Construction Projects

Three projects. One purpose.

Serving our growing community

Every member of our community deserves timely, high-quality care close to home. As the needs of our region continue to grow, so must our ability to meet them. We’ve embarked on a significant expansion effort focused on increasing access, improving clinic functionality, and providing the space our medical professionals need to deliver exceptional care.

This multi-site initiative includes the development of three separate but equally important projects: Sierra Center, Gateway, and the North Shore Clinic. Together, they’ll significantly improve services for patients in Truckee and North Lake Tahoe.

What this means for you

All three projects are part of a broader optimization effort that will allow us to better serve our community by reducing wait times, expanding the availability of primary and specialty care, and creating room for future growth and adaptability.

And for the first time in recent history, we’ll have the flexibility to vacate and reconfigure clinical space, a critical step in evolving our health system in a thoughtful, community-first way.

Transcript: Building for the Future Video

My name is Dylan Crosby, Vice President of Facilities and Construction for Tahoe Forest Health System. As you can see on Donner Pass Road, we’re actively in construction on two key projects to improve our access to care. The first is our Gateway project designed for primary care and specialty services. This project will make a huge impact in our community and allow our health system up to an additional 90,000 new visits per year.

In addition to that, we’re actively working on our Sierra Center project or the former Rite-Aid. We’ve completed all our demolition and we’re actively constructing in the space now. Again, this project as well will make a huge impact to our access to care. All of the departments planned within the space are going to expand by at least 30% and some even doubling inside. Those services include urgent care, occupational health, retail pharmacy, outpatient lab, wellness, and cardiac rehab.

We are also in active construction on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Our North shore clinic at Fabian Way is under active construction currently. This is a new project for us, expanding our primary care and specialty services as well. This project will provide huge impact and up to 30,000 potential new visits per year – a huge access to care. As you can tell, we’re very excited about these three projects at Tahoe Forest Health System, and we appreciate you for checking in.

Sierra Center

(Former Rite Aid on Donner Pass Road, Truckee)

When the former Rite Aid building became available, it presented a unique opportunity to meet the growing demand for services like urgent care, outpatient lab draws, occupational health, retail pharmacy, cardiac rehab, and wellness programs — all of which have seen dramatic growth in recent years.

By securing this space, we’re investing in long-term capacity by providing space for approximately 18,000 more visits per year, which amounts to a 12 percent increase in access for the community.

What’s coming

Sierra Center will be an interior build-out with minor ADA upgrades designed to house:

A greatly expanded urgent care clinic
An upgraded outpatient lab draw station
Occupational health services
A retail pharmacy
Cardiac rehabilitation
A wellness clinic

Each service will benefit from being co-located in a more spacious, purpose-built environment, which will improve both patient experience and operational efficiency.

Project details

While this project is primarily an interior build-out, it brings significant improvements in space and functionality for key outpatient services. There will be minor ADA upgrades but no major exterior or site improvements.

The colocation of these growing services will improve both staff efficiency and patient convenience, relieving pressure on the main hospital campus (especially for parking) and giving Truckee residents easier access to these essential services.

Current status

Updated March 24, 2026

Significant progress has been made on both the exterior and interior of the Sierra Center project. Front sidewalks and ADA-accessible parking spaces have been completed, along with the generator pad. The generator has been installed, and final connections are currently underway.

The new roof was also successfully completed prior to the winter season. Inside the building, framing is complete, and electrical and plumbing rough-in work is approximately 90% finished. Insulation and drywall installation are now in progress as required inspections are completed and approved by the Town.

The new glazing system has been installed at the front of the building, enhancing both appearance and functionality. As weather conditions improve, upcoming work includes setting new air handler units on the roof, installing the front entry doors, and progressing into wall finishes and interior detailing.

Timeline

Start of Construction: Summer 2025
Estimated Completion: Fall 2026

Project renderings

Gateway

(Donner Pass Road, Truckee)

Gateway has been a strategic priority for some time. With primary care services previously spread across several locations, this site allows TFH to consolidate core outpatient services under one roof, improve collaboration among providers, and integrate behavioral health into the primary care model. It also allows for the long-term growth of our provider network.

With the building included in the TFHD long-term facility plans, staff are focused on maximizing utilization and expanding the District’s Rural Health Clinic (RHC) presence.

The remodel will support a significant increase in primary care offerings, enhanced behavioral health integration, and capacity for rotating specialists. The project will provide capacity for approximately 24,000 more visits per year, a 17 percent increase in access for the community.