One critical step the City of Reno could take to keep residents better informed
Plus development news, meetings, and updates for the week of August 11, 2025
Please be especially alert on the streets this coming week, as Washoe County School District schools are back in session starting Monday, August 11th.
BRIEF INSPIRATION: A weekly City of Reno e-newsletter
I want to start out today with a personal epiphany. I just returned from a little summer vacation, during which I published two editions of The Barber Brief from hotel rooms. Could I have taken a week or two off? Technically, of course I could have. I’m my own boss here. But with so much going on at the City of Reno, I knew I couldn’t leave readers in the lurch. Echoing in my ears was the comment I hear most frequently from readers: “I wouldn’t know what was happening in the City if it weren’t for you.”
I take that to heart, and the knowledge that my work is considered so essential gives me enormous satisfaction as well as an immense sense of responsibility.
But the struggle of producing Briefs while (ostensibly) on vacation got me to thinking: WHY? Why is it that so many people feel they would be uninformed about upcoming City actions without reading a weekly e-newsletter from a private citizen? Why isn’t there an easy way for the City of Reno to keep residents informed of upcoming meetings and events, all in one place, without having to subscribe to multiple City newsletters and keep a close eye on City social media accounts for announcements of events, meetings, online surveys, workshops, and other opportunities for engagement?
That question led me to seek out how other cities do it. And what I found shocked me: Almost every city of Reno’s size that I researched publishes a weekly e-newsletter to inform residents about the week ahead: meetings, activities, workshops—even city jobs! They’re often posted on Thursdays, to prepare residents for the following week.
Here are some excellent examples produced by a quick online search.
CITY OF BOISE
“In the Know” Weekly Newsletter. This might be my favorite because it’s so well-designed. Here’s the full archive. Check out a recent sample, which includes a message from the mayor; current job announcements; upcoming events; services; the week’s public meetings; and news from the previous week.
CITY OF RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA
City Manager’s Weekly Report. You can find the full archive here and check out a recent example here. You’ll find the week’s upcoming events and recreational activities; public meetings; what the City Manager’s been up to; highlights from various city departments including information on after-school and bikeshare programs; exhibits and open houses; and again, city job opportunities.
CITY OF SPOKANE
Weekly Community Update: This one includes information about public safety and street improvements; collaborations with organizations; Council meetings; openings on boards and commissions, and more. View a sample here.
You can find more great examples from Benicia, Pasadena, Irvine, and Torrance. And I’m sure a search of your own could produce hundreds of others.
A HEARTFELT SUGGESTION FOR THE CITY OF RENO
The City of Reno has no shortage of e-newsletters to which residents can subscribe, as you can see on this page. At this moment there are more than thirty of them! But they’re all siloed by ward or specific public body or special interest. What’s missing is a regular, predictable, comprehensive newsletter about the week ahead, for everyone.
With a template in place, it wouldn’t be difficult to accomplish. What could it include? I’d suggest the following, for starters:
a list of the coming week’s City of Reno public meetings (all of them)
links to highlights from past meetings, City memos, and news releases (there are already webpages devoted to each of these, so they’re easy links)
City activities or events for the week ahead that are not public meetings, like “Council Connects,” planning or public works workshops, and open houses
A list of the week’s City-sponsored or partnering special events involving parks, seniors, the arts, and others
a link to the City Manager’s most recent “On the Agenda” podcast
open online surveys for which the City seeks resident input
current job openings at the City of Reno
a short message from the Mayor and/or City Manager
anything else the City would like to highlight—accomplishments, ongoing construction projects, Board and Commission openings, etc.
Something like this would go a long way to fill the informational void that prompted me to begin writing the Brief in the first place. But ultimately, this is not about me, my vacations, or my desire to devote more space to analysis and commentary rather than compilation. It’s about YOU, the residents of this City who care about it and who crave timely information to ensure that you’re up to speed with what’s going on.
So what do you think? Would you sign up for a weekly e-newsletter from the City of Reno along these lines? Let the City (and everyone) know in the poll below.
In the meantime, here’s a gentle invitation to become a much-appreciated paid subscriber to the Brief, followed by an overview of this week’s public meetings.
