Live Entertainment Zoning, Sewer Connection Fee Credits & City Strategic Planning
A preview of the March 26 Reno City Council meeting & the latest development news
Here’s your head start on all of the opportunities for civic engagement coming your way the week of March 24th.
City of Reno meetings: Week of March 24, 2025
Check the City’s Current and Upcoming Meetings webpage for what’s on tap:
Tues., March 25, 6pm - Recreation and Parks Commission (Agenda) (Register Online). Items include updates & overviews of Fund Development, the Park Naming/Renaming Process, the RPC Handbook, and Proposed FY26 Fee Schedule.
Wed., March 26, 10am - Reno City Council (Agenda) (Register Online). See below for highlights.
Thurs., March 27, 9:15am - Truckee Meadows Stormwater Permit Coordinating Committee (Agenda) (Register Online)
Possible changes to the zoning code regarding live entertainment
I’m using the City’s VERY EYE-CATCHING GRAPHIC above to make sure everyone sees the announcement that they’ll be discussing possible changes to the Live Entertainment Zoning Code in a meeting at City Hall on Tuesday, March 25 at 3pm. For more explanation of this item, please consult my March 17, 2025 Brief.
There’s been some great City promotion of this meeting, and I’ll quote the City here:
“The City of Reno will host a Live Entertainment Zoning Code Meeting to discuss potential new live entertainment standards which will include C-scale noise limits. Business owners and the community are encouraged to attend on Tuesday, March 25 at 3 p.m. at Reno City Hall Council Chambers.
Much of our Biggest Little City, including Midtown, Downtown, and 4th Street, already allow for businesses to operate 24 hours a day. Over the years, the regulations on live entertainment (RMC 18.03.405) have changed. This has resulted in some existing bars/nightclubs having unrestricted live entertainment, with no noise limits, while newer ones have separate regulations that must be approved through a Conditional Use Permit that is unique to their particular location.
‘Our goal in engaging this community discussion is to hear resident and business owners' concerns,’ said Angela Fuss, Development Services Assistant Director. ‘This is an initial step in gathering public input to ideally later create a more consistent set of regulations for live entertainment operations and excessive noise.’
The different and inconsistent regulations have also created a challenge in enforcing the rules for each establishment. Potential updates to the zoning code could include a consistent set of rules that all businesses with live entertainment (singing, dancing, karaoke, DJ Trivia, etc.) would have to follow with a new C-scale noise limit ordinance that regulates C-scale noise.
The community meeting will include discussions on City-wide outdoor live entertainment, indoor live entertainment, hours of operation, and a security plan checklist for cabaret licenses. City staff will evaluate the discussion feedback for the potential to initiate a Live Entertainment Zoning Code text amendment item on a later City Council meeting agenda followed by additional public engagement opportunities for a future ordinance introduction.”
Tyler Colton, owner of The Emerson in MidTown, reminded me this week that we talked about this idea last October, when the Reno Gazette-Journal published the following piece explaining its motivation from the perspective of MidTown bar owners. Colton had suggested the creation of “entertainment zones,” and I highly recommend reading this article for a fuller explanation of what that might entail:
Music past 11 p.m.? Reno bars might have to pay heavily for permission (Jaedyn Young, Reno Gazette-Journal, 10/25/24)
So there you have it. Be sure to attend if this interests you!
PREVIEW: March 26, 2025 Reno City Council Meeting
You can find the full online agenda for the March 26 City Council meeting here. Be sure to read through it for items of interest to you. I’ll just highlight a few of them.
Item C.1 - LDC25-00033: Rezoning on Vassar Street near Harvard Way
This new ordinance would rezone a site on the north side of Vassar Street from Neighborhood Commercial to General Commercial. Staff Report here.
Item D.1 - Presentation and update regarding the Housing Court eviction diversion pilot program, in partnership with Reno Justice Court
As the Staff Report for this discussion-only item explains, “The Housing Court Program creates a working relationship with landlords and tenants, providing an opportunity to prevent the eviction process with education and rental assistance. The program requires applicants to participate in financial literacy training, helping build skills to break the cycle of housing instability.”
The funding for this program is anticipated to run out by June of 2025, prompting an exploration of new funding sources that would allow it to continue.
Items D.2, D.3, and D.4 - Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regional flood mapping projects and updates
These three items concern the flood mapping projects provided by FEMA. Item D.2 (Staff Report) is a presentation and overview of FEMA regional flood mapping projects, while Items D.3 and D.4 concern funding for services associated with them.
