Located where Highway 50 meets Lake Tahoe, the Lakeview Commons Project will provide visitors and residents alike with a world-class open space and civic gathering place. The project will be the centerpiece of the community's efforts to develop a sustainable and vibrant environment and economy. The property will continue to be utilized for public use, access and recreation.

An internationally known team of landscape architects and planners, the winners of a highly competitive design contest, worked with the local community for the past one and a half years to develop a conceptual plan for the site. The plan emphasizes green building design, energy and water conservation, public transit, and state-of-the-art water quality improvements to protect Lake Tahoe’s famed water clarity.

The project is a cooperative effort among the City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, and the California Tahoe Conservancy, a state agency that is funding the design phase. Throughout the design process the ideals of sustainability, public accessibility, and cultural activity have been emphasized in both the landscape and buildings to create a gathering place for the local community as well as visitors.

In December 2007 a conceptual plan for the site was approved, and in March 2008 the California Tahoe Conservancy granted $800,000 for development of a detailed design the El Dorado Beach portion of the project area. As the first phase of the development project, this phase will include the design of the waterfront, innovative water quality measures, and numerous improvements to the recreational features at the site. Site improvements include enhanced beach access, terraced seating areas for lake viewing, improved picnic and bbq areas, a small building with concessions for food and non-motorized water crafts, a cantilevered lake overlook, an upgraded Class I bike path, and a new waterfront plaza for community recreation.

Development of construction drawings and activities to obtain permits for the El Dorado Beach portion of the project are underway at this time. A Summer 2009 construction start is the goal for this first phase.

Next steps for the project, and specifically the land south of Highway 50, will include more detailed study of parking and traffic based on final program recommendations; economic analysis of revenue potential, operational and construction costs and funding sources; sustainability; forest health; and detailed programming for buildings and functions at the site. No decision on any of these items, including programming for any of the contemplated buildings that have been identified, has yet been made.

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