By Susan Wood

In a matter of minutes, the Douglas County Planning Commission took a 15-year concept and paved the way for more lakefront property to be sold at Stateline – a rarity in Tahoe that could be a reflection of a flourishing housing market.

The first of three phases of the Tahoe Beach Club condominium project envisioned in 2002 had called for 46 units where the Tahoe Shores Mobile Home Park once sat at the end of Kahle Drive.

While anticipating the county Board of Commissioners will accept planning’s recommendation in December to change the tentative map, the Beach Club is set for the number of units to increase to 101 in the current phase. The total number of 143 as well as the footprint of the project approved by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency did not change with the Nov. 14 Planning Commission approval.

This plan revision is “something that can be done at staff level,” TRPA spokesman Tom Lotshaw pointed out.

Sales have been robust – with 37 of those first 46 one- to six-bedroom units already under contract with owners. Albeit considered a technicality in satisfying a Nevada Real Estate Division rule, the tentative map change allows more of two- to four-bedroom units to be built sooner. The units span from about 1,100- to 4,000-square-feet.

Tahoe Beach Club will be high-end housing designed as second homes.

More than $80 million in sales have been racked up since the whole-ownership condo concept started selling at $1.3 million and up. The overall 13-building project broke ground in August 2016. Looking ahead, owners are expected to occupy the five structures in the first and second phases by next fall, with reservations on Phase 2 opening near Thanksgiving, project developer Tom Castaneda told Lake Tahoe News on Wednesday.

The nearly 20-acre project also lists a clubhouse with athletic amenities, a swimming pool and stormwater treatment facilities. Two acres have been set aside for a stream environment zone. Scenic enhancements include the burying of power lines.

The project has come a long way since Castaneda and co-developer Bob Mecay invested in the property – one which may define location, location, location.

The land transformation brought a flurry of controversy to Douglas County over a decade ago because low-income residents were displaced and well aware of the bargain they had in the haven nestled between the pristine Nevada Beach on one side and the swank Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on the other.

In looking back, Castaneda said he was glad the development team got through that process. Meeting after meeting was filled with crying residents. But a lot has happened since then. Some of the changes are reflective of a blossoming economy.

For one thing, Edgewood erected a hotel along the lake’s South Shore, complete with a patio and restaurant overlooking the lake.

Castaneda commended Edgewood for the development and sees no competition there when asked if having lakefront rooms in the same neighborhood deters his sales in any way. 

“I think they’ve done a wonderful job. The location is el primo, but it’s a whole different thing. Do you want to live in a hotel room or do you want to own a piece of real estate? And, you can’t leave a hotel room as a legacy for your kids,” he said, adding: “There are a lot of reasons to wanna own in Lake Tahoe. It’s a lifestyle, and we’re creating a lifestyle.”

The entire length of Kahle Drive is expected to be overhauled in what planners call a complete street. Douglas County commissioners have an item on their agenda today about that project. They meet this afternoon in Stateline.