswick. "I'm finding out how many people were responsible, I'm humbled. This is one of the most amazing things that has happened here."

Wendy, a native of South Lake Tahoe, said she struggled with the high cost of living. She said she was stunned when she got the email saying she was approved to move in.

"This is one of the most amazing things that has happened here," added Wendy.

There were 600 people on the interest list for the first 68 units. The next phase will be open in Fall 2025.

"South Lake Tahoe residents welcomed it," El Dorado County Supervisor Brooke Laine said. Placerville will be getting an affordable housing project, something residents on the west slope don't always want in their backyard according to Laine.