Preview: January 22, 2025 Reno City Council & Redevelopment Meetings
The jam-packed agendas offer many opportunities for civic engagement.
You’re getting an early Brief from me this week, not only because the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend is a busy one for many, but because there are so many items of note on the January 22 Reno City Council and Redevelopment Agency Board agendas that I think it best to get as many eyes on them as possible right away. This a dense one, so please give yourself enough time to read it thoroughly.
Also remember that I have proclaimed this the Year of the People, and one of the easiest and simultaneously most effective ways to exercise your rights as a Reno resident is to comment on an upcoming agenda item. Next week’s meetings give you plenty of opportunities, so let’s first review how to do that.
To comment on any items on the January 22 Reno City Council or Redevelopment Agency Board agendas, you can deliver comments in person or virtually by registering here. Council generally convenes as the Redevelopment Agency Board after the close of the Council meeting. Comments can also be delivered in advance by submitting public comment online via Reno.Gov/PublicComment; by emailing Publiccomment@reno.gov; or by leaving a voicemail at 775-393-4499.
Comments must be received by 4pm every Tuesday to be provided to Council in advance of their Wednesday meetings. But if you do have a comment, I’d recommend sending something in as soon as possible. You can find Councilmembers’ individual email addresses in my Citizen Guide, if you’d like to write them directly in hopes of initiating a conversation or getting any questions answered prior to the meeting.
Let’s start with those two meeting agendas followed by updates and additional news.
Preview: January 22, 2025 Reno City Council meeting
You can find the online agenda for the January 22 Reno City Council meeting here, and as usual, I’ll just highlight selected items, so be sure to scan it for other items of interest to you. Let’s start with two items on the Consent Agenda related to the City’s sale of the former Community Assistance Center properties on Record Street and the City’s operating agreement with the Downtown Reno Partnership (DRP).
In my opinion, neither of these should be on the Consent Agenda and should both be “pulled” (which is the term for “pulling” them out for discussion by City Council). If they’re not pulled, all of the Consent Agenda items can be approved with a single vote.
B.8 - An agreement by which the City would pay to demolish the CAC properties on Record Street, to be repaid by the buyer at escrow
This item relates to the City’s sale of the former Community Assistance Center (CAC) buildings at 315 and 355 Record Street to Ulysses Development Group, LLC. Back in August of 2024, City Council selected Ulysses to construct a 136-unit affordable housing project on the site, with a sale agreement approved in September.
But staff is now introducing a major amendment to that agreement.
When last discussed in September 2024, the developers were required to apply for a demolition permit to take down the two buildings, with the demolition to be completed within six months after the close of the deal, sometime in 2025.
Now, however, according to the Staff Report, the terms would be changed “allowing the City to proceed with demolition of existing structures on the properties [emphasis mine] with Ulysses Development agreeing to reimburse the City for all demolition costs upon the close of escrow.”
In other words, the City could proceed with demolishing the buildings right away, even though the funding for this affordable housing project is far from assured.
In fact, another item on this very same Consent Agenda reveals its status: Item B.16 is a resolution of support requesting that a state office fully fund the required Volume Cap since, according to that Staff Report, “the City of Reno has exhausted its allotted amount of Private Activity Bond Volume Cap for this year.” Ulysses Development Group is seeking an amount not to exceed $26.2 million in tax-exempt bond.
Perhaps this is considered a slam dunk. But it still means that the City could demolish the structures well in advance of any new construction. And I would hope that if we’ve learned anything when it comes to development in Reno, it’s that you should never count your chickens before they’re hatched.
As my architect husband has told me again and again, demolition of existing structures is considered the first stage of construction. Premature demolition—clearing a site in advance of the onset of construction—is a longstanding Reno pattern but not a wise one. In this case, there are still viable structures on the property, and if this deal falls through, those structures might yet be repurposed.
