Snowflake Lodge Has No Kitchen. What Incline Village Is Deciding About Its Replacement, and When Residents Weigh In

Snowflake Lodge, the mid-mountain lodge at Diamond Peak, has no kitchen. Meals are prepared in the Base Lodge and sent up the mountain. Mountain Operations runs a snowcat up two to three times a week, and more deliveries go up by chairlift every day.

That detail explains most of the replacement project now in design. The new building on the table is mostly a working kitchen, storage, code-compliant restrooms and life-safety systems, with a dining room attached. As of this week, the Incline Village General Improvement District has approved only the first third of the design work. Construction, a budget, a financing plan and any parcel assessment are all still undecided, and the first online survey for residents opens Monday, November 16.

A 1966 building that was never fully rebuilt

Snowflake Lodge opened in 1966, the same season Ski Incline began operating on November 19 of that year. IVGID's Snowflake Lodge facts sheet lists only two significant changes since then. A sewer line came up from the lower mountain in 1986, and the deck was expanded in 1994.

The district's list of deficiencies goes well past the missing kitchen:

• Restrooms are inadequate, and storage is limited.
• The roof leaks repeatedly.
• The deck's support columns need replacement.
• The building has no fire sprinkler system.

Seating has been a known problem for almost 40 years. The 1987 Ski Incline Master Plan called for 9,925 square feet of additional lodge space at the resort, and it was never built. That plan is still the TRPA-approved baseline. A 2015 Diamond Peak plan, which TRPA never approved, put the seating shortfall at Snowflake at roughly 380 seats. Indoor seating at Snowflake hasn't changed since 2015. The only seats added since 1966 came with the 1994 deck.

Where the square footage goes

The current lodge is about 1,100 square feet. The 30% design contract the board approved in September describes targets of about 11,600 square feet, 3,500 square feet of outdoor deck, 160 indoor seats, 175 outdoor seats and space for an event of about 120 people. Diamond Peak calls these preliminary targets that will be tested and refined. IVGID's October 26 facts sheet gives CCY's working starting point as roughly 10,000 to 11,000 square feet with up to 160 indoor seats and 150 outdoor seats. Either way, the new lodge would be about ten times the size of the current one. IVGID says the 10,000 to 11,000 square-foot range came from district engineering staff and the departments that would run the building, including Food & Beverage, Events and Mountain Operations. They reviewed what the building needs to operate.

According to the district, dining takes up only about a quarter of the floor area. Kitchen, front-of-house and back-of-house space together need about 3,200 to 3,400 square feet. The rest goes to separate storage for food, bar supplies, janitorial and maintenance, restrooms sized to code, and the heating, ventilation, electrical, plumbing and sprinkler systems current code requires.

The event space ties into the financial case. Snowflake's main job would still be serving skiers and riders in winter. Designing it to also host weddings, corporate gatherings and community events in spring, summer and fall is meant to bring in off-season revenue and improve the project's overall financial return. All of these figures will be refined as the design moves forward.

What the board approved on September 23

On September 23, 2026, the IVGID Board of Trustees approved an agreement with CCY Architects for the 30% architectural design, at $811,332. Staff can approve change orders of up to $81,000, which would bring the maximum to $892,332. The board's meeting synopsis records the vote as 3–0 with one abstention.

CCY wasn't picked as the lowest bidder. Under Nevada's rules for public agencies, cited in the facts sheet as NRS 625.530(3) and NAC 623.800, architects are chosen on qualifications, and the fee is negotiated afterward with the top-ranked firm. Five firms made the shortlist. One withdrew, the other four were interviewed in August, and the selection committee ranked CCY first. Fee proposals came in sealed and weren't part of the scoring.

A 30% design sets the building's size, floor plan, exterior character and main systems at a planning level, and a construction cost estimate follows from it. Finishing this phase doesn't approve a final design, a construction contract or construction.

The numbers already in circulation

Several dollar figures are going around town. Each one measures something different.

