Whats Going On With the Truckee Railyard Project?

We are all curious what is going on with the Truckee Railyard Project. Ground has obviously been broken; but no buildings? What's going on?

Since November 2016, a significant amount of work has been completed at the site, including infrastructure improvements and the relocation of Union Pacific facilities last summer. This is an 11,000 square foot Union Pacific maintenance and operation building that was required to replace the older yellow building. In fact, 100% of the Union Pacific required improvements have been accomplished, including the new UP building, relocation of the balloon track and construction of new storage tracks east of the balloon. This project is ON TRACK and moving forward!

The Artist Lofts

Ali Youssefi was the original mastermind behind the Artist Lofts concept. Ali died in March of 2018, but the project has not lost any steam. Before passing, he was so excited about the results of the Truckee artist survey that he had compiled and was continuing to make this housing a reality.

The Artist Lofts project consists of 77 apartments to be housed in a four-story structure with about 3,855 square feet of ground floor commercial and retail space, according to planning documents filed with the Town of Truckee. Workforce housing development will undergo construction beginning in August, with hopes for completion by spring/summer 2021 at the latest. The 12- to 18-month completion estimation may seem long, but a tangible next step will take place for interested parties in the coming weeks, said Azzie Youssefi, current project manager for CFY.

Nugget Markets Pull Out

Nugget Markets was expected to occupy a 35,000-square-foot building on 3.2 acres within the Truckee Railyard Project. A 7,483-square-foot patio and plaza area was to be situated on the south side of the grocery store.

After the Town Council approved a resolution on March 13 that denied an appeal of the Raley’s grocery store, and allowed that plan to move forward, the fate of Nugget Markets was sealed. Nugget Markets President and CEO Eric Stille made the decision. “There is not enough sales potential for grocery sales in Truckee for all the stores,” said Doug Wiele, president and founding partner of Foothill Partners in El Dorado Hills and co-applicant for the Nugget Markets project.

Historical Value

The Rotary Blower and Steam Crane will become part of a display piece owned and operated by the Truckee Donner Railroad Society. You may have noticed a new building down near the Legacy bridge on the Truckee Railyard project.

So, how will all this development effect Truckee's historical value? Only time will tell. The town has put an immense amount of effort to retain the old Truckee while promoting a growing infrastructure. We all hope this project will live up to the hype and contiues to move forward at a reasonable pace.