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South Valleys Area Plan Joint CAB Meeting Review
The following notes are from my recollection and notes and if you want more accurate ones go yourself and/or read the minutes of the meeting to come later. If you have clarifications or more information, send it in.- editor I went to the meeting last Saturday along with about 100 others. The members
of the 3 CABs were there, county planning officials and staff and Commissioner
Humke, The county wanted the CABS to vote for approval of the plan at the end of the meeting but representatives of one CAB said that in the last several meetings with the county thee were changes that the county seemed to agree to that were not in the latest update of the plan so they had reservations about voting on it until the promised changes were in print. West Washoe Business Area To Expand They then have focused on the individual neighborhoods within the valleys and identified their character. He used the example of "Old" Washoe City. Currently it is zoned general commercial but they want to downsize it to neighborhood commercial. This would keep out the "big box" stores and only allow those businesses that cater mostly to the local residents. Other limitations would be imposed to protect the "character" of the community like architectural guidelines that would require a "ranching" or "mining" feel. He used the Chocolate Factory and Washoe Flats buildings as examples. He also mentioned that RTC (Regional Transportation Commission) expects traffic to drop off in Old Washoe City after the I-580 freeway opens and remain that way for 10 - 15 when regional growth will bring it back up to current levels. With this in mind they have come up with strategies that they hope will foster successful business there and prevent a blight from a lack or drive-by clientele. They hope to encourage new types of businesses that will draw customers from outside the neighborhood (I know this paragraph seems to contradict itself, but I'm just going from my notes here-ed). there is even an expanded commercial area that will be north of the I-580 that will allow low traffic businesses such as beds and breakfasts inns, etc. He mentioned that much of the impetus for keeping Washoe City vibrant came from input from existing businesses (during the public comment, one Washoe City resident said that the homeowners hadn't been consulted as to whether they wanted to see an expanded business district-ed). There has been some concern from West Washoe Valley residents that the commercial zone would include the tie-in area of the new freeway and 395 but Mr. Young assured the audience that it will stop short of that area and prevent any possible truck stop type businesses. East Valley Growth Mr. Young then went on to discuss the existing business "node" in New Washoe City (NWC) and indicated that new business should be restricted to that area. One specific area he discussed was the southwest corner of the intersection of Eastlake Blvd and 395 at Washoe Hill (in the north valley). He says that area is owned by Sierra Pacific Power and they have indicated they might build a substation there. They have also indicated they might not. It is hoped they won't. At any rate, with intersection changes needed to accommodate the developers of the 900 unit Sierra Reflections development and the proposed Weston/Lowden development, Mr. Young said we won't recognize that intersection area in a few years. Mr. Young explained another strategy to limit growth. To avoid "plan amendments" and parcel splits they are limiting new lots to a certain amount per area. for instance, for a specific neighborhood, they may limit the number of new lots to 40 and when future parcel splits reach that amount the area will be considered "built out". He cautioned several times over the meeting that there will always be pressure to change the plan to meet individual needs and the community will have to stay involved. Other factors the planners are taking into consideration to preserve the character of the different communities are maintaining wildlife habitat; historic resources; water and views as he said that natural resources are fundamental to maintaining the character of Washoe Valley. Finally, the most contentious tool the planners want to use it the concept of "clustering". Normally a 40 acre parcel is subdivided into 8 rectangular five acre lots, for instance with roads feeding them at the whim of the surveyor. This would pretty much result in houses pretty much evenly spaced over the 40 acres. Or, development is limited to the slopes on the property. Steep slopes are allowed fewer homes than more level slopes. This results in houses grouped in relatively flat ridgetops or valleys or benches with roads going wherever they need to to serve the properties. The county concept is a third way in that one area on the property is designated for the homes in a relatively high density with the outlying areas to remain as open space with one or two roads dedicated to serving that cluster. Below is a hypothetical drawing of how I would imagine the comparison:
