LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom revamped and expanded access to the Excess Sites Program, which makes it possible for developers to transform underutilized state land into new affordable housing projects. Since the executive order in 2019, the program has created nearly 4,300 housing units across 32 projects in various phases of development—including South Shore’s Sugar Pine Village and Truckee’s Pacific Crest Commons.

The Excess Sites Program is the first in the nation to address housing through utilizing state properties. Previously, these were solicited for proposals by developers either one at a time or in groups. According to an email from Monica Hassan, deputy director of Department of General Services (DGS), this process limited the number of sites that could be awarded per year. Now, all properties that are available for proposal are accessible on the new website, expediting the process and standardizing submissions.

State agencies will continue to declare properties that are excess to their needs, and DGS and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) evaluate each property to see if it’s suitable for affordable housing projects. If so, the sites are added to the portal, where developers can propose their projects.

Sugar Pine Village, the largest affordable housing project in the history of South Lake Tahoe, opened its first phase of units late last year. The project is targeted at households making 80% of the area median income or below. It was made possible through the Excess Sites Program, as well as a collaboration between the California Tahoe Conservancy, DGS, and HCD, and will be expanding to 248 units by its final phase.

Pacific Crest Commons in Truckee also targets households making no more than 80% of the area median income, and will sit where the former California Highway Patrol site in Truckee was. The contract for the project went to The Pacific Companies, which has created other affordable housing in Truckee.

Hassan stated that while there are currently no additional properties in the Basin, “opportunities can arise in the future.”

“The Governor’s vision to develop state land for affordable housing—particularly in high-resource areas connecting low-income Californians to heightened opportunity—continues to strengthen communities,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez in the press release. “HCD and DGS will continue to work in partnership to add efficiencies like those announced today and build on the program’s successes for the benefit of all Californians.”

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.