City of Reno meetings for the Week of August 11, 2025
You can find all of the week’s scheduled City of Reno meeting agendas and associated materials on the Current and Upcoming Meetings webpage. Be sure to consult the individual agendas for items of interest to you and links to view/participate online.
NOTE: At least for now, all Neighborhood Advisory Boards are meeting at Reno City Hall. More on that below under my discussion of Item C.4 at the August 13th City Council meeting.
Ward 1 NAB: Monday, Aug. 11 at 5:30pm at Reno City Hall. Agenda here.
Washoe County HOME Consortium Technical Review Committee: Tuesday, Aug. 12 at 9:30am. Agenda linked above.
Ward 5 NAB: Tuesday, Aug. 12 at 5:30pm at Reno City Hall. Agenda here.
Reno City Council: Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 10am. Agenda here.
Civil Service Commission, Financial Advisory Board, Historical Resources Commission - all Thursday, Aug. 14. See above link for times and agendas.
In addition, I just saw the announcement of an informal “Council Connect” event with Ward 4 Councilmember Meghan Ebert on Saturday, August 16 from 1-2pm at Superstitions Java at 440 E. Golden Valley Rd. More info on that here.
I’ll preview some items on the agenda of the August 13th Reno City Council meeting below. But first, I have to begin with the big news from last week: the Regional Planning Commission’s decision about the planned StoneGate development.
UPDATE: StoneGate’s request to rezone for more industrial uses denied by the Regional Planning Commission
The turnout at the August 4th Regional Planning Commission meeting was so exceptional that the social media accounts for the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency (TMRPA) expressed their public thanks: “What an incredible level of public engagement at our August 4th RPC meeting! Your input helps shape the decisions that impact our region, and we’re truly grateful for your involvement.” They also provided a link to the YouTube recording where you can hear the full presentation and discussion along with comments from many residents, Reno Planning Commissioner Manny Becerra, and Ward 4 Councilmember Meghan Ebert.
The sole topic was the application to rezone the planned StoneGate development in the North Valleys to reduce the amount of residential space in favor of more industrial. Seated on the Regional Planning Commission are Reno Planning Commissioners Alex Velto and David Giacomin (who both voted FOR the requested change) and Kerry Rohrmeier (who voted AGAINST it).
Here’s some coverage of the Regional Planning Commission’s denial of the request:
North Valleys StoneGate rezoning request voted down by regional planning commission (This is Reno 8/5/25)
Truckee Meadows planning commission reject StoneGate zoning change (RGJ 8/7/25)
If you don’t know much about the TMRPA, you can read a description here. Reno developments are frequently discussed and decided there, so it’s something to keep an eye on. You can sign up for all TMRPA updates and meeting announcements here.
And now for some things to keep an eye on at City Council this week.
PREVIEW: The August 13th Reno City Council meeting
You can find the agenda for the Wednesday, August 13th Reno City Council meeting here and register to view/participate online via Zoom here. To comment on any item, you can speak in person (the meeting starts at 10am); submit an online form at Reno.Gov/PublicComment; email comments to Publiccomment@reno.gov; or comment live via Zoom (using that link above to register).
If you’re sending a comment in advance, I encourage you to use the email option and send your comments as early as possible to Publiccomment@reno.gov, copying the Mayor and Councilmembers (you can find those addresses in my Citizen Guide here).
On July 30, the City posted a new episode of its semi-monthly podcast, “On the Agenda" with City Manager Jackie Bryant, who discusses the City’s sewer utility system in depth with the City’s John Flansberg and Trina Magoon; some other topics from the July 30 Council meeting; and a few items on this next agenda, including emergency dispatch systems, affordable housing, and consolidated taxes.
As usual, I’m just highlighting a few items myself, so be sure to scan that full agenda for other items of interest to you. And I’m taking them out of order a bit, since I really want to draw your attention to items I’ve discussed before.
**Council Item C.4 - Resolution governing non-mandated citizen Boards, Commissions, and Committees**
The overhaul of many of the City of Reno’s citizen Boards and Commissions is back on the agenda after an initial discussion at the July 23rd City Council meeting but no additional community outreach since.
As you can see in the Public Engagement Survey Summary accompanying the July 23 agenda, the City says that these proposed changes to Boards and Commissions were informed in large part by input the City received through their “public engagement” outreach, which reached approximately 300 residents in person, with 358 people submitting the online survey.