Item D.5 - Updating the City’s Strategic Plan
As the Staff Report explains, this action item includes discussion of the City’s progress on the priorities identified in its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and outlines the potential process to update it. Staff is recommending that Council extend the current priorities through the FY26 budget process and adopt a five-phase updating process detailed in the Staff Report that would result in a final plan by December 2025.
Related items linked from the agenda include the current Strategic Plan, a 2020-2022 Council Memo update, and the 2022-2025 Plan Achievements.
Item F.1 - Eliminating the five-year expiration period for sewer connection fee credits
The proposed ordinance amendment to eliminate the five-year expiration deadline to apply sewer connection fee credits to new construction on a site where a structure was demolished is up for a second reading and, if it passes, immediate adoption.
You can read the Staff Report here and find my prior discussions of this topic here:
My preview of the first reading of this ordinance, in my March 10 Brief.
My report on Council’s 4-2 vote to approve the first reading, in my March 17 Brief.
As I explained last week, I found the staff justification for this change (and the Council’s incredibly brisk discussion) to be insufficient, and the additional information presented by staff in the last meeting has not been provided here. Beyond my existing concerns about exacerbating the threat of premature demolition of structures, here are some additional questions that occurred to me in the interim that I hope can be discussed, to determine if this change would be prudent:
Will any parcel in the City of Reno where another structure once stood be eligible for sewer connection fee credits, or only structures demolished since 2011? Could landowners of any vacant site qualify for a sewer connection fee credit if they can prove exactly what once stood on their site, no matter how long ago?
How much money would the sewer fund be projected to lose, solely from the elimination of these fees for the current project that’s requesting credits, when compared with the full amount they would owe at current rates?
City staff approximated that this policy could apply to 92 parcels. What would be the projected losses to City revenues were all sites where structural demolition occurred more than five years ago to apply their site’s sewer connection fee credits rather than paying the full fee at today’s rates? What if 50% of them did?
What is the current status of the sewer fund?
Do any types of projects currently qualify for sewer connection fee deferrals or waivers from the City of Reno, and if so, under what circumstances?
This change could result in more land remaining vacant for longer periods of time. Wouldn’t that inherently contradict the City’s interest in potentially penalizing owners of longstanding vacant land? How would the City of Reno determine which vacant parcels warrant penalties, were they to adopt any?
G.1 - Appointment of a new Reno City Planning Commissioner
As the Staff Report indicates, there is one vacancy on the Planning Commission with the recent resignation of J.D. Drakulich, who was the Ward 5 appointee. Whoever is appointed would just complete his term, which runs through June 30, 2025. You can view the full Planning Commission roster with term expiration dates here.
To comment on any items on the March 26 Reno City Council agenda, you can deliver comments in person or virtually by registering here. Comments can also be delivered in advance by submitting public comment via Reno.Gov/PublicComment; by emailing Publiccomment@reno.gov; or by leaving a voicemail at 775-393-4499.
Comments must be received by 4pm on Tuesday to be provided to Council in advance of their Wednesday meeting. You can also find Councilmembers’ individual email addresses in my Citizen Guide.
New City of Reno outreach initiatives and surveys
The City of Reno recently introduced some new avenues to provide more information to residents and collect input on future direction. So tune in and take advantage!
New City of Reno podcast, “On the Agenda”
Last week, the City launched a new podcast, “On the Agenda,” with City Manager Jackie Bryant and AJ Miller of City communications. According to the City: “In each episode, they'll quickly highlight important topics, provide context on council actions, and share how these decisions impact the Biggest Little City and its residents.”
New episodes are projected to appear on the Monday after a council meeting, with an overview of what happened there and a preview of what’s available for the next meeting. I’m hoping this means we might get notice of upcoming Council agenda items sooner than five or six days before a meeting, so it’s not just an update and explanation (which is, of course, welcome) but also a heads-up for future meetings.
On the first episode, City Manager Bryant explained how agendas are put together, how City Council works, and how residents can deliver public comment, and quickly discussed some highlights from the March 12, 2025 Council meeting.
Looks like they’ll be announcing each new episode through social media and you can find them on Spotify or Apple podcasts.
