Truckee’s history is rich and varied. It’s survived and thrived through the logging industry period, the discovery of gold and silver in its nearby mountains, the building of the railroad through its center, and the advent of the downhill skiing industry and its accompanying tourist industry. It’s gone from unincorporated hamlet to an ever growing town, with its own police force and governing body.
And now, a new chapter is on the horizon for our little mountain town. This spring, construction will begin on the infrastructure for the long awaited Truckee Railyard Project. The Truckee Railyard Master Plan, which encompasses 75 acres directly east of Historic Downtown, was adopted by the Truckee Town Council in 2009. The 2009 Master Plan was created to formalize the Town’s vision for the Railyard Area and to guide its future redevelopment. The plan addresses building architecture and character, desired land uses, and private/public spaces including roads, sidewalks and parking among other aspects. This past summer, the California Strategic Growth Council awarded the project an $8 million grant, bringing its total secured funding to $14 million. The Railyard development was one of 28 housing and transit-friendly infrastructure projects that received $121.9 million in grants and loans from the council.
The Railyard is a vision for redefining mountain living. Growth in our full time population and the local economy have created an immense unmet demand for workforce housing, live/work space, and office space. And increasingly, residents and visitors’ alike desire a more walkable mixed-use area, which this project is uniquely prepared to offer.
The Phase I land use application indicates a roughly 30,000-square-foot, independently owned and operated 3 to 6-screen movie and performing arts theater, a brew pub restaurant, a retail building with an office above, mixed income housing, a 32,000-square-foot grocery store, and downtown workforce housing for land located east of the town’s Commercial Row. “The Railyard is a great in-fill project for Truckee,” said Lynn Saunders, president and CEO of the Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce. “It takes an unsightly parcel of land that is set in a highly desirable location right beside our historic downtown, and recreates it into an innovative mixed-use development that will only expand our assets.”
Phase 1 features a mixed-use project that includes the movie theaters and performing arts space, 27 residential units and ground floor retail space. There will be a 77 unit, mixed-income development including 60 affordable housing units and 17 market rate ones. A family owned and operated Northern California grocery store chain, Nugget, has signed a letter of intent, as well.
Two additional phases will eventually complete the project. Phase II, the Trout Creek District, will provide a mix of single family and multi-family homes along the newly restored Trout Creek. These homes have the unique opportunity to provide well designed, smaller single family units in the downtown core. Phase III, the Industrial Heritage District will contain a mix of uses including multi-family residential, artisan and commercial space, live-work and work-live uses.
We at Dickson Realty are particularly excited about this new chapter in the history of our town, and look forward to seeing it come to fruition. See for yourself! You can find more information and see renderings on the Truckee Railyard website.
Sources:
Tahoe Daily Tribune | January 22, 2015
Moonshine Ink | November 14, 2014
http://www.truckeerailyard.com