Of course, none of these surveys or sessions were framed as being explicitly about overhauling Boards and Commissions. And those surveyed weren’t necessarily a self-selecting group of engaged residents: a reported 40% indicated that they were either “slightly engaged,” “not at all engaged,” or had no response to the question of how engaged they currently were with the City of Reno.
But here we are with a new Resolution for Council to adopt, incorporating some changes as directed by City Council on July 23rd and a whole lot of other changes introduced by the City Manager’s office that have received little to no public scrutiny.
There’s a chart in the Staff Report that explains how this new version differs from the prior version, including what kind of direction was provided by City Council in July and also a redlined version of the Resolution that shows all proposed changes in red.
WHAT’S CHANGED FROM THE JULY 23 VERSION?
The Resolution no longer eliminates the Senior Citizen Advisory Committee or the Access Advisory Committee. It also no longer makes the Urban Forestry Commission a subcommittee of the Parks and Recreation Commission, but retains it as an independent commission. So all three of those are retained.
The Resolution no longer adds requirements that all of these public bodies add representatives representing seniors, access, and human rights, although it does state that “to promote inclusive and informed participation,” they should “strive to include members who reflect a diversity of experiences and perspectives relevant to the board’s purpose.”
The Resolution no longer confines the scope of the Neighborhood Advisory Boards (NABs) to only reviewing Development Projects. It now states that these are forums for “public comment and discussion on land development projects…and other community issues [my emphasis added].” It does refer to them as “development focused forums,” however, and indicates that the agenda will be set based on the development project schedule “and as directed by the Council Liaison to the Board” (i.e. the ward’s City Councilmember). But it also indicates that agendas “shall be developed by the staff liaison in consultation with the Chair and, where applicable, the Council liaison,” so the Chair of the body would also play a role in setting agendas.
The Resolution incorporates limitations on to what extent Councilmembers can participate in NAB meetings, stating that they “shall refrain from participation in or discussion of items pending before said board or commission for action, unless in response to questions from the board or commission members.”
WHAT’S THE SAME AS THE JULY 23 VERSION?
The Resolution still eliminates the Human Rights Commission and the Special Event Sponsorship Sub-Committee and retains the Youth City Council.
The Resolution still requires all Neighborhood Advisory Boards (NABs) to meet at Reno City Hall. The explanation provided is “Having hybrid NAB meetings at Reno City Hall with security screenings, and dynamic video feeds ensures meetings are safe and accessible to all.” HOWEVER, the chart indicates that the direction from Council on this was mixed, and I recall that several Councilmembers did not want this change, indicating that it would place an unnecessary burden on people who want to attend NAB meetings in person but don’t live anywhere near downtown Reno.
The Resolution includes substantial language about subcommittees, indicating that subcommittees can only be established with formal City Council approval, that subcommittee members are appointed by the Council liaison, and that they can only perform the duties expressly authorized by Council. This would certainly add a longer time frame to the creation of subcommittees, so if you can see any issues with that, now’s the time to let the Council know.
Many more specific regulations governing these public bodies remain.
And just so it’s clear, Items E.2 through E.8 on this agenda all relate to moving the provisions governing Boards, Commissions, and Committees out of the Reno Municipal Code and into this one single Resolution. So even though it looks like those items are repealing a bunch of public bodies, they’re just removing them from the code and putting them in the Resolution described in item C.4, with E.1 moving administration of all of this from the City Clerk’s to the City Manager’s office.
If you have strong opinions about any of this, I think the public comments delivered in person or via Zoom at the July 23rd City Council meeting were the most powerful, as they focused on specific provisions of the Resolution and offered informed opinions about their potential repercussions. If you’d prefer to send comments in advance, I advise sending an email to Publiccomment@reno.gov with reference to Item C.4 and copying the Mayor, City Council, Jackie Bryant, and Cynthia Esparza. See above for links to all of their email addresses.
**Council Item D.1 - Reno Housing Authority Alley Abandonment**
Item D.1 has received a great deal of attention, so I want to be sure everyone knows that it’s heading to Council this week. As the Staff Report indicates, this is a request to abandon a 20-foot wide alley between Reno Avenue and West Taylor Street, between Arlington Avenue and Lander Street. Here’s a detail from the area map.
