Author: Kristie Wells
For nearly a year, the future of 771 Southwood Boulevard has been moving through the Tahoe Transportation District’s (TTD) public process.
The 6.4-acre property in Incline Village was acquired years ago for a transportation project that was never built. TTD is now working toward transferring the land to the Reno Housing Authority (RHA) for an affordable housing development under a federal program that allows transit-funded property to be used for housing tied to transit.
The property has been discussed at public meetings. Staff reports have been posted online. Residents have had opportunities to watch the meetings and submit comments.
Still, many people in Incline Village appear to have learned only recently that the property was being considered for transfer at all.
That raises a question that is separate from whether affordable housing should be built there: How well did the public process reach the community where the property is actually located?
TTD has not held a dedicated town hall in Incline Village to walk residents through the history of the property, why the district decided to pursue affordable housing, why the Reno Housing Authority was selected, what federal restrictions come with the transfer or what remains to be decided.
The meetings were public. For many residents, however, the conversation was easy to miss.
A Transportation Project That Never Happened
TTD originally acquired 771 Southwood with plans to develop a mobility hub that could support transit operations in Incline Village.
Over time, that plan became less practical.
At its December 3, 2025 meeting, TTD staff presented the Board with several options for the property. The district could continue pursuing the original transportation project, explore a joint development with another entity, pursue a transit-oriented development that included housing, or dispose of the property.
Staff told the Board that the site presented challenges for a full mobility hub and that the property was costing roughly $30,000 a year to maintain while sitting largely unused. There were also security and liability concerns associated with leaving it vacant.
The Board ultimately directed staff to work with Washoe County and the Reno Housing Authority on a possible affordable housing project that could qualify as transit-oriented development under federal law. If that effort did not move forward, staff was instructed to return to the Board to discuss a possible sale.
That decision set the next phase in motion.
TTD staff met with Washoe County and RHA. On March 24, 2026, the Reno Housing Authority approved working with TTD and the Federal Transit Administration on the proposed transfer. Washoe County submitted a letter of support, and TTD staff also met with FTA Region 9 to confirm that the concept could qualify under federal rules and that RHA was an eligible recipient.
By the April 1st TTD meeting, staff was asking the Board for formal direction to continue working with the FTA and RHA toward transferring the property for affordable housing.
At that point, the discussion had moved beyond considering possible uses for 771 Southwood. TTD had identified the path it wanted to pursue and the agency it wanted to work with.
The Property Cannot Simply Be Given Away
Because federal transportation money was used to acquire the property, TTD cannot simply transfer the land without conditions.
The district is pursuing the transfer under a provision of federal law that allows certain transit-funded properties to be conveyed for affordable housing as part of a transit-oriented development.
The requirements are significant.
Among them, the project must meet specific affordability standards, demonstrate an increase in transit ridership and remain in the required use for at least 30 years.
TTD and RHA must also demonstrate that transferring the property at no cost produces greater public benefit than selling the land and recovering the federal government’s financial interest.
That means the Federal Transit Administration will need much more than a conceptual housing plan. The application is expected to address the number and affordability level of the units, environmental review, financing, development capacity, transit impacts and the overall public benefit of the project.
The FTA must approve the transfer before it can be completed.
August Brings More Attention to the Property
The future of 771 Southwood began attracting wider attention in August.
At its August 5th meeting, TTD heard presentations from both the Reno Housing Authority and the Incline Sports Arena, which had proposed an alternative use for the site.
The concepts were very different, and this article is not intended to advocate for either one.
But the ISA proposal had an important effect on the broader conversation. It brought more attention to a process that had already been underway for months.
Residents began asking questions about the property: Who owned it? What was being considered? How far had the process progressed? Why was the Reno Housing Authority already involved?
For many people, it was the first time they realized that the future of a significant piece of property in Incline Village was being decided through the Tahoe Transportation District.
Whatever one thinks of the ISA proposal itself, the attention surrounding it helped bring the Southwood discussion more fully into the community.
A Public Process That Was Easy to Miss
TTD has not hidden its work on 771 Southwood. The property appeared on public agendas, staff reports were posted online, meetings could be watched remotely and members of the public had opportunities to comment.
But following the process required knowing where to look.
A resident who did not know that TTD owned the former school property would have had little reason to regularly monitor the agendas of a regional transportation agency. Even someone who pays close attention to local issues could easily have missed a discussion about the future of a significant Incline Village property among the many transportation matters coming before the TTD Board.
That is where public notice and public awareness can become two different things.
The information was available, but many in the community did not appear to become aware of the discussion until the process was already well underway. A dedicated meeting in Incline Village might have helped residents better understand how TTD arrived at this point and what questions still need to be answered.
The Questions Go Beyond Housing
The conversation around 771 Southwood has understandably focused on housing. Incline Village has struggled for years with the availability of housing for people who work here.
But the success of any future development will depend on more than the number of units that can be built.
Transportation is one of the most obvious examples. The federal provision being used for the transfer requires the project to support transit-oriented development and demonstrate increased ridership. That requirement carries particular weight in Incline Village, where transportation options are limited.
There are broader service questions as well. Future residents may need reliable transportation to work and medical appointments, along with access to mental health care, senior services and other programs that are already stretched or difficult to access locally.
None of those issues argue for or against housing at 771 Southwood. They are part of the larger planning conversation that comes with adding housing intended to serve lower-income households.
And that conversation extends beyond TTD. Washoe County, the Reno Housing Authority and other regional agencies will have a role in determining how services are funded, coordinated and delivered in Incline Village.
What Comes Next
TTD has chosen its direction for the property and has indicated it does not plan to hold a separate public forum in Incline Village before the process moves forward.
The proposed transfer to the Reno Housing Authority still requires federal review, however, and several important details remain unsettled. Those include the number of units, the income levels they will serve, how transportation will be addressed and what services will be available to the people who eventually live there.
Area Median Income, or AMI, will be an important part of that discussion. Federal affordability requirements will determine who qualifies for housing at the site, but those thresholds should also be considered alongside the people who actually make up Incline Village’s workforce. Teachers, hospitality workers, service employees, health care workers and others who keep the community running do not all fall within the same income range.
The same scrutiny should apply to transportation and services. If the project is expected to increase transit use, the community should understand what transportation will actually be available. If the housing is intended to serve lower-income households, it is equally reasonable to ask what mental health, senior, medical and other support services will be accessible nearby.
Those are not peripheral questions. They will help determine whether the project works as intended once people move in.
The transfer of 771 Southwood could create an opportunity to add much-needed housing in Incline Village. Making that housing successful will require more than developing the land. It will require affordability levels that match the people the project is meant to serve, transportation that functions in the real world, and services that are available when residents need them.
That is where an informed community can make a difference.
When people understand what is happening, they can ask better questions, follow the decisions that still have to be made and hold the agencies involved to the goals they have set for the project.
The process is already moving forward. The opportunity now is to make sure the people who live and work in Incline Village understand it well enough to help shape what comes next, and to ensure that what is ultimately built in our Village truly serves our Village.