Tahoe City residents have been beaten over the head, time and time again, with all that is struggling in their town — commercial vacancies, population declines, high real estate values. Most everyone can count off a slew of factors contributing to the frays in Tahoe City’s economic and social fabric. But frankly, most Tahoe City residents are sick and tired of hearing that their town is down. Instead, they are embracing their community, choosing to stay positive, and looking to what can be done.
The numbers tell one side of the story
There is no getting around the fact that Tahoe City has some very real issues that threaten its vitality.
Data from the 2010 Census revealed that the town’s population dropped by 11.6 percent since 2000. Of the 2,119 total housing units in the Tahoe City/Sunnyside census-designated place, only 35.1 percent are occupied full time. An eye-opening 58.5 percent of all housing units in Tahoe City are second homes.
While Tahoe City’s population has dropped, its home prices remain high. According to data collected by the Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors for the first quarter of 2011, the median price for homes sold between Dollar Hill and Tahoe City was $653,000. Down the West Shore, the median home price was $550,000. Truckee’s median price for the same period, by contrast, was $375,000.
With no first-class accommodations in town, Tahoe City also has a hard time competing for tourists with the upscale hotels that exist in Northstar, Squaw Valley, and Truckee. Commercial vacancies haunt the downtown corridor, and the shoulder season kills. These are serious issues in Tahoe City that are not going to go away overnight. Some chalk it up to the ebbs and flows of any evolving town. Yet, to residents like 33-year-old Brendan Madigan, who is president of the Tahoe City Downtown Association, manager at Alpenglow Sports, and still rents his home, none of the drawbacks to Tahoe City outweigh the town’s lakefront location and community.
‘I may not be able to afford a house here,’ Madigan said. ‘But if town could be really rad one day, then that’s a better — another — alternative.’
New kids on the block
Dave Wilderotter, who moved to Tahoe City in 1977 and owns one of Tahoe City’s most established ski shops, Tahoe Dave’s, has a good perspective on what’s happening in Tahoe City. The town is not what it was 20, or even 10 years ago, Wilderotter said. Tahoe City has changed with every generation — and that’s a natural progression.
‘Nothing can stay the same. And if you try to make something stay the same, it’s going to die,’ Wilderotter said. ‘If you let [Tahoe City] evolve into the cool town that it is, I think that’s phenomenal.’
To carry their town forward and guide Tahoe City’s evolution, Wilderotter and other established community leaders and business owners point to the next generation that is stepping up to the plate and getting involved with the local community.
‘It’s the next generation; it’s new ideas,’ said Don Fyfe, owner of Alpenglow Sports. ‘I think it’s very important that we get that new thought process in there.’
Madigan took the reins of the Tahoe City Downtown Association just a few months ago with a simple desire to get involved and make a difference.
‘I look at the downtown association as a major arm for change,’ Madigan said. ‘I think you can choose to focus on the negatives, or focus on what we have and more importantly, what we can do.’
Christin Hanna, 28, who grew up in Tahoe City and founded Tahoe Youth Ballet in 2009, is the vice president of the downtown association. Together, Hanna and Madigan bring a youthful and idealistic outlook, a breath of fresh air, to the table.
Both acknowledge the issues facing businesses in town: cost of living, slow shoulder seasons, competition from neighboring commercial centers. But instead of dwelling on things they can’t change, they remain optimistic and focus on what can be done, like mediating between frustrated business owners and the Foothill Farmers’ Market and raising funds to keep the Fourth of July fireworks.
Madigan and Hanna are also strong advocates for events that get people downtown and rally the community. Head down to Commons Beach on a warm Sunday evening with your picnic blanket and beach chair to see a concert. Ride your bike to the farmers market every Thursday morning to buy veggies and chat with your neighbor. The Fourth of July Fireworks, Heart and Solstice Festival, Movies at Commons Beach, the summer softball league — community gatherings like these stoke the flames of the Tahoe City community.
‘A lot of those things [obstacles in Tahoe City] are out of our control. Houses in Tahoe, maybe they’re never affordable,’ Madigan said. ‘But we can throw rad events and we can grow town to the point to where, hopefully, it’s desirable for more people to come here. And then it’s just a snowball effect.’
Investment breeds ownership
Another member of Tahoe City’s younger generation who is stepping up to the plate with a good idea is Aaron Gaines. The 30-year-old is tapping into the energy of his Tahoe City peers and encouraging them to invest in their community by volunteering for different groups or nonprofits and at different events. His thought is that volunteering in Tahoe City will foster a sense of ownership in town.
‘I want to give my friends one more reason to live here and not move away,’ he said.
Gaines first moved to Tahoe from New England in 2003, manages Porters Sports’ warehouse and web sales, and recently bought a home on Old County Road with his wife. He took a look at his community — a group of thoughtful, active, smart people who have chosen to live at Tahoe, but haven’t necessarily reached out to get involved beyond work and recreation. He decided to start a volunteer club to offer local residents an avenue to make a difference.
Gaines said that he’s only giving a ‘nudge of encouragement’ to his friends, but so far, it’s working. The Gang, as the club is unofficially called, has more than 90 members between the ages of 25 and 35 who are eager to help out. While the group is just getting started, they’ve already volunteered at Earth Day, the Tahoe City Easter egg hunt, the Tahoe City Public Utility District’s bike derby, and helped clean up Tahoe City and the bike path along the Truckee River. Gaines said the group has a desire to volunteer in anything from environmental causes to kids activities.
‘We’re a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-do-something organization,’ Gaines said. ‘All of our activities must directly benefit North Lake Tahoe.’
Filling the void
If you’ve recently walked upstairs in the Boatworks Mall, you’ll know that it’s mostly empty. Most of the second-floor stores either moved or shut their doors completely. The Boatworks’ upper floor is one of those noticeable voids in Tahoe City’s economy.
But that may soon change. Hacienda del Lago is set to reopen in mid-June in its former space on Boatworks’ second floor. Owner Joe Lanza said he wants to recreate Hacienda’s family and community atmosphere. Happy hour will be back, along with a menu featuring items around the $10 price point.
‘There’s an enthusiasm building … We couldn’t keep [opening Hacienda] a secret,’ Lanza said. ‘It’s kind of funny in a way that Tahoe City is so excited about having us back.’
As Hacienda did in years past, Lanza expects his restaurant will bring patrons upstairs and encourage business for the entire mall.
‘We’ll see if we can create some enthusiasm and some life in the Boatworks building and Tahoe City,’ Lanza said.
Hacienda is not the only new restaurant opening up in Tahoe City. Fiamma is scheduled to reopen this summer under new ownership and a new name. Down at the Tahoe City Marina, Double Dog Deli, a grab-and-go deli, and Dock Side 700, a sit-down restaurant and wine bar, just opened in April. Despite opening the deli in the shoulder season, Dave Richardson, a partner and owner of Double Dog, said business has been surprisingly good over the first couple months.
‘If you think a place has potential, you better get in at the bottom than the top,’ Richardson said.
On why he decided to open a business in Tahoe City, Richardson said it wasn’t about the town so much as it was about the lakefront, marina location.
‘I think the potential is here,’ Richardson said. ‘Definitely the location is here. And I think we can be part of the solution.’
Editor’s Note: See Tim Hauserman’s column on p. 19 for a born-and-bred local’s take on all that Tahoe City has to offer.
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