8/27 Reno City Council preview, the latest on Data Centers & this week's meetings
Public input opportunities for the Rock-McCarran Flood Project and the California Avenue mural, an update on the City's upcoming ADU ordinance, and more.
Increasingly, what I preview here are special meetings and workshops just as much as regularly scheduled public meetings. These focused gatherings can be excellent opportunities to secure more details on a project, ask questions, and meet individually with the people tasked with making decisions about them. Be sure to take advantage!
This week they include a Virtual Meeting on the Rock-McCarran Flood Project and an in-person Town Hall about a planned mural for a stretch of California Avenue.
I also have a slew of resources to help us understand the issues presented by Data Centers in our region (and elsewhere), the latest on the ADU ordinance, and more.
City of Reno meetings for the week of August 25, 2025
As seen on the Current and Upcoming Meetings webpage, there are two regularly scheduled meetings of City of Reno public bodies posted (so far, anyway) this week:
Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 10am: Reno City Council (agenda here)
Thursday, Aug. 28 at 9:15am: Truckee Meadows Storm Water Permit Coordinating Committee (agenda here)
Other city events and activities can be found on the City of Reno Calendar.
The Latest on Data Centers and Energy in Nevada
Data centers continue to be a major topic of conversation in Reno and elsewhere, particularly when it comes to the energy and water required to operate them. First off, This is Reno has coverage of last week’s Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency’s “Community Conversation” about data centers:
Video: Citizens voice concerns about the impacts of data centers (This is Reno 8/23/25)
You can find links to the detailed TMRPA presentation and more on their website here. Here’s one slide showing the projected data center demand through 2030.
On a related note, several readers sent me this article about data centers published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal (originally by the MIT Technology Review):
‘Massive’: The sprawling data center boom in the Northern Nevada desert (Las Vegas Review-Journal 8/17/25)
Quoting from that piece:
“The full scale and potential environmental impacts of the developments aren’t known, because the footprint, energy needs, and water requirements are often closely guarded corporate secrets. Most of the companies didn’t respond to inquiries from MIT Technology Review, or declined to provide additional information about the projects.”
According to the article, the scope of what’s current being planned in Nevada alone would “require expanding the state’s power sector by about 40%, all for a single industry in an explosive growth stage that may, or may not, prove sustainable.”
On that note, the Nevada Current published two articles last week about the status of renewable energy production in the state of Nevada and beyond:
Trump policy prompts NV Energy to seek escape hatch for would-be clean energy transmitters (Nevada Current 8/20/25)
Solar may add half of all additional U.S. electricity generation in 2025, EIA says (Nevada Current 8/22/25)
And finally, This is Reno published an editorial referring back to their August 18th article about the projection that data centers will triple our area's energy demands and stating who they think should foot the bill:
EDITORIAL: Data centers should pay for data centers (This is Reno 8/24/25)
Want a little more national context? Here are some headlines from across the country:
Can the AI data center boom be stopped? Meet some opponents with battle plans. (Yahoo Finance 8/23/25)
Meta is sinking $10 billion into rural Louisiana to build the home of its wildest AI aspirations, setting the template for the nation’s grid buildout (Fortune 8/24/25)
Tiny Texas town’s transformation into mega data center hub sparks concerns (My San Antonio 8/24/25)
From Cloud to Concrete: How Explosive Data Center Demand is Redefining Commercial Real Estate (DataCenterFrontier.com 8/25/25)
As mentioned by This is Reno, a joint meeting of the Reno Planning Commission and Reno City Council to discuss data centers is scheduled to be held at City Hall on October 1st. There’s no published agenda for that yet but I’ll keep you posted.
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27, 10am: Reno City Council
You can find the full August 27th Reno City Council agenda with links to supporting materials and information on how to attend, participate, and comment here. In case you didn’t see it, last Thursday, This is Reno published a preview of the meeting:
Reno City Council to consider housing updates, fire code changes and $3 million water facility contract (This is Reno 8/21/25)
I’ll just highlight a few of the issues with ties to development:
C.1 - Presentation/update from the Nevada Housing Coalition on recent legislative housing outcomes and future planning efforts. (Guest presentation for discussion only) No Staff Report provided (as of Monday 8/25).
C.2 - General Fund financial update presentation and discussion. (For discussion only) As the Staff Report states, “The purpose of this financial update
is to offer a preview of the major revenue and expenditure trends, assess the status of the General Fund, and highlight any fiscal challenges as the City moves into the early development of the fiscal year 2026/27 budget.”
C.3 - Presentation, discussion and possible recommendation for ordinance introduction of the 2024 International Fire Code (IFC) and International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC). Staff Report here.
F.1 through F.8 - Ordinance adoptions related to selected Boards and Commissions. There’s a general overview in the Staff Report for Item F.1.