Those who advocate razing these structures ASAP generally cite safety and security issues, but I find it hard to believe that this site is considered so unsafe that the City can’t properly secure the buildings while this deal is completely hammered out. (Moreover, please consult Item D.1 below for the status of the general fund.)
B. 9 - A major amendment to the City of Reno’s agreement with the Downtown Reno Partnership that would eliminate all provisions related to Supplemental Police Services
According to this item’s Staff Report, this proposed amendment would significantly change the scope and financial terms of the original agreement between the City and the DRP, which manages the downtown Business Improvement District (BID).
Specifically it would do this:
Eliminate all provisions related to Supplemental Police Services and the associated payment “reflecting adjustments to changing economic conditions.”
Update the City Maintenance Services and set the City Maintenance Payment for Fiscal Year 2024/2025 at $479,550.
Modify definitions and remove Exhibit D, which pertained to Supplemental Police Services, while revising Exhibit E related to Maintenance Services.
Why? The report vaguely states, “The goal is to ensure more streamlined operations and maintain the effectiveness of the services provided within the District.”
According to the original agreement, “Supplemental Police Services” means the dedicated deployment of City of Reno police officers within the District” and “Supplemental Police Services Payment” means the Supplemental Police Services costs which are allocated to the BID and paid from BID Revenues”:
I don’t know what to make of this, frankly. What specifically has changed? Are supplementary police services being funded another way? Are they no longer needed? Hopefully we can get some answers prior to the meeting.
Now on to some items on the main meeting agenda.
C.1, C.2, and C.3 – Rezoning Reno Housing Authority property
These three items would enable increasing the number of allowed units on Reno Housing Authority property on the northeast corner of Sutro Street and Carville Drive, as approved by the Planning Commission in December. See the Staff Report for C.1 here and links to the rest via the agenda.
D. 1 - An array of City budget revisions that would eliminate, add, and shift funding for several City of Reno positions
There’s a lot of explanation of this item in its Staff Report, including information on the impact of reduced revenues on the City’s general fund. As the report says, “C-Tax, property tax, and franchise fees account for over 70 percent of the City’s general fund revenues collected each year. As of November, here’s how they were doing:
Property taxes are coming in on budget.
C-Tax is flat year over year and is trending 5 percent below budget.
Franchise fees are 15 percent below budget and have declined year over year.
In addition, business licenses are five percent below budget. As the report explains, “For each new business requesting a license, another business is closing, so revenues are overall flat year over year….Going forward, the slow revenue growth and increased labor costs will create challenges in building the FY26 budget….”
That sounds dire.
This particular budget augmentation would eliminate the positions of Director of Code and Parking Enforcement and Assistant to the City Manager and shift 100% of funding for two positions to the Redevelopment Agency (RDA): the Revitalization Manager and the Historic Preservation Management Assistant (which is not an RDA position, so that seems odd). And it would propose adding two new positions for the Redevelopment Agency: a Project Manager and Management Assistant.
This augmentation would also include 24 fire department positions and one park river ranger that Council previously approved.
I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot of discussion of budget cuts in the months to come.
D. 2 - Adopting a legislative platform and values statement to guide the City’s actions during the upcoming State Legislative Session.
This item involves a presentation, discussion, and potential direction to staff regarding the City of Reno's 83rd (2025) State Legislative Session Platform. As you can read in the Staff Report, City staff have prepared a platform for the City that outlines the City’s legislative process and guides the City’s government affairs team during the upcoming state legislative session. It is broken into a Legislative Platform and a Values Statement. You can read the Redline Document (with changes and additions) and a clean copy, and I recommend everyone do so, to see what they have in mind.
F. 1 through F. 6 - Adoption of an ordinance prohibiting sitting, lying, sleeping, or camping in public places and another related to loitering.
