Several public bodies return this week, including the Ward 3 NAB and the Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board, which will be discussing a request from Jacobs Entertainment for financial assistance. Plus, the Reno Planning Commission will conduct its review of the draft ordinance to govern Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and forward its final recommendations to the Reno City Council.
You can find all scheduled City of Reno meeting agendas and associated materials on the Current and Upcoming Meetings webpage.
Outcomes from the July 30th Reno City Council meeting
For results of many items from July 30, check out the City’s official “July 30, 2025 Reno City Council Meeting Highlights” here. And here’s media coverage of selected items:
City begins historic designation process for Bethel AME Church (This is Reno 8/1/25)
Reno Council members say enough is enough with flimsy downtown lighting (This is Reno 8/1/25)
City proposes increasing fees to cover safety center cost, expanding commercial truck enforcement (This is Reno 8/1/25)
Reno to close Stead Special Assessment District (This is Reno 8/2/25)
Monday, August 4: Jacobs Entertainment financing request at the Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board
Jacobs Entertainment wants a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) deal for an assortment of projects related to their holdings on the west side of downtown. That request first heads to the Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board (RAAB) on Monday, August 4th at 11am. You’ll find the agenda here and the Staff Report with Jacobs’ application here.
Mike with Downtown Makeover just published a new piece about this request, and what it entails, as well as some helpful analysis. You can find that here:
Jacobs Entertainment’s new TIF ask heads to RAAB: housing, events, and a bigger J Resort (Downtown Makeover 8/3/25)
Of course, the RAAB is, as its name suggests, an advisory board. They’ll vote on a recommendation to be sent to the Redevelopment Agency Board (Reno City Council). At this point, that recommendation will only concern whether to advance Jacobs’ application to the due diligence phase and subject it to a financial gap analysis.
Also on the RAAB agenda is discussion of two programs for the Redevelopment Agency to continue or initiate: the ReStore Facade and Tenant Improvement Program, which gives commercial buildings in Redevelopment Areas 1 & 2 funds to revamp their interiors and/or exteriors; and another proposed program to start a Retail Attraction Campaign. City Council (as the Redevelopment Agency Board) already approved $150K for the Retail Attraction program, so they’d apparently just be hammering out details related to eligibility and strategies.
You can read the details about those two programs in the Staff Report (linked above). Be sure to tune in to participate if you’d like to share your thoughts on any of that. You can register here to view and participate via Zoom.
Monday, August 4: Modified plans for StoneGate to be voted on by the Regional Planning Commission
As I wrote last time, the Regional Planning Commission postponed its decision about amending the StoneGate plan (to be zoned much more industrial, as you can see in the diagrams below) until its August 4th meeting, at 6pm. You can access all the materials for that meeting on the TMRPA webpage here.
The following is an opinion piece about it from resident William Mantle, who I’ve always found to be insightful and deeply concerned with the public interest. Like me, he wants you to stay informed, think for yourself, and get involved. He attended the last TMRPA hearing about StoneGate and provides a report on what happened there, a timeline of the development dating back to 2016, and much more. I highly recommend that you give it a read and consider participating in the critical August 4th meeting.
OPINION: You should care about regional planning – also, StoneGate is a scam (William Mantle, This is Reno 7/30/25)
Tuesday, August 5: Talus Valley to be discussed at the Ward 3 Neighborhood Advisory Board
The Ward 3 NAB returns on Tuesday, August 5 at 5:30pm at Reno City Hall. Because this is a formal NAB meeting and not a Community Forum, it actually has an agenda, which you can access here. And it’s a hybrid meeting, so you can register to view/participate via Zoom here.
Up for review and discussion is Talus Valley Villages 20 & 21 – A request for a tentative map to allow for a 198-unit small lot single family detached residential subdivision. The ±28.3 acre site is located west of Veterans Parkway, ±930 feet north of South Meadows Parkway.
Thanks to all the members of the NAB who have stuck with it through this summer of uncertainty, and please, if you live in Ward 3, plan to attend this meeting either in person or via Zoom and, since it’s strangely not on the agenda, consider making a statement in the public comment period regarding your thoughts on proposed changes to the NABs, as I last discussed here. Board members can probably bring it up during their news and announcements item, too.
Since City Council surely will be viewing a revised Resolution to overhaul many of the citizen Boards and Commissions relatively soon, please read that last Brief and be sure to send your comments to the City Councilmembers, City Manager, and Community Engagement and Services Director (I provide all their emails here).
Tuesday, August 5: Save Lakeridge community meeting
The community initiative Save Lakeridge is hosting a meeting about Duncan Golf’s application to rezone part of the Lakeridge Golf Course on Tuesday, August 5th from 6-7pm at the Bartley Ranch Plaza Pavilion. You can find more information about that and the latest developments on the group’s website here. The application will likely be heard by the Reno Planning Commission in September.
Wednesday, August 6: The ADU Ordinance at the Reno Planning Commission
The Reno Planning Commission meets on Wednesday, August 6th at 6pm. You can find that agenda here and register to view/participate online via Zoom here.
Under Item 5.1, the Commission will review the language for the new ordinance that will govern Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). As the Staff Report explains, an Accessory Dwelling Unit is “a smaller independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a stand-alone, single-family home.” They are not currently permitted on most parcels in Reno, so this ordinance could potentially have widespread impact.
That Staff Report contains an explanation of what would now be allowed, and how the draft ordinance has changed as a result of feedback from residents, stakeholders, the Planning Commission, and Reno City Council. Here’s info on the current version:
You can read much more detail in the Staff Report and the other materials posted with the agenda. After this Planning Commission discussion, the next step will be for the Reno City Council to approve a first reading of the ordinance, likely very soon.
To provide comments on any item on the agenda of the August 6th Reno Planning Commission meeting, you can speak in person or via Zoom, submit an online form at www.reno.gov/PCPublicComment, or send an email to RenoPlanningCommission@reno.gov.
NEWS DIGEST: The Latest in Local Urban Development
'The rain and hail came down so quickly': J Resort back at 90% after flooding (RGJ 7/30/25)
Nature area or sports fields? Board to decide on plan for massive park along Truckee River (News4Reno 8/1/25)
Video: Neighborhood meeting draws mixed response on Reno Avenue affordable housing project (This is Reno 8/3/25)
First new permits appear for Reno Revival (Formerly Harrah's downtown) (Downtown Makeover 8/3/25)
That’s it for this week. Please stay involved and continue to look out for each other.
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.
I wanted to give an update on NAB. I am Ward 3 NAB. We appointed a chair and vice chair. Maya is now chair and I am vice chair. WE will be having 2 more newbies coming in and still have some room for some alts. August 13th is the big day peeps. On the agenda is what we can or can't do. We are starving to have some bite with this type of board. Not just hearing asking questions and moving on to the next agenda. We WANT to INVOLVE YOU. !!! We want to bring your concerns and bring in ppl to present or share what they are doing. That is NEIGHBOR is. WE are very motivated. We have member Dispenziere working on Wells ave area parking violators. WE have member Hoehne working on getting lights for the park near Wilkerson. He is even offering pay some of the cost to make it safe. Attend, zoom, and email.