TRUCKEE
The Tahoe Truckee Airport District held a special meeting on Dec. 10 to discuss the end of the lease for the Airport Office Building on July 31, 2026. Lift Truckee, a coworking space, took over the lease from Clear Capital on March 1, 2023. As the end of its lease approached and another party expressed interest in the building, the airport district had to decide whether to directly negotiate with its existing tenant or take other bids by conducting a Request For Proposal (RFP).
Despite several comments from the public supporting Lift Truckee, the Tahoe Truckee Airport District opened up an RFP on Dec. 11, which lasts through Jan. 16. Lift’s contract contained no language on a lease renewal, creating cause for the RFP.
According to the district, several organizations have expressed interest in taking over the facility. The RFP process was recommended by the airport district’s General Manager Robb Etnyre and its lawyers as a best practice, allowing for a fair lease renewal process. However, airport district board of directors member Teresa O’Dette said that no one has shown up to a meeting to say they want to rent the space.
During public comment, Lift Truckee’s founder Jan Holan shared that there had been a provision in the contract allowing Lift to extend its lease with written approval from the airport district. According to Holan, after months of back and forth, he was told there might be an RFP.
“I worry about the precedent for the Roundhouse, for the Food Hub,” Holan said during the meeting. “I would hate a nonprofit board to have to go through that.”
Board member Kathryn Rohlf said the process is not a vote against the coworking space. Director David Diamond reiterated her point, saying the RFP is a standard action and the district has discretion to choose any of its bidders. Lift Truckee may still secure a lease renewal even without direct negotiations with the Tahoe Truckee Airport District.
Additionally, the airport district is conducting an appraisal of the building’s market rate, which may increase rent for the Airport Office Building. Watch the meeting here.
~ MR