Outcomes from the June 11th Reno City Council meeting & much more
The latest on noise and live entertainment ordinances; citizen boards & commissions; surveys on redevelopment rebranding and public engagement; and the latest news
Well, it’s definitely feeling like summer out there—especially, I’m sure, for the members of the Reno City Council, who won’t convene again until July 23.
But the news keeps on coming, so let’s review what transpired at their last meeting (with one major twist at the very end), along with a couple of important online surveys, meeting announcements, and the latest in local development.
Wednesday, June 18: Reno Planning Commission
As you can see on the Current and Upcoming Meetings webpage, there’s just one regularly scheduled meeting of a City body this week, and that’s the Reno Planning Commission on Wednesday, June 18. Here’s that agenda. You can register to view/participate online here.
The only item up for review by the Planning Commission is Item 5.1 - Approval of a tentative map for Talus Valley Villages 17, 18, and 19. As you can read in the Staff Report, the request is for a tentative map to allow for a 247-unit single family detached residential subdivision within the Talus Valley Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning district, located north of South Meadows Parkway and west of Veterans Parkway. This review will also include approval of a wetland mitigation plan for the identified wetland mitigation area adjacent to Plan Area 17.
Consult the agenda for information on how to provide public comment.
NOTE: The scheduled July 2nd Reno Planning Commission meeting has been CANCELLED.
Outcomes from the June 11 Reno City Council Meeting
You can read the City’s June 11, 2025 Reno City Council Meeting Highlights for brief updates on decisions regarding the demolition of the Record Street homeless shelter (CAC) buildings, the discussion of live entertainment and noise ordinances, and more.
And here’s some detailed coverage of those two items from This is Reno:
Noise and safety concerns prompt council debate on downtown ordinances (Kelsey Penrose, This is Reno)
City council approves $700,000 demolition contract for community assistance center (Kelsey Penrose, This is Reno)
You can also hear about a few of the meeting’s outcomes by listening to the City’s chatty “On the Agenda” podcast, featuring City Manager Jackie Bryant and (this week) the City’s Government Affairs Manager/Lobbyist, Nic Ciccone, and the Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development, Monica Kirch, with a rundown of the fate of some of the state legislative bills affecting Reno:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/42Thy7v
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3Ykmwrk
With respect to the Council’s discussion of whether or not nonprofit organizations should be registered with the City of Reno, City Manager Bryant indicated that staff is looking into it, and that it will be another six to nine months before we’ll hear anything more about that at Council.
Mr. Ciccone talked about a few of the legislative bills from the last session in detail, including some related to housing, public safety, fire protection, and accessory dwelling units (requiring Reno to adopt an ADU ordinance, which it’s working on).
Not mentioned in the podcast but covered at the meeting was Senate Bill (SB) 48, which I’ve discussed here. The most controversial portion of that bill (allowing City Councils to remove planning commissioners without a public hearing or just cause) was eliminated from the bill, which now allows Reno to pass an ordinance to make planning commissioners’ terms coterminous with that of the person who appointed them. The bill passed & was signed into law, but the City of Reno would still have to create and pass such an ordinance for that policy to take effect—and not before 2029.
The bill that would have dedicated several millions of dollars to the rehabilitation of the Lear Theater (introduced by State Senator Angie Taylor) did not move forward.
A surprise twist regarding Citizen Board and Commission meetings
I didn’t see any media coverage of this, but during the City Council comments at the end of the June 11 Council meeting (Item H.1), Councilmember Devon Reese stated that he wished to recall item G.1 from the June 4 meeting—the review of citizen Board and Commission meetings, last discussed by me here—in order for the City Council to be able to reconsider it. This rarely happens, so it’s a big deal.
Recall that on June 4th, City Council voted to direct staff to draft a resolution that would sanction a pause of the meetings of most Boards and Commissions for a shocking 12 months, a resolution that they would have been voting on in July.
Now, however, the same item as it appeared on the June 4th agenda will be brought back to City Council for a reconsideration. Mayor Schieve, who was not at the June 4th meeting, said that the Council’s vote to pave the way for a 12-month pause had caused “a lot of concern,” and that she was happy they could reconsider that decision.
What that means is that your messages got through! So a big THANK YOU to everyone who called or wrote the Mayor, City Council, and/or the City Manager to express your concerns about the prospect of pausing these important meetings for so long. It’s because of you that Council will be revisiting their tacit approval of a 12-month pause on those meetings.
City Manager Bryant indicated that the item—which I previewed in my June 1st Brief—will now be brought back to the table at Council’s next meeting, on July 23. So let’s all be prepared to participate in that one, too (don’t worry, I’ll remind you).
In the meantime, the City has indicated that the Historical Resources Commission has been rightfully added to the list of Boards and Commissions that will continue to meet at least quarterly during this period of review. You can read about that here:
City’s historical resources commission to continue to meet despite proposed cuts to city boards (Bob Conrad, This is Reno)
Hopefully the City Clerk’s analysis of these bodies is already well underway.
SURVEY: Rebranding the Reno Redevelopment Agency
As I mentioned last week, the City has issued a survey to help rebrand the Reno Redevelopment Agency (RDA). You can find the link to it here, and I highly encourage you to take it, even though, as I’ve stated, I’m perplexed about the framing of this as a rebranding survey when it’s asking what we think the Redevelopment Agency should actually do and prioritize. That’s a lot more than branding.
