Reno City Council
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
What Happened
Reno City Council held a regular meeting where it approved routine business, blocked a county property rezoning for tennis courts, and sent a major university expansion plan back for six weeks of additional historic preservation work.
Key Decisions
CONTINUED — University of Nevada Regional Center Gateway District master plan — no final vote — Council deferred decision for six weeks to allow university architects to work with Historic Resources Commission on design alternatives that preserve historic buildings before council reconvenes.
APPROVED — Good Chemistry Nevada LLC cannabis facility relocation from Parr Circle to 491 and 495 Eureka Avenue — unanimous vote — Allows marijuana cultivation and production to move to new northeast location.
WITHDRAWN — Text amendment to rezone Washoe County-owned property for indoor tennis facility — no vote — Council pulled the proposed zoning change after county parks department and council members raised concerns about city rezoning property the county owns without county request; county will pursue its own master planning process instead.
APPROVED — Bill 6394 amending liquor license rules for importers, wholesalers, winemakers, breweries, and distilleries — unanimous vote — Establishes new state license application process.
APPROVED — Resolution 8171 to file amicus brief supporting EPA Clean Power Plan in Supreme Court — vote count not provided — Reno joins coalition backing federal power plant emissions rules.
APPROVED — Municipal Court Pro Tem Judge List — 6-1 vote — Establishes substitute judge panel to cover court when regular judges unavailable.
Debated But Not Resolved
Shell station truck fueling facility operations — Residents want permit revoked due to overnight truck parking and idling despite approval for fuel transfers only; city attorney says development agreement lacks idling restrictions, putting city in difficult legal position. Enforcement falls to county codes, not city. — No vote scheduled; remains unresolved.
Gateway District historic preservation standards — Council disagreed whether city should hold university to higher historic preservation standards than private developers and whether minimum FAR requirements make historic buildings "non-conforming." Staff clarified non-conformance applies only to future development. — Decision pending six-week study period.
Evans Park transfer in Gateway plan — Councilwoman Breus uncomfortable with park transfer language not yet reviewed by Parks Commission due to prior concerns. — Flagged for clarification during six-week deferral.
What to Watch
$24.9 million — Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility energy conservation project with new co-generation system — funding source not specified.
$781 million — School district tax bond for K-12 infrastructure and safety improvements — Public vote required; not yet approved by voters.
Gateway District decision (late April/early May) — University must present design alternatives incorporating historic preservation. Council will decide whether expansion moves forward and how many historic homes get demolished versus preserved or relocated.
County-city tennis facility planning — Washoe County Parks will lead six-to-eight month master planning process on the county property. City may propose zoning changes after that process, but nothing is guaranteed.
Shell station idling enforcement — No resolution yet on whether city or county will address truck parking and exhaust complaints at Red Rock location.
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