The stated purpose of the abandonment is to consolidate the alley with five parcels on either side of it that are owned by the Reno Housing Authority, which intends to construct an affordable housing project there.
Requests to abandon the public right-of-way are discussed and voted on by the Reno City Council only. And these abandonments don’t need to be tied to a specific development project, which is why this request is not accompanied by plans.
As the Staff Report indicates:
The abandoned area will become part of the adjacent parcels, which are zoned Multi-Family – 30 units per acre (MF-30) and Multi-Family – 14 units per acre (MF-14). The adjacent MF-30 zoning designation would be applied to the northern portion of the abandonment area and the adjacent MF-14 zoning designation would be applied to the southern portion.
This is Reno published an article about this a few weeks ago, noting resident concern:
Residents raise concerns about Reno Housing Authority development in Old Southwest neighborhood (7/17/25)
What could this project entail? That article quotes RHA spokesperson Jerri Williams Conrad, who indicated that there are not yet any site plans or drawings but that “the aim is to build ‘40 to 45 units of attractive, high-quality, affordable housing on the site for community members with incomes at or below 60% of area median income.’”
The online agenda includes a link to public comments already submitted here. Approval of the request requires Council to determine that the public will not be materially injured by the proposed abandonment.
Additional Items of Interest on the August 13th City Council agenda
Two discussion-only presentations caught my eye, and will no doubt be referenced in future decision-making, since they both have ties to the budget and city planning:
Item C.1 is a presentation from the RSCVA on Reno Tourism in 2024. This presentation was previously delivered to the RSCVA Board and it’s actually about “Reno Tahoe,” not just Reno, which is important to note. You can view the presentation slides from Future Partners here. Take a look—it’s quite illuminating, indicating that most “Reno Tahoe” visitors are from California; that 35% come to “Reno Tahoe” primarily to gamble and 35% primarily to see Lake Tahoe; that 13% fewer visited downtown Reno in 2024 than in 2023 (falling to 47% from 60%), and much more. There’s a lot of room for interpretation here.
Item C.2 is a presentation and discussion about C-Tax (consolidated taxes) and its importance to the City of Reno budget (as the largest and arguably most volatile revenue source for the City’s general fund). Staff Report here.
Again, skim through the full online agenda for other items of interest to you.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
August 20: Community Conversation about Future Energy Use & Data Centers
As I’ve mentioned before, the TMRPA has scheduled a Community Conversation on Future Energy Use and Data Centers on Wednesday, August 20th from 6-7:30pm at the Discovery Museum at 490 S. Center Street. That’s not this week, but I wanted to give you as much advance notice as possible, so mark your calendar now.
Here’s the description of what to expect:
TMRPA is currently reviewing our role in the energy sector and we want to hear from you! We are hosting a Community Conversation to discuss our process to review energy-related projects of regional significance and report on recent research about high-demand energy users, such as data centers. There will be a presentation on our research so far, a discussion on TMRPA’s role and potential applicable Regional Plan policies, and opportunities to give us your feedback. As part of this ongoing effort, TMRPA will be coordinating with local jurisdictional planning staff and other regional entities.
This Community Conversation and research initiative will help to inform future regional land use planning efforts related to energy generation, transmission and consumption within Washoe County, with an emphasis on renewable energy generation and high energy demand businesses.
ON A RELATED NOTE: You may have seen the recent news that a $3 billion data center project is moving forward at TRIC. Things are developing quickly in this arena.
NEWS DIGEST: The Latest in Local Urban Development
Lastly, here are some articles about development-related issues from the past week:
Washoe County opens new housing facility at Cares Campus to support chronic homelessness (News4Reno/Fox11 8/5/25)
Nevada plans to use FEMA funding to upgrade Washoe County Jail for ICE (Nevada Current 8/7/25)
Judge suspects Uprise attorneys used AI with phony cases, quotes in their filing (RGJ 8/7/25)
Governor signs bill transferring livestock events center, fairgrounds back to Nev. Department of Agriculture (This is Reno 8/9/25)
Take care this 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.
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.
Alicia....your ideas for a more comprehensive newsletter are solid. I get the same comments from my readers -- I am playing a critical role in the information ecosystem in my own community.
I don't think a newsletter listing homeless numbers and developer destruction of affordable housing would be very interesting.