Housing for Locals — At Bishop's Scale
Silver Peaks has been in the works for years. Working families still need homes they can rent and homes they can buy. Here's the public record, and where I stand.
What It Is
The site is at Spruce and MacIver. The land came to the city through LADWP, and the City Council approved the purchase agreement in 2019.
Partners on the project have included IMACA / Eastern Sierra Community Housing and Visionary Home Builders.
The city's current project page describes about 60 affordable rental homes at 30%, 50%, and 60% of area median income, plus community and Head Start space. Earlier public packets also described deed-restricted townhomes for sale.
On December 10, 2025, a $26.46 million AHSC award for the project was announced. Groundbreaking has been discussed for late 2026. The homes are not occupied yet.
The Timeline — Facts Only
Sierra Wave reported the project had already taken about ten years just to reach the land purchase.
City officials said they were getting no response from the developer — the word used at the time was "ghosted."
A public dispute over who needed to commit first — the developer asked the city for a commitment; the city asked for transparency.
A town hall was held with the current partners, and a groundbreaking in late 2026 was discussed.
A $26.46 million AHSC award was announced for the project.
State-funded housing is slow. People paying rent in Bishop still waited through all of it.
Design and Character
Many year-round residents do not want Bishop to look like Mammoth. That concern is reasonable, and it deserves a real answer — not a dismissal.
The posted project design is three stories. The hotel nearby is one story, because of private CCRs on that property. That contrast is what neighbors are talking about.
This is a question of scale: building height next to existing streets, and what happens to mountain views that people moved here for. Those trade-offs should be discussed openly, with the actual plans on the table, before they are settled.
Where I Stand
"I want Silver Peaks finished so locals can use it. I do not want another decade of renderings. And I do not want one three-story apartment block to be the entire housing plan."
- Finish the viable, funded units.
- Public dates and public answers when a partner goes quiet.
- Pair rentals with buyable family homes on future LADWP and city sites — deed-restricted, following Surplus Land Act rules.
- Support ADUs and use of vacant buildings, so we are not stuck with only large blocks.
- Judge the next project on Bishop scale, not resort scale.
What Council Can and Cannot Do
Council can
- Vote on the city's pieces of the project.
- Demand public reports and updates.
- Write local ownership into the next housing element.
Council cannot
- Personally fire a state-funded developer.
- Ignore AHSC rules that come with the funding.
Sources
- Sierra Wave — Bishop Council approves Silver Peaks land purchase
- City of Bishop — Silver Peaks project page
- Sierra Wave — Silver Peaks housing project update (Jan 6, 2020)
- SFGate — California town mystified as developer disappears (Oct 2024)
- Inyo Register — Silver Peaks developer seeks commitment; city asks for transparency (Jan 2025)
- Eastern Sierra Now — Housing groups join forces; town hall and 2026 timeline (May 2025)
- Inyo Register — Funding secured for Silver Peaks project (Dec 2025)