Brief Digest: Week of September 16, 2024

Pondering a new bike network and sign code changes, a Special Reno City Council meeting & more

Since the September 11 Reno City Council meeting was cancelled due to the Davis Fire, a Special Reno City Council meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, September 19. You can find that full agenda here.

NOTE: The Special City Council meeting agenda does not include the Stevenson Street abandonment request or the final presentation of the Truckee River Vision Plan, which I mentioned last time and which were both scheduled for discussion on September 11. I will of course let you know if those appear on a future agenda.

The September 19 agenda does include the ordinance adoption to amend zoning and the PUD Handbook for The Canyons development (Item F.1), among other items.

You can visit the City’s Current and Upcoming Meetings page to view agendas and materials for all of the week’s City meetings. They include the following:

• Monday, 9/16 – Arts & Culture Commission

• Tuesday, 9/17 – Senior Citizen Advisory Committee; Ward 2 Neighborhood Advisory Board; Recreation & Parks Commission

• Wednesday, 9/18 – Urban Forestry Commission; Reno Planning Commission (agenda here)

• Thursday, 9/19 – Special Reno City Council meeting (agenda here)

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Biggest Little Bike Network

Postcards were sent out this past week to publicize RTC Washoe’s “Biggest Little Bike Network” project. You can find all sorts of information related to this initiative on the website https://www.biggestlittlebikenetwork.com/, including project documents, explanations of how the project’s corridors were selected, and other FAQ.

Here’s the official project description:

The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County, together with the City of Reno, is starting the Biggest Little Bike Network. This project will change the roads in Downtown Reno to make it easier and safer for people to bike, walk, and use scooters to get around. The Biggest Little Bike Network is made for people who want to bike or walk but are afraid because the current roads feel unsafe or too close to cars. The new road designs will have more space between people walking, biking, scooting, and driving, so everyone can feel safer and more comfortable.

The project is currently at the 30% design stage, with the final design expected to be completed next year and construction to begin in 2026. A map shows the selected corridors: Virginia Street, Lake Street/Evans Avenue, Vine Street, and 5th Street. I guess this means the Center Street Cycle Track is permanently off the table?

RTC Washoe will host three upcoming pop-up events to learn about the project:

• Thurs., Sept. 19, 5:30-8:30pm at the Off the Rails concert on Locomotion Plaza

• Fri., Sept. 20, 4:30-7:30pm at the Reno Aces Game (front of ballpark)

• Sun., Sept. 29, 8:00am-1:00pm at the Riverside Farmers Market at Idlewild Park

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Sign Regulations

Those who signed up for updates to the City’s Title 18 Zoning Code received word last week of some upcoming virtual community meetings about proposed changes to Sign Regulations. These actually cover quite a wide range of issues, as laid out on the City’s Zoning Code Clean-Up webpage (where you can find all of the following info).

Here’s the staff’s summary of changes:

• Updated triggers for entitlement review related to signs to be consistent across the code. If an entitlement is triggered, the process is for a Major Site Plan Review, which requires Planning Commission approval.

• Add a statement on "content neutrality" to address federal laws relating to freedom of speech.

• Modified/added sign definitions for monument sign, pole sign and freestanding sign.

• Moved references to signs with the Gaming Overlay to the Sign section of code.

• Clarified what size and type of signs are allowed within the Downtown Entertainment District.

• Added sign requirements for several zoning districts that had been inadvertently left out of the code.

• Cleaned up the Table on Sign Regulations by Zoning District to provide consistency across zoning districts.

• No changes have been made to code related to billboards (off-premise signs), nits on animated signs, or gas station sign regulations.

You can view a copy of the redline edits here and an easier-to-read version with annotations here. Both are less than 25 pages long, so take a look if signs interest you.

The same information will be presented at each of three separate meetings, where City staff will present the proposed draft changes and seek community feedback:  

• September 24th from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sign up here.

• September 27th from 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. Sign up here.

• September 27th from Noon – 1 p.m. Sign up here.

The Planning Commission and City Council will be reviewing the same draft changes and providing feedback during public meetings scheduled in October. You can also provide your written comments at any time.

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Thanks to Strong Towns Reno!

I want to thank the members of Strong Towns Reno for inviting me to chat with them last Wednesday evening. We had a great, wide-ranging conversation about Reno’s development, multimodal transportation, housing and parking, governmental efficiency, transparency, and fiscal responsibility, redevelopment, and much more. You can read all about the national Strong Towns movement here and the local chapter here and email strongtownsreno@gmail.com for info on their monthly meetings, online discussion groups, and other activities. Thanks to those who purchased a copy of Reno’s Big Gamble, too—let’s chat about it when you’re done!

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Local Development News Digest

I didn’t have room last time to include links to recent articles about development-related items, so let’s catch up.

Items from the August 28, 2024 City Council meeting

• “Council gets down to business discussing rental assistance, affordable housing, business zoning and tree protection” (Kelsey Penrose, This is Reno, 9/3/24)

• “Reno City Council denies NV Energy appeal of overhead power line in Cold Springs, Verdi” (Kelsey Penrose, This is Reno, 9/3/24)

• “Reno considers noise ordinance downtown as resident complaints increase” (Kelsey Penrose, This is Reno, 9/4/24)

New Development Projects

We also learned this past week about some new developments, including activity in a few central spaces that I was invited by local developer John Wade of Gung-Ho to tour alongside Downtown Makeover’s Mike Van Houten. Both of these could add extensive street-level activity and interest to downtown, so I’ll be interested to see how plans progress for them. Thanks to John for taking the time to show us around!

Touring the Montage’s ground floor with John Wade and Mike Van Houten

• “Montage's north-facing retail spaces sold to local developer - here's the plan” (Mike Van Houten, Downtown Makeover, 9/10/24)

• “Cinemark Century Riverside building sells to local developer - here are the plans” (Mike Van Houten, Downtown Makeover, 9/9/24)

Jason Hidalgo of the Reno Gazette-Journal followed with his own piece about the Riverside movie theater building and some other news:

• “Local developer acquiring Century Theatres Riverside downtown building” (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal, 9/10/24)

• “Permit filed for new Amazon facility near Summit mall in Reno” (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal, 9/12/24)

And Mike was the first to report on a new permit submitted by Jacobs Entertainment apparently to create another festival grounds:

• “Permit submitted for new festival area south of J Resort” (Mike Van Houten, Downtown Makeover, 9/13/24)

That’s it for now. Enjoy this week’s taste of autumnal weather (while it lasts)!

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Be sure to check out my Citizen Guide for helpful resources and links for anyone hoping to become more informed and engaged in issues related to urban development (& more) in Reno.

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As always, you can view this and prior newsletters on my Substack site, subscribe to receive each new edition in your email inbox, and follow the Brief (and contribute to the ongoing conversation) on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram. If you feel inspired to contribute to my efforts, sign up for a paid subscription through my Substack site or contribute to my Venmo account at @Dr-Alicia-Barber or via check to Alicia Barber at P.O. Box 11955, Reno, NV 89510. Thanks so much for reading and have a great week.