G.1 through G.6 - Appointments of residents to various Boards and Commissions
WEDNESDAY, August 27th, 6-8pm: Flood Management Authority meeting about the Rock-McCarran Flood Project
The Truckee River Flood Management Authority (TRFMA) is holding a VIRTUAL-ONLY Working Group meeting on Wednesday evening to provide an overview and updates related to the Rock-McCarran Flood Project.
You can find meeting information here including a link to register to watch via Zoom.
I last discussed this issue and the two alternatives being proposed for this stretch of the river (nature area or combined nature area and flat fields) in my August 14th Brief.
This week’s discussion will include the following:
History, purpose, and need for the Rock-McCarran Flood Project.
Importance of the unique location of the project as it relates to flood control, river function, and design considerations.
Rational and need for the plan to move the river channel south of its current configuration.
Opportunities for ecosystem and river function restoration and recreation because of the parks size and location
Comparison & contrast between proposed concepts of a combination of recreation complex and natural area near the river vs. extended open natural area in upper terrace, pros/cons, concerns, costs etc.
THURSDAY, Aug. 28 5:30-6:30pm: Town Hall about the California Avenue mural
The City will hold a Town Hall about the California Avenue mural on Thursday, August 25th at 5:30pm at the McKinley Arts & Culture Center at 925 Riverside Drive.
The project site is the corrugated retaining wall on California Avenue between Newlands Park and Booth Street, across from the intersection with Keystone Avenue. If you want to explore the vicinity, here’s a link to the Google Street View.
The Town Hall will offer a chance to speak directly with ABG Art Group. You can read more on the project webpage here. Here’s a description from that page:
“ABG Art Group was selected to paint a mural along the heavily corrugated concrete retaining wall near the intersection of California and Keystone Avenues. The wall has over 1000 feet of horizontal space with varying vertical heights ranging between 3 to 18 feet. The goals for this project include highlighting the unique character of the neighborhood, increasing awareness of public art, and engaging with the community to create artwork that inspires and reflects the neighborhood.”
ABG Art Group is also hosting an artist workshop on Wednesday (RSVP required) to discuss Muralists and City Arts Programs in general. More on that here.
NOW OPEN: Applications for the 2025 ReStore Façade and Tenant Improvement Program
The Reno Redevelopment Agency is accepting new applications for its ReStore Facade and Tenant Improvement Program, as announced in a City press release here. Eligible businesses and properties must be located within one of the Redevelopment Areas. Here’s the general description as provided:
The RDA will reimburse awardees for 50% of eligible costs, up to $50,000, for exterior façade improvement projects and up to $50,000 for interior tenant improvements. At select locations, matching grants for façade and tenant improvements may be combined, allowing for a maximum reimbursement of up to $99,999. Projects that are on the National Register of Historic Places or the Nevada State Register of Historic Places are eligible for a $25,000 bonus.
You’ll find much more information about the program on the ReStore webpage.
COMING UP: Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance to head to Reno City Council on September 10
In an email sent out on Friday, City staff provided an update on the status of the ADU ordinance, which was presented to the Reno Planning Commission on August 6th for their recommendations.
At that time, the Planning Commission recommended forwarding the draft ordinance on for City Council approval with one revision:
Attached ADUs shall follow the dimensional standards for detached ADUs for "Area, maximum per structure" found in Table 3-6 and 3-7. For example, an attached ADU in SF-3 can only be 1,600 square feet or 50% of the principal structure (whichever is less).
The ordinance will be introduced at City Council on September 10th and is scheduled for its second reading/adoption on September 24th.
Before that, City staff will bring a presentation to the Wards 5 and 6 NABs since they had not yet met when the draft was introduced to the others. The Ward 6 presentation will be September 4th and the Ward 5 NAB on September 9th. You can review all of the ADU materials on the Zoning Code webpage and still provide public comment.
BRIEF DIGEST: The latest news in local urban development
This week’s development news begins with a report of a planned new project in Verdi, followed by photos of the demolition of the former Community Assistance Center on Record Street, a feature on what kind of housing you can buy in Reno with the area’s median household income of $84,183, and the latest news in gaming and tourism.
Housing in the Reno area
82-unit townhome development planned near Truckee River in Verdi (This is Reno 8/21/25)
GALLERY: Demolition underway at former Record Street shelter in downtown Reno (News4Reno 8/22/25)
What kind of house can you buy with the median income in Reno? We looked it up (RGJ 8/25/25)
The status of the local gaming & tourism industry
Reno casino CEO John Farahi charts a different course than industry peers on growth (Nevada Independent 8/12/25) With limited growth opportunities, Monarch Casino CEO considers options for another property after successfully expanding to the Denver area.
Nevada’s only independent sportsbook opening first location near Reno (RGJ 8/25/25) The fledgling Boomer’s Sportsbook is set to enter the Reno-Tahoe gaming market for the first time through a Carson City casino.
Week added to 2026 USBC Open Championships in Reno, Nevada (Bowl.com 8/19/25)
Have a great week, everyone.
Be sure to check out my Citizen Guide for helpful resources and links to help anyone become more informed and engaged in issues related to urban development (& more) in Reno.
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