Reno City Council & Redevelopment Agency Board
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
What Happened
Reno City Council met May 27, 2020, to vote on roughly 20 items including labor contracts, land annexation, and COVID-19 reopening plans.
Key Decisions
REJECTED — Evans Creek property annexation (1,019 acres) — Vote count not recorded — Council cited insufficient fire access, unclear water/sewer capacity, lack of developer master plan, unrealistic zoning, and Tier 2 regional plan status (not immediate priority).
APPROVED — Local 39 Supervisory and Non-Supervisory Collective Bargaining Agreements — Unanimous — Freeze on raises and cost-of-living increases; seven-month extension prevents December renegotiation.
APPROVED — Old Virginia Road dedication from senior housing development — Unanimous — City accepts fully improved roadway.
APPROVED — Right-of-way property utilization program amendment to municipal code — 6-1 vote — Allows city to identify unused public property and assign to community members for maintenance, potentially freeing Public Works resources.
APPROVED — Police facility impact fee for new development — 6-1 vote — Imposes fee on developers; one council member objected to implementation method.
APPROVED — Development agreements ordinance amendment initiation — 6-1 vote — Authorizes staff to draft code allowing flexible project phasing and infrastructure timing, especially for downtown. Councilmember Breakfast opposed, arguing ordinance should only be pursued for specific projects. Planning Commission hearing and potential town hall scheduled before final vote.
APPROVED — Package alcohol sales moratorium exception — Vote count not recorded — Allows existing restaurants and bars outside downtown to sell packaged alcohol as COVID-19 relief while longer-term ordinance is developed.
Debated But Not Resolved
Water and sewer service adequacy — Council Member Doer questioned whether Tom Wahf sewer line is at capacity with expensive upgrades needed, and whether Lake Road Shores water rights conflicts can be resolved before annexation (previous projects took 1.5 to 40+ years). Decision deferred until infrastructure confirmed.
Fire response capacity in high wildland hazard area — Council members expressed concerns about response times to the Evans Creek area and whether city has adequate staffing (fewer firefighters than a decade ago) for 1,000-acre development in high fire-threat zone. Study of staffing needs pending.
Development agreement ordinance scope — Council Member Breakfast argued amendments should only proceed when specific projects request them, not preemptively. Town hall requested before Planning Commission hearing.
Package alcohol moratorium approach — Council Member Breakfast opposes targeted exceptions, prefers complete moratorium repeal to avoid directing regulations at specific business types. Staff continues developing longer-term ordinance.
What to Watch
No items over $50,000 identified in vote data provided.
Evans Creek annexation decision finality — Council rejected annexation but did not permanently prohibit future resubmission. Watch whether developer addresses fire access, master plan, and water/sewer concerns and reapplies.
Development agreements ordinance vote — Planning Commission hearing and town hall scheduled. Final council vote could expand or restrict downtown project flexibility during COVID recovery.
Package alcohol moratorium end date — Staff developing full ordinance replacement before current moratorium expires later in 2020.
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