Placer County receives update on “Stages at Northstar” project

Fresh from being named a prestigious state Cultural District, the Truckee region is forging ahead with plans to build a $30 million, 650 seat theater and 2,500 seat amphitheater in a project known as Stages at Northstar.

The Tahoe Regional Arts Foundation and Northstar presented the plan to the Placer County Board of Supervisors at a meeting on July 25. Stages at Northstar would be at Northstar Drive and Highway 267. It is 10 minutes from downtown Truckee.

It would fulfill a pressing need for a new performing arts center in the region. It also comes as ski resorts seek to offer year-round activities. “The Tahoe Regional Arts Foundation’s vision is to develop The Stages at Northstar – a unique facility where traditional and new works in visual and performing arts will be created and presented to attract visitors from around the world,” according to the group. (Details of the project are here).

“The Stages at Northstar will be recognized as the go-to cultural facility in the greater Tahoe region,” according to the Tahoe Regional Arts Foundation. “As an incubator for the Arts, The Stages at Northstar will be a learning center for youth and adults through collaboration with local arts organizations, schools, and the community college, as well as a home for the development of new creative works.

“In a class with performing arts facilities at other top-tier mountain towns, The Stages at Northstar will attract travelers and residents alike, producing a substantial positive year-round economic impact to Northstar California Resort and the greater Tahoe region.”

Placer County through its Transient Occupancy Tax grants program allocated two phases of funding to the Tahoe Regional Arts foundation for planning leading to development of its proposed Stages theater, totaling $249,900, according to a County memo.

Work accomplished to date includes initial feasibility analysis, fund-raising plan, architectural drawings, video and initiating the capital campaign. Next steps will include design, environmental review and permitting. Including construction,the project cost is expected to be over $30 million, plus a $10 million endowment to cover operational costs. Once complete, the facility is estimated to incur a $4 million per year positive economic impact.

Last month, the California Arts Council selected Grass Valley-Nevada City and Truckee as two of California’s state-designated cultural districts. Grass Valley-Nevada City and Truckee Cultural Districts are both situated within Nevada County and join 12 other districts that will launch the innovative new program highlighting thriving cultural diversity and unique artistic identities within California.

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