You can find the City’s justification for adopting the anti-camping etc. ordinance in the Staff Report for Item F.1, including the City’s current related prohibitions, comparisons with other cities, and relationship to the Supreme Court case City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, 144 S.Ct.2202 (2024). As the report states:
“The new proposed law would ban sitting, lying, sleeping, and camping on any public grounds within the City and also maintain safeguards to protect people who are disabled or utilizing the land for its intended use. Lastly, keeping the language that before any enforcement occurs the person must be given a warning to put them on notice and time to correct the behavior.”
Items F.2 through F.5 would repeal sections of the code being replaced by this new ordinance, while Item F. 6 would specifically amend the code regarding Loitering, as the Staff Report explains. Here’s the summary, but click the report for the rest:
Next on the agenda are hearings for three appeals (this could be a really long meeting).
I.1 - Appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of a conditional use permit for Case No. LDC25-00016 (Plumas Redevelopment)
This conditional use permit would allow for the construction of a 273-unit multi-family apartment complex on the SE corner of Plumas Street and South McCarran Boulevard. See the Staff Report here and consult the agenda for other materials.
I.2 – Appeal of the Planning Commission’s denial of a tentative map and major site plan review for Case No. LDC25-00003 (2400 West 7th Street)
The tentative map is for a 28-lot single-family detached subdivision directly south of the intersection of West 7th Street and Rhode Island Drive. See the Staff Report here and consult the agenda for other materials.
I.3 - Appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of a conditional use permit for Case No. LDC25-00014 (Webb Data Center)
This is an appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of a conditional use permit to allow development of a data center on the north side of North Virginia Street ±1,170 feet east of its intersection with Stead Boulevard. View the Staff Report and find links to other materials via the agenda.
Recall that as I reported in my last Brief, the Reno City Council just directed staff to initiate a text amendment governing data centers, but that would be down the road. I found this article helpful for putting Reno in a broader perspective:
OPINION: Noisy, Hungry Data Centers Are Catching Communities by Surprise (Sean Patrick Cooper, New York Times, 9/15/24)
I see that Our Town Reno just came out with a piece this morning on the fate of the Keystone Data Center application at the January 15 Planning Commission meeting:
Keystone Data Center Gets New Permit Approval Despite Community Opposition (Our Town Reno, 1/18/25)
January 22, 2025 Redevelopment Agency Board Meeting
This meeting generally convenes immediately following the Reno City Council meeting, but they could conceivably change the order. As you can see from this agenda, there are only two action items of note:
C. 1 – Approval of budget augmentations and revisions
You can find the Staff Report here. A portion of the fund balance in the RDA2 General Fund would be used to fund a Project Manager and Management Assistant.
D.1 – Discussion and potential appointment of up to nine individuals to the Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board (RAAB)
As explained in the Staff Report, this item would reconstitute the RAAB, which has nine vacancies. The terms would be staggered, with three only serving through the end of 2026; three through the end of 2027; and three through the end of 2028. After that, each newly-appointed member would serve a full three-year term. The bylaws specify the following in terms of composition:
The applications submitted by all 27 candidates are linked from the agenda, and I expect we’ll see some of these candidates appear to explain their interest.
Other City Meetings the week of January 20, 2025
Agendas and materials for next week’s other public City meetings are here.
Ward 2 Neighborhood Advisory Board – Tuesday, Jan. 21, 5:30pm
Truckee Meadows Stormwater Permit Coordinating Committee – Thursday, Jan. 23, 9:15am
Access Advisory Committee Special Meeting - Thursday, Jan. 23, 5:30pm
Youth City Council – Thursday, Jan. 23, 5:30pm
New Title 18 (Land Development Code) Now In Effect
The City of Reno just emailed out a notice that the updated Title 18 (the City’s land development code) has now been adopted, following the Council’s January 8 vote.
In the notice, staff indicated that, “If any groups or firms would like a one-on-one training to go over the changes, we are happy to set up a time to meet with your team/membership and go over the topics that are relevant to your area of interest (i.e. industrial development, residential development, infill development, stockpile permitting, etc.).” There is a one-year grace period during which applicants can apply under either the new or old zoning code, but not mix-and-match.
