Vista Village, a workforce housing project proposed for Tahoe Vista, is very close to becoming a reality. The project, formerly known as Cedar Grove, has preliminary plans and is working its way through the regulatory processes of Placer County and the TRPA. A well-attended public meeting was held October 11 at the Kings Beach Elementary School where many community members weighed in on the project.
Pacific West Communities, Inc., the Mourelatos Family, and the Workforce Housing Association of Truckee Tahoe (WHATT), all partners on the project, hosted the public meeting to hear the specific needs of area employers and employees, while also providing general information about the proposed development. The meeting was in English and Spanish translation was provided. The developers were pleased by the fact that 140 people attended, although they say they would like to double the number of presence for future meetings.
‘Final design phases of this community project, such as number of units and amount of houses for rent and purchase will be discussed today. We are here tonight to obtain input and hear your stories,’ said Alex Mourelatos, landowner of the 12-acre site.
Andrea Clark, Vice President of Pacific West Communities, Inc. gave an overview of the project. The 12-acre property of the proposed Vista Village is large enough to accommodate between 50 and 150 housing units, Clark said. She explained the project would include a mix of rental and purchase properties, in the form of apartments, town homes, condominiums, and houses. She illustrated the general design with pictures of similar projects. (See sidebar for more information about P.W.C.).
Then Clark opened the discussion to the community by saying, ‘I am not an expert in your town. You are, because you live here.’
• ‘My dad and his friends, many years ago, could afford a home. Unfortunately those years are gone. It is a disservice to our community if we do not help and try to solve this problem,’ said Jeff Ross, owner of a home in Kings Beach and a business in Tahoe Vista, and father of five kids in the Kings Beach Elementary School.
• Another member of the community said the town of Tahoe Vista is small – only one square mile. ‘In the 90s I worked on a project of affordable housing, and we talked about 12 acres zoned for 15 parcels. When you talk about building 50 to 150 houses, you have to think of the noise, the pollution of air, the land use, the traffic. There are not enough fire engines, not enough child-care. We do not have the infrastructure for 150 houses, maybe we do have it for 50.’
• A local contractor explained that he had stopped by the projects already started in Truckee, and saw that lots of the workers of the project were from Reno, Sparks and other far-away areas. He suggested building the houses with the local workforce. ‘I might work in the project and maybe later I’ll be able to own or rent one of those places,’ he said.
• A Latino woman said, ‘I know the law says that there will be no racism, but I would really like to know if there will be a possibility for the Latino community to live at the Vista Village houses too. We, the Latinos, live all together in small studios in Kings Beach, they are the size of the corner of this room.’
‘We try to live the law, and not only speak it,’ Clark responded.
• Meera Beser, a 30-year resident, said, ‘We should really considerate the sewers, the highway access, the walking distance to the mayor infrastructure center. We live up here because we do not want to live in the city.’
Alex Mourelatos told Moonshine Ink the meeting’s main objective was educating the community about the kind of houses that can be built in the area, and which are the steps to qualify to buy or rent one of the properties at Vista Village. This mission was accomplished, he said. ‘The more public awareness there is, the better for the community.’ He also mentioned that kids play areas, sidewalks and houses with yards are being considered after hearing the community’s comments.
After the meeting Mourelatos said, ‘My guess is that there will be between 70 and 100 houses built in Vista Village. Much more affordable housing has to be done, but it is difficult to find the space. Our land was chosen after Placer County looked into 20 other parcels.’
Environmental analysis is currently underway, and will be available for public review this winter. Placer County and TRPA permit processing will be available on summer 2007.
Contact Alex Mourelatos at 530-546-9500, by email at alexmourelatos@msn.com, or Andrea Clark at 760-920-1162, by email at aclark@qnet.com.
Who is Pacific West Communities?
Pacific West Communities (P.W.C.) is fast becoming the regional expert in the development of workforce housing in resort and mountain communities. P.W.C. has managed the development of more than 40 workforce housing projects in just 12 years. The company has worked on affordable housing projects in Mammoth Lakes; Whistler, B.C; Breckenridge, Colorado; and Frishman Hollow and The Boulders, both in Truckee.
Hard Fact:
The median sales price for homes on the North and West Shore of Lake Tahoe exceeds $600,000.To buy a home in this price range, a household should be earning $150,000/year and have a $70,000 down payment. In contrast, the median income in Placer County is $65,400; that means that a household could reasonably afford a home for $195,000.
Who can afford Vista Village?
Vista Village houses for purchase will likely serve individuals/households earning between $60,000 and $120,000 per year or less. The houses for sale will cost between $120,000 and $600,000.
Vista Village rental housing will likely serve people earning less than $45,000 per year. The rents will cost between $700 and $1,200 per month for two and three bedrooms units.