Personally, I think the clustering method looks like a good idea for preserving open space and views but the vast majority or CAB members and residents seem to be against it and I'm not sure why. One resident used the example of the Thunder Canyon Golf Development in west WV as an example and said the cluster of close homes ruins the look of the whole area. The Washoe Valley Working Group, the group of residents that has been working in an advisory mode with the county over the plan over the last two years prefers the slopes based method. Another suggestion is "private" open space where the lots are subdivided by the owner as he chooses but only 20% of each lot can be developed. This allows for fencing to keep wildlife and the public off and makes each lot larger. The argument is that we have enough public places in Washoe Valley now. CAB Testimony Next, the CABS spoke with the above mentioned reservations about clustering. The West Washoe CAB has issues with the Weston/Lowden development as it is in their "viewshed". They also are concerned about the overuse and export of water resources. Expansion of recreation areas and potential overuse by the general public is another concern. the East Washoe CAB shared the concerns about Weston/Lowden and clustering and also the potential threat of the TMSA (Truckee Meadows Service Area) where any property owner can apply for inclusion which is, from what I understand, like being admitted into a pseudo city limits where you can get city services and all the other "benefits" of Reno. They feel that if this classification comes into or even close to Washoe Valley, our rural character will be lost. Public Testimony Anyone who wanted to was able to give testimony on the plan and many did. One resident warned of a Public Lands Bill that was being prepared that will determine that certain BLM lands are "surplus" and available for sale and development as has been done in the Las Vegas area. The county representative said there is no bill and that any work on anything like that was preliminary. As mentioned above, as Washoe City resident noted that they were not included in the commercial "vision" for the future there. Concern was expressed over safety at the northern intersection of Eastlake Blvd and 395 at Washoe Hill with the addition of the two new subdivisions. A large landowner noted that the current plan does not have slope limits and in the future the foothills on the eastern slopes of the valley could be developed without them. He also suggested developers be held to a point system trading the number of units for open space and other amenities. Another resident wanted to know how long the plan would be in effect. It was suggested that allowing apartments in Washoe City would bring in an element that had no sense of community and degrade the neighborhood. An east valley resident said their family had an artesian well 30 years ago and it is now dry, the water table is lower and mineral content up in their water already. The above mentioned resident brought up the Thunder Canyon development as an example of clustering that is bad and that random home building is more scenic. A self described property rights advocate said the plan has good points but that the continued allowance of special use permits allows individuals to circumvent the plan and they are too easy to get. He was afraid the TMSA would supersede the plan. A resident gave opposition for commercial development north of I-580. The tables of allowable uses in the plan are too broad said one resident, allowing too many types of undesirable businesses. There was also no mention of design standards in the plan even though Mr. Young said that was an important part of retaining the character of a neighborhood. In response to Mr. Youngs previous assertion that the deer migration route had been rendered unusable by the "Jersey" barriers used on Washoe Hill, a member of the East WV CAB read a letter from a biologist with experience on the matter that indicated the migration route is being used by deer as well as bears and mountain lions. Several residents also objected to the Weston/Lowden property getting their own special area plan instead of having to go through the normal process. In the end the CABS refused to vote for adoption of the plan as written. My Thoughts It's too bad but it seems that after two years and 80 meetings of the working group and communication with the county planning staff, there has not been much softening of entrenched opinions or compromise. On the other hand, the working group could argue that they seem to be compromising everything as the county has not adopted very many of their desires or needs. The county it seems, has been innovative and tried to come up with a custom plan for the south valleys although they seem to not being very good at explaining their case. All sides seem to be talking at each other with the opinions they started with. We say we want open space but it sounded like the residents don't want to give up the development patterns that have been whittling away at the open space and try something new. There are still too many personal agendas and not enough emphasis on the health of the valley as a whole. The residents of west Washoe Valley seem to want to create barriers to public recreation in that area or at least restrict it to existing facilities and not encourage more public open space. I think that the valley should market itself as a recreational destination- recreators come and recreate for the day, then go home. New residents use sparse water, septic and land resources forever. The plan still seems to be basically a plan for more development rather than a plan to preserve Washoe Valley. It is a plan to develop with a minimum of disruption but we still haven't agreed on how to do that. |
leaving, I would guess, about 60 members of the public. The meeting was started
with Eric Young, the county planner in charge of forming the South Valleys Area
Plan giving an overview of how the plan will try to shape the South Valleys over
the coming years. Mr Young explained that the county is trying to plan for the
future not only with development guidelines but also with how the wording of
those guidelines can correct flaws in previous plans. He said old plans could be
changed or modified or ignored too easily and they are working to make the goals
of the plan more difficult to change. Their new goal with the plan is to find
ways to protect the "community character" by recognizing that regional areas
have different histories, needs and lifestyles. He called it "Character Based
PLanning". A large opening chapter in the SVAP describes the character of each
of the valley areas, Steamboat, Pleasant Valley and Washoe Valley. Finally he
said it is the goal that future decisions have to be based on maintaining the
character of the community. 