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Senators hear bill to let Tahoe counties impose linkage fees to fund affordable housing
Summary
Senate Bill 99 would authorize local jurisdictions in the Tahoe Basin to impose linkage fees on larger market-rate housing to fund deed-restricted affordable units and related mitigation costs. TRPA and Washoe County officials said the tool could help address a regional housing shortfall; builders and some residents raised concerns about traffic,
The Senate Committee on Government Affairs heard Senate Bill 99 on Feb. 1, 2025. The bill, developed through an interim oversight committee, would authorize local governments in the Lake Tahoe Basin to charge a linkage fee on certain market-rate housing projects larger than 1,000 square feet. The fee would offset utility and mitigation costs for deed-restricted affordable housing and could include exemptions for qualifying affordable projects.
Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill, a member of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board, told senators the Tahoe region faces a severe affordability shortage and urged providing local governments with additional tools. "Half of Tahoe's existing homes are second homes used seasonally," Hill said, and she cited a 2024 median home price of roughly $980,000 for the region and higher prices in her district. TRPA staff said multiple needs assessments identify a regional need of more than 5,800 units and that limited developable land and strict caps complicate housing production.
Devin Middlebrook, TRPA government affairs manager, described the linkage fee as an "enabling" tool for local jurisdictions only, not a TRPA tax. "The goal of the bill is to provide local jurisdictions like Washoe County a tool to help offset the costs associated with those utility and mitigation fees for affordable housing projects," Middlebrook said. He described required steps before implementation, including a nexus study to establish proportional impacts.
TRPA Chief Operating Officer John Hester said some builders on TRPA working groups favor fee structures that scale with unit size, arguing they encourage smaller, more affordable units. Supporters at the hearing included Mindy Elliott of the Nevada Housing Coalition and the Reno Housing Authority, who called the bill "one tool in the toolbox" to address the basin's workforce-housing shortage.
Opponents raised concerns about application, enforcement and local impacts. John Eppolito, a long-time Tahoe real estate broker, argued that the bill could worsen congestion and public-safety risks and criticized TRPA's prior land-use decisions. The Nevada Home Builders Association, represented by Dan Morgan, testified in opposition to the bill as currently written and requested the opportunity to work on amendments.
Committee members asked for additional data on remaining developable acreage and allocations for new residential development; TRPA staff said Washoe County has 23 residential allocations and Douglas County 75, and estimated roughly 3,000 unbuilt lots remain in the basin. Committee members and agency witnesses said TRPA and local agencies are considering evacuation and traffic implications and that further stakeholder work and potential amendments are expected before the measure moves forward.
