Clear Creek Tahoe opens gates for showcase

Nearly two-thirds of the new homes at Clear Creek Tahoe are occupied by full-time Douglas County residents.

The project along Spooner Highway in far northern Douglas County has sold 306 of its potential 384 homesites for prices ranging from $822,500-$3.8 million, according to the developer.

Clear Creek Tahoe has sold 306 homes out of its 384 potential homesites, and lot sizes range from a half-acre to 3.19 acres. Lot prices cost between $822,500-$3.8 million. Roughly 69 homes are under construction and six homes have sold in 2023 so far, totaling $42.2 million in sales.

Building at Clear Creek Tahoe started in 2017.

Around 170 people attended a builder architect showcase on Sept. 9 that included a tour of 11 properties.

Four of the homes were for sale and the others were privately owned, allowing attendees to peek into those who currently live and embody the mountain lifestyle. People were also able to check out Clear Creek Tahoe’s Coore + Crenshaw golf course and sports campus.

Around 60 builders, architects, and interior designers were a part of The Builder Architect Showcase.

“There are homes with golf simulators inside them; beautiful wine rooms and cellars; a lot of creatively designed outdoor entertainment space; specific golf cart garages, pet stations,” said Clear Creek Tahoe Director of Sales Georgia Chase.

“I’ve seen people do unique things… one resident built a subterranean basketball/pickleball court and there are more infinity pools we’re seeing,” she said.. “We have these types of amenities offered to everyone, but people are building their own. Everyone wants to be distinctive.”

Chase said the project has attracted many buyers from the Bay Area and other major cities, with tax breaks that Nevada provides.

There are about 7-8 different styles of homes in Clear Creek Tahoe, from mountain modern to farmhouse, transitional, mountain traditional and everything in between. However, Clear Creek Tahoe does have design guidelines.

In Clear Creek Tahoe, the developer releases the land and then a builder comes in and designs a homesite. There are 23-24 spec homes, and the highest sale of a home was $10.75 million, closing escrow about a month ago.

The project was first proposed on the former Schneider Ranch in 2000. Commissioners approved the project 20 years ago, in 2003, but Alpine View residents challenged that approval in court. It was 2006 before the Nevada Supreme Court ruled against the neighbors.

Not long after that the Great Recession descended on Western Nevada, putting most projects on hold.

Work on the project began again in 2013 with the approval of a waterline from the West Valley Water System.

“The first homes were done in 2018 and it took off in 2019,” Chase said. “Then COVID slowed things down because of the supply chain issues in procuring building materials, but that didn’t affect the demand. We’re trying to reinstate that building is back (with the Builder Architect Showcase). We’re introducing new builders and new architects from San Francisco, Reno, and there are a lot from Truckee.”

Along with the Coore + Crenshaw golf course, the 20,000-square-foot clubhouse (with 5,000 square feet dedicated to fitness/wellness activities), and restaurant, Clear Creek Tahoe has a members-only ski lodge in Stateline on the shores of Lake Tahoe called the Twin Pines Lake & Ski House and a ski shuttle that takes its members up to Heavenly Mountain Resort.

“Any future building must be approved by a committee. We want it to be aesthetically pleasing and look like it belongs in the mountains, yet still organic,” Chase says.