Public discussions of ADUs, the sign code, and a possible data center moratorium
Updates and upcoming meeting topics also include the future of regional emergency and fire management, and the withdrawal of the request to abandon Stevenson Street.
With winds this strong, it’s important to be vigilant and prepared. Consult the National Weather Service for the latest forecasts, high wind warnings and advisories.
Today’s Brief previews several major discussions on deck this week and next concerning everything from Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to a possible moratorium on data centers, possible revisions to the city’s sign code, the prospect of some major changes to regional fire and emergency services, and much more.
City of Reno meetings: Week of February 3, 2025
You can view all the City of Reno’s upcoming public meetings here along with agendas and supporting materials. I’ll list them all first and then highlight a few items.
Tues., Feb. 4 at 5:30pm – Ward 3 Neighborhood Advisory Board
Wed., Feb. 5 at 10am - Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility Joint Coordinating Committee
Wed., Feb. 5 at 6pm – Reno Planning Commission. Online agenda here.
Thurs., Feb. 6 at 8am – Concurrent Meeting of Washoe County Board of County Commissioners, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Board of Fire Commissioners, Reno City Council, Sparks City Council. Online agenda here.
Should the City place a moratorium on data centers?
The hot topic of data centers will be discussed again at this Wednesday’s (February 5) Reno Planning Commission meeting:
Item 5 - Presentation, discussion and possible recommendation to encourage City Council to adopt a moratorium on the filing and issuance of permits for data centers
This is Reno previewed this item in Planning commission to consider asking city council for moratorium on data centers (This is Reno, 1/30/2025). The moratorium, or temporary prohibition, has been proposed by Planning Commissioner Manny Becerra, whose letter includes, in part, the following explanation of intent:
You can read Becerra’s full letter and the wording of the proposed resolution here. If passed by the Planning Commission, the resolution would head to Reno City Council.
The proposal comes hot on the heels of City Council’s recent authorization for a data center to proceed in the North Valleys, as reported in excellent detail (with a lot of direct Councilmember quotes) by Kelsey Penrose in City Council denies North Valleys data center appeal after multiple messy meetings (This is Reno, 1/28/25).
For other items to be discussed this week by the Planning Commission, view the online agenda here. You can make public comments during the meeting in person or via Zoom by registering here. To comment in advance, you can use the online form at www.reno.gov/PCPublicComment; email RenoPlanningCommission@reno.gov; or (if commenting on something that isn’t urgent) send a letter to the City of Reno Planning Commission, P.O. Box 1900, Reno, NV 89505.
The Proposed Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance
Staff presentations about the proposed ADU ordinance will kick off this week at Tuesday’s Ward 3 NAB meeting. I last discussed this topic in my July 28, 2024 Brief.
As the City’s news release recaps:
“In 2023, Reno City Council initiated a text amendment to Reno Municipal Code to allow ADUs in most areas of the City. In 2024, City staff conducted extensive public outreach related to ADUs including a survey and multiple public meetings and went to the Reno City Council for more direction. Based on this feedback, staff have developed a draft ordinance and are now seeking additional input to refine the proposed language.”
You can find more information here and on the City’s Zoning Code Clean-Up webpage. The full draft ordinance can be accessed here with a helpful one-page summary here that includes a definition of ADUs, which zoning districts would allow them, and what requirements are being proposed for parking, design, and more.
Residents can also submit written feedback by completing the online form by February 28, 2025. For additional questions, contact Grace Mackedon at MackedonG@reno.gov or 775-657-4691.
Here are all the ADU presentations scheduled so far:
February 4, 5:30 p.m. - Ward 3 NAB (Item B.2) Register to view online here.