$28.4 million to $49.6 million. These are SE Group's estimated building costs for its four conceptual options. The smallest is a winter-only building of about 9,600 square feet, and the largest is a year-round building of about 16,500 square feet. The study didn't recommend an option or a way to pay for one. In March, the board said it preferred a program between two of those options, which became known as "Scenario 2.5."

$29 million to $62 million. These figures come from the Tahoe Daily Tribune's report on the March board discussion. They are higher because the scenarios covered more than the lodge. The Tribune reported Ridge Run work in the first two scenarios and a new chairlift in the larger two.

$38 million. This total project cost appeared in the design solicitation. It covers design, permitting, project management, construction, utilities, furniture, fixtures and equipment, and a large contingency. It is escalated to an assumed construction start in May 2028. About $27.3 million of it is for the building itself. IVGID calls it a planning estimate, not an adopted budget. The cost estimate at the end of the 30% phase will replace it.

About $4,600 per parcel. This figure came from a survey one trustee sent out independently in September, which priced a $38 million replacement per parcel owner. Incline Together's recap of the September 23 meeting explained that it divides a preliminary estimate by the number of parcels. The outlet also reported that the board hasn't approved any assessment or decided how a replacement would be financed. The facts sheet says the same. Financing tools, bonds among them, still have to be evaluated and brought to future board meetings.

Snowflake is one of seven projects on the mountain

The lodge isn't being planned alone. At TRPA's request, the district is updating Diamond Peak's master plan. SE Group is doing that work for a fixed fee of $35,000, and the plan is set to go to TRPA by December 31, 2026. The update covers seven priority projects for the next five to six years:

• Lower Mountain Access Project, including Ridge Run / Freeway
• Snowmaking redesign and replacement
• Snowflake Lodge replacement
• Lower Learning Area, including replacing the School House lift with surface lifts
• Lakeview lift replacement
• Lodgepole lift replacement
• Redesigning or rerouting bike and hiking trails to reduce damage from unofficial trails

SE Group will study the seven together as one system and test how each affects lift capacity, skier circulation, beginner progression, snowmaking and summer use. A separate Capital Improvement Financial Plan is proposed to build a 10-year model of costs, timing, revenue and funding needs for the whole resort. The board was scheduled to take up that contract in November. For residents, this means the lodge's eventual price will be weighed alongside lift and snowmaking needs.

The calendar from here

CCY's project schedule, dated October 12, 2026, and the district's engagement plan set out these dates:

1. November 16–25, 2026. The first online community survey. A summary of findings is due December 2.
2. December 7–10, 2026. A four-day design workshop, or charrette, starts the conceptual design phase.
3. December 31, 2026. The master plan update is due for submittal to TRPA.
4. February 1–11, 2027. The second online survey. An in-person community event is set for February 3, and the summary is due February 19.
5. April 7, 2027. Staff and CCY present the design in progress at a public board meeting.
6. May 7, 2027. The 30% design is delivered.
7. June 11, 2027. The final construction cost estimate is due.
8. June 23, 2027. The board reviews the completed 30% design, the cost estimate and updated operating projections, and decides whether to continue.

Even if the board votes to continue in June, construction couldn't start until TRPA, Washoe County and other agencies issue permits. IVGID notes that these schedules may change. Survey details and project documents are posted on the Snowflake Lodge Replacement Project page. Written comments can be sent anytime through IVGID's public comment form.

This winter at Snowflake

None of this changes the old lodge yet. Diamond Peak plans to open for the 2026–27 season on Thursday, December 3, conditions permitting. The resort's season announcement also lists a pass-holder breakfast at Snowflake Lodge in February 2027. This winter, lunch will still come up by snowcat and chairlift. By the end of June, the board is scheduled to have a cost estimate for a lodge with its own kitchen.

Decisions on IVGID's capital plans change what Incline Village offers the people who live here and the people deciding whether to buy. If you'd like to talk through how projects like Snowflake fit into the bigger picture for your Incline Village home, Heather Bacon is glad to help. Schedule a Free Consultation.