“Biggest Little Council Connect” with City Councilmembers
Earlier this year, the City of Reno launched a new program called “Biggest Little Council Connect,” described as “a monthly event series designed to bring residents and their City Council Members closer together” in a casual setting to “ask questions, share their thoughts, and foster meaningful connections.” You can read more about the initiative here. The first event was held with Ward 3 Councilmember Miguel Martinez in February.
This coming week, you can join Ward 1 Councilmember Kathleen Taylor at Chrome Coffee Works at 131 Pine Street, on March 28, 2025 from 9am-10am.
City of Reno Community Survey about Strategic Priorities
The City recently launched the “2025 Reno Community Survey” to help set priorities to build its next five-year strategic plan. You can find more about the City’s Strategic Priorities at Reno.gov/government/strategic-priorities. The survey results will be shared with the public and Reno City Council for future direction and strategic planning later this summer.
The City constantly refers to these Strategic Priorities when formulating policy, so resident participation in this phase is critical. Questions pertain to services, infrastructure, housing, community programs, communications preferences, and more.
The survey is open until April 30th, 2025, and takes less than 15 minutes. All responses are anonymous. To take the survey, visit Reno.gov/CommunitySurvey.
Construction of Arlington Avenue bridges to begin in May
RTC Washoe has announced that the two bridges over the Truckee River on Arlington Avenue (on either side of Wingfield Park) will begin construction in May, and that Wingfield Park itself will be closed through the summer of 2026. Northbound traffic should plan to take Virginia Street instead, and southbound traffic will be directed to Sierra Street, as shown in the diagram below.
More details including a full timeline and the details of construction and design can be found on the project’s website at arlingtonbridges.com.
Help plan the future of Sand Harbor
I know, I know, Sand Harbor is not exactly in the City of Reno, but I know that Reno residents are among the most frequent and dedicated visitors to this beloved section of the dazzling Lake Tahoe shoreline. So I wanted to make sure you all knew about an opportunity to help plan the future of Sand Harbor State Park.
The Division of State Parks has begun the master planning process at Sand Harbor, and you can learn more and provide your feedback on the “preferred approach” by visiting the project’s website here. As it explains, “the preferred approach was developed through collaborative meetings with the State Parks team and stakeholders, aligned with community and visitor feedback received during the summer of 2024.”
You can submit your comments via the “Preferred Approach” tab on that webpage and sign up on the “Get Involved” tab to receive notifications of updates and opportunities to participate.
And in case you haven’t heard, Day-use reservations are now required to visit Sand Harbor State Park from April 15-October 15. For more on that, visit their website here. Did anyone else just start daydreaming about summer? No? Just me?
NEWS DIGEST: The Latest in Local Urban Development
I’ll end this week with some recent headlines related to local development.
Reno Suites update: Residents at former Harrah’s tower get extra week to leave (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal, 3/17/25)
Reno median home price back above $600,000; Sparks down slightly (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal, 3/19/25)
Washoe County to revamp citizen advisory boards (Kristen Hackbarth, This is Reno, 3/20/25)
Nevada has an affordable housing crisis. A new report shows ways to fix it (Lizzie Ramirez and Tabitha Mueller, Nevada Independent, 3/20/25)
OPINION: What we learned from the Good Neighbors Warming Center (Ilya Arbatman, This is Reno, 3/20/25)
Downtown Reno businesses see economic boost from Western Lights Festival (Kim Burrows, News 4 Reno, 3/20/25)
Fire regionalization bill would create a board that could levy taxes on property owners (Bob Conrad, This is Reno, 3/21/25)
OPINION: Don't let WCSD's rezoning plan divide us: A call to preserve school diversity (Justin Solimine, Reno Gazette-Journal, 3/21/25)
Have a great week, everyone, and let’s all give a warm welcome to spring.
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.
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 X, Facebook & Instagram. If you feel inspired to contribute, you may purchase a paid subscription through Substack or contribute via Venmo at @Dr-Alicia-Barber or via check to Alicia Barber at P.O. Box 11955, Reno, NV 89510.
Why does the item D5 resemble a United Nations graphic? Why can't these people come up with their own plans instead of using the United Nations Sustainable Goals as the model? It's so in our face that we're being controlled by them already, carrying out their sick agendas as planned. A lot of other cities are copying these same models for their documents as well.
In re Planning Commission vacancy: it appears the new strategy at City Hall is for an existing elected or appointed individual to resign just prior to terming out making it difficult to field an open candidate pool.