February 10, 5:30 p.m. - Ward 1 NAB
February 18, 5:30 p.m. - Ward 2 NAB
February 19, 5:30 p.m. - Virtual Meeting (Spanish assistance will be available) https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84652250236
February 20, 6 p.m. - Ward 4 NAB
February 24, 9 a.m. - Virtual Meeting (Spanish assistance will be available) https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81663144899
February 24, 5 p.m. - Virtual Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89014251824
Ward 5 and Ward 6 NAB meetings will be scheduled in the future
Regional emergency management and fire efforts
These are the subjects of the special concurrent meeting of the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Board of Fire Commissioners, Reno City Council, and Sparks City Council, this Thursday, Feb. 6 at 8am in the Washoe County Commission Chambers at 1001 East 9th Street in Reno.
You can view the online agenda here with the items of business described this way:
Item B.1 - Presentation and discussion on the collaborative regional emergency management process, including strategic goals, community lifelines, and updates on ongoing efforts related to emergency preparedness and response plans. (For Discussion Only). You can read the Staff Report for this item here.
Item B.2 - Discussion and potential direction to staff regarding current and future regional fire efforts. Potential direction includes but is not limited to pursuit of interlocal agreements or other consolidation plans among the cities and county and other participating entities, support of pertinent consolidation legislation during the 2025 legislative session, review of funding sources and impacts to levels of service, and development of a consolidation study to fully assess needs and costs. (For Possible Action)
As the agenda indicates, this meeting will be televised live and remain available on washoecounty.gov and on Washoe County's YouTube channel. Virtual live public comment will not be available.
Those wishing to address the bodies can do so at the meeting in person or provide advance comments by submitting an online public comment form at Reno.Gov/PublicComment or by sending an email to Publiccomment@reno.gov. Comments submitted online or via email will be included in the record but will not be read into the record. (You can submit comments through the other jurisdictions, too.)
Here are a few recent relevant articles and opinion pieces, for context:
OPINION: Fire response in Northern Nevada requires collaboration — but there's more to do (Mayor Hillary Schieve, Reno Gazette-Journal, 1/22/25)
Community cites fire, traffic concerns in appeal of new apartments (Kelsey Penrose, This is Reno, 1/27/25)
Editorial: Reno is totally the fire divorce capital of the world (This is Reno, 1/26/25)
Fire regionalization in talks at Feb. 6 meeting (This is Reno, 2/2/25)
Amending the City of Reno’s Sign Code
Those who signed up as stakeholders regarding potential changes to the sign regulations in the City of Reno’s Title 18 Zoning Code received word this week of three upcoming virtual community meetings on the subject.
I last wrote about this issue in my October 14, 2024 Brief, which you can read here. The proposed amendments have been drafted based on the feedback received in previous “stakeholder engagement meetings.” You can find the second public draft of the redline proposed changes, a “clean” version of changes, and a summary document under the Signs Ordinance section of the City’s Zoning Code Clean-Up webpage.
The same information will be presented at all three meetings:
February 10th from 9 - 10 a.m. Register here: https://links.reno.gov/SignText1
February 10th from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Register here: https://links.reno.gov/SignText2
February 13th from Noon – 1 p.m. Register here: https://links.reno.gov/SignText3
You can also provide your written comments at any time. Email Lauren Knox at knoxl@reno.gov with any comments or feedback.
Current Development Projects Newsletter
The January 31, 2025 edition of the Development Projects newsletter featured nine recent applications. You can access it from the City’s Development Projects webpage.
The following links take you to the Accela website where you can access the applications by selecting “Attachments” under the “Record Info” pulldown menu. But be sure to view the newsletter for site maps, scheduled public meetings & contact info.
The request for the City of Reno to abandon Stevenson Street has been WITHDRAWN.
No local press have picked it up yet, but I learned late this past week that the request for the City of Reno to abandon Stevenson Street has been withdrawn by the applicant, as you can see on the Accela webpage here.
As I discussed in my January 6, 2025 Brief, consideration of this request had been scheduled for the January 8 meeting, but was continued to February 12. No longer.
The request (ABN24-00003) was submitted (and withdrawn) by the owners of the two properties on the east side of Stevenson Street. But partnering with them on the proposed agreement was Stephen Kromer of Kromer Investments, owner of the vacant parcel on the west side of the street (the former site of the Greyhound bus terminal).