My advice is this: Take the survey, and answer its questions as best you can—and also feel free to write in additional comments in the free response section. If this survey might actually help to determine priorities for what the RDA should actually do (and not just how it’s branded), you definitely want to be part of that conversation.
Just keep in mind that the Redevelopment Agency is only active in Redevelopment Areas #1 and #2, not the entire city. If you need a refresher on where those areas are, visit the RDA webpage here for maps.
On that same page, you’ll also find the stated goals of the RDA. These will look familiar if you take the survey (emphasis mine):
Increase the diversity and quantity of products and services available from businesses in the Redevelopment Areas by attracting businesses that provide essential goods and services, dining, and retail, in addition to improving the structural integrity and visual appeal of buildings that such businesses may be located in.
Increase the diversity and number of residents living in the Redevelopment Areas through the creation of quality housing options that appeal to households of varying age, income, and size, and that are located near businesses providing essential services and leisure and recreation spaces.
Enable and encourage the flow of people into and throughout the Redevelopment Areas by increasing and optimizing the flow of pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles into and throughout the areas via investment in safer and more accessible routes of movement for all modes of transport, bicycle storage, and parking options.
Enable and encourage the flow of people into and throughout the Redevelopment Areas by increasing the amount and availability of outdoor spaces, appropriate foliage, and public art, in addition to the general visual variety and attractiveness of the urban core.
Increase the presence of and access to the natural environment and resources and other outdoor spaces throughout Reno’s urban core by increasing the safety, cleanliness, attractiveness, pedestrian accessibility, number, and size of these spaces, and support activities that encourage the use and appreciation of these resources and natural spaces.
Preserve and emphasize the heritage and historic assets throughout the Redevelopment Areas through the rehabilitation and retrofitting of historic structures and sites in addition to increasing public knowledge of, safety of, and access to such structures and sites.
I’m not sure how long that survey will be available, so please take it today!
SURVEY: City of Reno Public Engagement
The City has opened another survey—this one about its own public engagement practices and strategies. And it’s open until July 2. You can find a link to it here.
What’s the goal for this one? In their words:
By examining who is participating—and who may be left out—the City aims to create more effective and accessible engagement strategies. This review is essential to ensure that community voices are genuinely heard and considered in decision-making, ultimately leading to more transparent, responsive, and trusted governance.
In addition to the online survey, the City is hosting community meetings and drop-ins on the subject through July 1st. You can find that whole schedule here.
I wrote about this in some detail in my May 12th Brief, where I was also discussing the sudden 90-day (at that time) pause on Boards and Commissions.
This survey’s interesting—and you can see that they’re really trying to figure out what City actions and strategies would get people more engaged (and it’s anonymous). It asks how engaged with the City of Reno you feel you are, and in what ways; who you prefer to engage with (i.e. Mayor, Councilmembers, staff); where and when you prefer to engage with them; and in what formats (in-person, hybrid, etc).
It asks what kind of structure you prefer (like formal meetings, coffee with Council members, town halls, or workshops); what kind of agendas/programs you prefer (a single topic, multiple topics, ward-only topics, etc); and how you prefer to engage when the City is making important policy and community decisions, in particular.
Then there are some open-ended questions about what you think the City of Reno does well in terms of public engagement and how you think they could improve. This is an opportunity to be very specific, so please think about what you’d really like them to know; they will no doubt be using this information to inform their ongoing review of Boards and Commissions as well as planning what types of meetings, town halls, workshops, and social media strategies to pursue.
If you are incredibly engaged, wonderful! If you’re not, why not? Do you think the City holds meetings at inconvenient times? Does the structure of meetings confuse or frustrate you? Do you prefer conversations over one-way commentary? Would you welcome online discussion forums that are accessible to everyone, without requiring residents to be on privately run social media platforms? Give it some thought and then be sure to take that survey before July 2.
June 26: Sierra Street Bridge public meeting (RTC Washoe)
Here’s something to put on your calendar for next week: RTC Washoe has progressed to the 60% design stage for the Sierra Street Bridge Replacement Project and will be hosting its second public meeting for the project on Thursday, June 26 from 4-7pm at the McKinley Arts and Culture Center at 925 Riverside Drive. You can find the public meeting materials and more info online at SierraStreetBridge.com.
NEWS DIGEST: The Latest in Local Development News
Lombardo’s vetoes once again thwart tenant-friendly housing reforms (Michael Lyle, Nevada Current)
Reno tops list of US cities with largest share of fatal rush hour crashes (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal)
The fuel tax is going up again in Washoe County this July. Should it be capped? (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal)
What's going on with Ross Manor? What we know about century-old building's renovation (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal)
This stone cabin endured in Reno high desert for over 80 years. Then it was gone (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal)
Editorial: Washoe County’s handling of courthouse radon levels is concerning (Bob Conrad, This is Reno)
OPINION: Hearing offers an impressive glimpse of a brewing Nevada data center battle (John L. Smith, Nevada Independent)
News on the 2026 Local Elections
A few weeks ago we learned that current Ward 1 City Councilmember Kathleen Taylor is “exploring” a run for Reno Mayor, and now we’ve heard of the first definite candidate: Kate Marshall. Here’s an article about that from the RGJ:
2026 Reno mayor's race: Kate Marshall is first to announce run to replace Hillary Schieve (Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal)
That’s all for today. Don’t forget that the City of Reno’s administrative offices will be closed for the Juneteenth Holiday on Thursday, June 19. 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.
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.
Concerning the noise ordinances, why don't they just let them have late (or early morning) on the weekends and holidays and have some restrictions during the week. You know, a compromise...LOL