Consult the City’s Zoning Code Clean-Up page to view the sections of the code that have been separated out to undergo focused outreach and feedback as new policies are formulated. At this point, that’s Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Signage.
Upcoming ADU ordinance public input opportunities
On that note, this week the City of Reno announced the beginning of the review process for the formulation of an ordinance governing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). This text amendment was initiated in 2023, and you can find a summary of all prior actions and public sessions on the Zoning Code Clean-Up page.
Staff has now written up a draft ADU ordinance, which you can access here.
Note: That link takes you to a 105-page section of the code because the sections pertaining to ADUs are found in multiple places. I asked for clarification and was told that the pages pertinent to ADUs are pages 16, 65-67, 90, and 102.
In-person and virtual meetings have been scheduled from February 4 through February 24, including at the NAB meetings for Wards 1-4. The same information will be presented at each presentation. You can find all the details and registration links for the virtual meetings under the Accessory Dwelling Units dropdown link on that Zoning Code Clean-Up page. These meetings will be followed by review by the Planning Commission and then City Council (dates still TBA).
You can provide feedback on the draft ordinance here and if you have any questions, the City staff contact is Grace Mackedon at MackedonG@reno.gov.
Upcoming Development Projects
The latest Development Projects newsletter just dropped. One project that immediately caught my eye is a rezoning request for part of Rancharrah:
Rancharrah PUD Handbook Amendment & Master Plan Amendment
A request has been made for: 1) an amendment to the Rancharrah Planned Unit Development Handbook to change a ±7.2 acre portion of the land use plan from Equestrian Center to Single-Family in order to create Village 8; and 2) a master plan amendment from Parks, Greenways, and Open Space (PGOS) to Single-Family Neighborhood (SF). The site is located in the Rancharrah Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning district, west of the intersection of Falabella Way and Silver Charm Way, east of Bartley Ranch Regional Park.
At this point, this is scheduled for discussion by the Ward 2 NAB on February 18 and the Reno Planning Commission on March 5.
News Digest: The Latest in Local Development
There were so many stories of interest this past week, I’ll organize them by topic.
City of Reno Government People & Policies
Audit reveals 80% failure rate for City of Reno travel reports (Kristen Hackbarth, This is Reno, 1/15/25)
OPINION: City of Reno has a window of opportunity to address homelessness (Laura Lingeman, Reno Gazette-Journal, 1/16/25)
Ethics complaint filed against former Reno city manager (Bob Conrad, This is Reno, 1/16/25)
Ethics commission reopens Reno Council member Devon Reese’s first ethics complaint after new investigation (Kristen Hackbarth, This is Reno, 1/17/25)
Fire: Here, There, and Everywhere
LA fires: Could it happen here? Fire chiefs say Reno not immune from disaster (Jaedyn Young and Siobhan McAndrew, Reno Gazette-Journal, 1/16/25)
In light of LA fires, Reno officials meet to prepare for year round threat of wildfire (Sophie Lincoln, News4Reno, 1/15/25)
Davis Creek Park to remain closed through 2025 for restoration efforts after fire (News4 and Fox 11 Digital Staff, News4Reno, 1/16/25)
Miscellaneous articles with ties to local urban development
Reno plummets in annual best cities rankings over job growth, wages, housing (Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal, 1/14/25): “The Reno metro area ranked 93rd among U.S. cities in the 2025 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index. Reno fell for the second straight year in the ranking after placing 49th in 2024 and 16th in 2023.” You can access the Milken Institute report here.
Downtown Reno sees mixed business climate as closures and new openings shape landscape (Kim Burrows, News4Reno, 1/14/25)
Indy Environment: Maps show heat hits much differently from one Reno neighborhood to next (Amy Alonzo, Nevada Independent, 1/16/25)
Washoe County facing $27 million budget deficit (Kristen Hackbarth, This is Reno, 1/16/25)
Have a glorious weekend and a meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Day, everyone!
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.