You can read more about Kromer in a sponsored post by the Downtown Reno Partnership published by This is Reno in 2023. And he has been in the news of late, thanks largely to some dogged reporting by News 4 Reno’s Joe Hart:
Uprise owner resigns from family business amid News 4 investigation into missing funds (Joe Hart, News4Reno, 1/29/25)
With this abandonment request suddenly withdrawn, it’s beyond time for the City of Reno to start holding Jacobs Entertainment accountable for their promise to provide enough public parking spaces to make up for those they took away in order to construct their apartment building at the corner of West 2nd Street and Arlington Avenue. You can refer back to my September 9, 2024 Brief for more on that, including direct links to Jacobs rep Garrett Gordon’s unfulfilled public pledge.
NEWS DIGEST: More development-related articles published this past week
City Plaza has yet to fulfill ambitions for site of Mapes (Jaedyn Young, Reno Gazette-Journal, 1/29/25)
Future of federal ARPA funding remains ‘clear as mud,’ say Nevada lawmakers (April Corbin Girnus, Nevada Current, 1/30/25)
Nevada loses access to $156M in community solar funds thanks to Trump’s IRA clawback order (Jeniffer Solis, Nevada Current, 1/30/25)
Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority Promoting Reno Events Center (Makayla Hardy, 2NewsNevada, 1/30/25)
2024 was a record year for Nevada gaming revenue, but not on the Strip (Howard Stutz, Nevada Independent, 1/30/25)
That’s it for today—be safe out there and please look out for each other.
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.
Thank you, Alicia, for your continued coverage of all things Reno - your work undoubtedly helps keep the community informed and engaged. We had a productive and thoughtful discussion last night on data centers, and I’ve received a number of questions since. I’ll do my best to provide some context here that may offer insight, help address some of those questions or simply bring folks up to speed on this evolving conversation.
Multiple things can thrive together when guided by intention, balance and a shared vision - data centers with smart, adaptable policies, innovation with community well-being and economic growth with long-term sustainability. It’s not about if we have data centers, but how we integrate them in a way that ensures both short-term wins and lasting returns for Reno and its residents. Right now, there isn’t a clear framework to guide that balance or provide predictability for applicants, staff or the community - which is exactly why last night’s proposed resolution at Planning Commission for City Council's consideration was so important. But with continued collaboration, leadership, public participation, and - yes! - a little levity along the way, I trust we’ll get there - sooner than later.
With that, I appreciate my fellow commissioners for their thoughtful deliberation - whether we agreed or not, the depth of discussion makes us a stronger, more effective body for Reno and its residents. Mad respect to all of them, including our staff and legal counsel for their support and dedication to this process.
And, special appreciation to everyone who showed up last night - residents, advocates, students, and community members from various wards, including Sparks - who took the time to share their concerns, insights and support for thoughtful, strategic and sustainable growth. Seeing a full City Hall chambers, along with those tuning in from "Zoom-land," was a powerful reminder of how much Reno’s future matters to all of us, across both the public and private sectors.
Your voices are shaping the conversation - thank you for being part of this important discussion yesterday, today and mañana.
For clarity, Reno's Planning Commission took formal action last night, approving the following by a 4-2 vote: A Resolution Encouraging the Reno City Council to Adopt a Moratorium on the Filing and Issuance of Permits for Data Centers in Order to Study the Impacts... https://reno.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=0&type=7&uid=26d85c57-34a2-4b51-85b7-d6466671aa45
#OneTeam
I really appreciate this especially since there is so many things concerning quality of life issues with data centers and more ‘warehousing’ of both things and what feels like people out here in the North Valleys. Apartments and warehousing create massive issues both when a big business leaves ie Amazon or say Tesla firing 1500 people in one go - but building apartments to cover every square inch with no real funding for more real housing or care for the region in terms of traffic and services. Thanks Alicia!