The Lakeview Commons project in South Lake Tahoe aims to create a sustainable open space for the community, featuring a library, senior center, campground, and various recreational facilities. Emphasizing sustainability, the design includes energy-efficient buildings, green spaces, and enhanced public transportation options to promote accessibility. The project is a collaborative effort between local government, the California Tahoe Conservancy, and the community to ensure a vibrant environment and economy.

1. SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIFORNIA
LAKEVIEW COMMONS

2. CONSERVINGRESOURCES
LEARNING
RECREATION
RESTORATION
TRANSPORTATION
THEPROJECT
COMMUNITY
ENERGY
WATER
GREENBUILDINGS
The Waterfront Commons
...with new ADA access to the beach, lake-viewing
terraces, public barbecue/picnic areas, and a lake
overlook
Lakeview Commons
A Model for Sustainability
South Lake Tahoe, CA

3. Project Location
Lake Tahoe
Located where Highway 50 meets Lake Tahoe, the Lakeview
Commons will provide visitors and residents alike with a world-
class open space and gathering place. The project will be the
centerpiece of the community’s efforts to develop a sustainable
and vibrant environment and economy. Key elements include
a public library and senior center, campground, boat launch,
lake front open space and beach, and other civic and recreation
facilities.
An internationally known team of landscape architects and
planners, the winners of a highly competitive design contest, are
working with the local community in developing alternatives for
the site and a final conceptual plan. The plan will emphasize 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.
This project is a cooperative effort between the City of South Lake
Tahoe and El Dorado County, who own the land and are leading
the process, and the California Tahoe Conservancy, a state agency
that is funding the design phase.
The Concept Plan was completed in December of 2007. The
process included an in-depth analysis of the site, substantial
community participation through a series of public meetings and
workshops, and a study of numerous design alternatives to reach
a final conceptual plan.
Throughout the design process the ideals of sustainability, public
accessibility, and cultural activity will be emphasized in both the
landscape and the buildings in order to create a gathering place
for the local community as well as visitors.
For more information:
www.cityofslt.us/56AcreProject/index.html
South Lake
Tahoe
LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
TheProject
Lakeview Commons
Lake Tahoe

4. The Forest Commons
...with an all seasons multi-purpose recreational trail
winding its way through the forest
LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
“Living together is an art.”
~ William Pickens
Community

5. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
Lakeview Commons will be a hub for the South
Lake Tahoe community. This project includes
numerous features that will provide valuable
local amenities for day-to-day life, as a place to
gather and to explore, to learn and to teach,
to work and to play. The local community has
played an important role throughout the design
process for the project through a series of well
attended public workshops and meetings, and
a steering committee made up of community
representatives.
> New senior center building and campus
> Expanded and improved public library
> New community center
> New destination playground
> Renovated recreation center
> A place to hold a local farmers market
and other community events
> Community meetings and workshops will
continue as the project moves forward
Community
Community recreation center
to be renovated and improved
The Forest Commons
...with a place to hold a local farmers market and other community
events
One of many outreach meetings with the South Lake Tahoe
community during the Concept Plan design process

6. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation,
which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more
necessary because health is worth more than learning.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
Recreation
The Forest Commons -
...with a new space for community events set in the forest
amongst the great Jeffrey Pines with a backdrop of Lake
Tahoe

7. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
Recreation
The Forest Commons
...with a destination playground along the main pedestrian path
The Lake Tahoe area is a favorite destination
in Northern California for vacationing and
recreation. The Lakeview Commons project
includes a variety of facilities and spaces to
provide a wide range of activities for both
the local community and visiting tourists.
The design and the management of the site
will reflect the active sustainable mountain
lifestyle with a careful respect for the area’s
natural setting.
> An informal amphitheater for events
and performances
> An improved waterfront providing
ADA access to the beach, with lake
viewing terraces and picnic / barbecue
areas
> A destination playground
> An open lawn space for informal
recreation
> New biking, jogging, walking and
cross-country ski trails
> Gathering places with improved
facilities
A space for performances and
community events
Group picnic/barbecue areas with bocce ball courts
Lawn area for informal play
Beach activities for all ages
CampingA boat ramp for launching all types of watercraft and
a concession for renting small non-motorized boats

8. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
The Waterfront Commons
...with a boat launch, kayak rental kiosk,
a potential new walking pier, lake viewing
terraces and barbecue / picnic areas
“A true conservationist is a man who knows
that the world is not given by his fathers, but
borrowed from his children.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
ConservingResources

9. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
New development and growing populations
are putting heavy demands on the limited
resources that nature can sustainably provide.
It is of the utmost importance for new projects
to strive to minimize the use of new resources
and to reuse and recycle the materials at hand
wherever possible.
> Tires and asphalt can be ground up and
reused in new paving applications
> Existing trees that must be removed will
be reused for site features, architectural
features, or fencing
> Use of materials from the site as much as
possible for architectural and landscape
features
> Reuse of existing buildings which where
feasible
ConservingResources
Reuse of materials for
new construction

10. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
“When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves.”
~ David Orr
Restoration

11. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
Establishing native understory
plant species and riparian species
in stormwater catchment basins
Tall Jeffrey Pines growing throughout the park
creates a scenic setting for the recreational and
civic facilities within the more urban context
of the City of South Lake Tahoe. While quite
beautiful, the forest is in need of a long-term
plan in order to preserve its beauty and restore
it to optimal health. The Lakeview Commons
project will include a study of the forest to
develop a plan to improve the health of the
forest and establish a thriving native plant
community.
> Restoration of a healthy understory in the
Jeffrey Pine forest throughout the park
> Use of native species for landscape
plantings and within stormwater
catchment basins
> Preserve and restore the forest canopy to
optimal health
Restoration
Restoring a healthy understory plant
community in the forest throughout the site

12. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and
expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking
into which the beholder measures the depth
of his own nature.”
~Henry David Thoreau
Water
The Forest Commons
...with understory plant restoration throughout
the site and a network of trails for biking,
walking, jogging, and cross-country skiing
during the winter

13. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
Permeable Paving
Systems
Stormwater infiltration garden
Infiltration basins will
clean stormwater and
allow it to return to the
ground water
Lake Tahoe is renowned for its spectacular
water clarity, which is perhaps the most
important environmental concern in the
Tahoe Basin. Lakeview Commons will
utilize various strategies to clean and filter
stormwater run-off before allowing it to
return to the natural water system.
> Stormwater detention/infiltration
basins to collect run-off from
impervious surfaces and structures
> Stormwater infiltration gardens for
capturing run-off from buildings
> Permeable paving to allow water to
percolate into the ground
Water
Bioswale

14. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
The Forest Commons
...with a network of interpretive and recreational pathways
and detention basins to filter stormwater run-off
“A creative economy is the fuel of magnificence.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Energy

15. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
Innovative energy systems are fundamental
to a any sustainable project. The Lakeview
Commons will utilize various strategies to
minimize its energy consumption and maximize
energy creation. Efficient building and site
design will reduce heating, cooling, and
lighting requirements, and generative tactics
will create energy on-site from renewable
sources.
> Photovoltaic panels on south facing
building roofs and potentially as canopies
for pedestrian and parking areas
> Energy efficient heating, cooling, and
lighting strategies
> Solar-powered bus stop
> Potential for geothermal energy use
> Potential for wind power use
Energy
Project
Location over 50% chance of
usable geothermal
energy
=
Geothermal energy potential
in the Tahoe basin.
Photovoltaic panels over
pedestrian and parking areas

16. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
The Community Commons
...with a sustainable complex including a new senior
center building, library, art center, visitor center and
historic museum building, and open lawn and plaza
space for community events
“We shape our buildings: thereafter they
shape us.”
~ Winston Churchill
GreenBuildings

17. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
Buildings constitute about 30% of total
greenhouse gas emissions. Lakeview Commons
will strive toward a zero carbon footprint
with all of its new buildings, creating a fully
sustainable complex. This project will be a
model for sustainable design throughout the
Lake Tahoe region and beyond.
> Sustainable buildings certified by
Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design Green Building Rating System
> A fully sustainable community complex
> Natural ventilation systems to reduce the
need for artificial heating and cooling
> Energy efficient radiant heating and
cooling
> Natural daylighting to reduce the need
for artificial lighting
> Optimal building form and orientation
GreenBuildings
Energy-efficient
radiant heating and
cooling
Optimal ventilation, building
envelope, and daylighting to
reduce energy use

18. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no
longer despair for the future of the human
race.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Transportation

19. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
Transportation
South Tahoe
Middle School
South Tahoe Middle
School recreational
facilities
Bijou Community
Park
Lakeview
Commons
Bijou Residential
Neighborhood
Al Tahoe
Residential
Neighborhood
HarrisonAve.
CommercialDistrict
Lakeview Commons will
be an important pedestrian
connection between its various
surrounding land uses
With its central location in
South Lake Tahoe the Lakeview
Commons would be an important
hub for the public transportations
system
Investing in transportation infrastructure
is essential to quality of life and community
development. With its central location and
multiple on-site bus stops, Lakeview Commons
will be fully integrated into the south shore of
Lake Tahoe’s public transportation system.
In addition it will create new and improve
existing connections for pedestrian and bicycle
circulation systems.
> A zero-emissions shuttle for
transporting people throughout the site
and to-and-from parking lots during
large events
> Bike parking and Class I bicycle paths
set back from the highway to encourage
biking as a form of transportation
> Dedicated pedestrian paths for
circulation throughout the site and safe
pedestrian street crossings
> Accessible, improved bus stops for the
local public transportation system
> Potential stop for the future water taxi

20. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The
arrogance of success is to think that what you did
yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.”
~ William Pollard
Learning
The Waterfront Commons
Class I bike paths along the waterfront
and a cantilevered promenade with lake vistas

21. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
The existing history
museum on the site is
due for an upgrade
Educational signage and
interpretive features
Outdoor classrooms
for students in nearby
schools.
Architectural
features to
inform people
about local
ecology and
sustainability
issues
Lakeview Commons is designed to be
a landscape for learning. In addition to
expanding and improving the existing public
library and historic museum, the landscape
will include features that demonstrate
innovative strategies for sustainability. An
educational interpretive trail will wind its way
through the park with signage describing
how green design features are utilized to
conserve resources and protect the regional
ecology.
> Interpretive trail with educational
signage to inform visitors about the
local ecology and history
> Expanded and improved public library
> Expanded and improved history
museum and visitors center
> Outdoor classrooms for nearby schools
Learning

22. LakeviewCommons
SouthLakeTahoe,CA
Acknowledgements
Thanks for all the effort you have committed
to help make this a great community project:
The Steering Committee
El Dorado County Board of Supervisors
South Lake Tahoe City Council
California Tahoe Conservancy
South Shore Community
The Community Commons
with a new library and community center
situated in the forest near the lake

23. Printed on recycled paper.