Reno City Council Meeting
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
What Happened
Reno City Council held a 7+ hour meeting covering zoning decisions, affordable housing funding, historic preservation strategy, and rental property regulation. Council voted on 20+ items including rejections of two residential development projects, approval of a $150,000/year legal services contract, and continued discussion on several high-impact proposals.
Key Decisions
[REJECTED] — Mount Rose Junction master plan amendment and zoning map amendment — No vote count provided — Council denied a proposed 39-unit apartment project citing failure to comply with city master plan, neighborhood overlay requirements, and compatibility with existing character. Applicant may resubmit with significant revisions.
[APPROVED] — $60,000 affordable housing fee subsidy for Relief on Harvard project — Unanimous — Covered final building permit fees for 168-unit affordable housing development. This exhausts remaining fund allocation but brings total fee reductions to $12 million for 2,113 units citywide.
[APPROVED] — $150,000/year redevelopment agency legal counsel contract — Vote count not provided — Three-year agreement with Kemper Cra for specialized real estate and negotiation counsel. Funded by 1% fee from redevelopment deals when executed.
[APPROVED] — 2024 International Fire Code adoption (Ordinance 6726) — Unanimous — Updates fire safety standards; repeals 2018 code. Council noted appeal process exists but Tesla and others may not know about it.
[APPROVED] — Orcrest Drive zoning map amendment — Unanimous — 2.36 acres rezoned from low-density residential to mixed employment. Application fees waived to incentivize change.
[APPROVED] — Rental activity monitoring continuation — Unanimous — Council rejected creating a rental property registry and licensing system. No new regulatory burden on city staff.
[CONTINUED] — LER Theater disposition — No vote — Council will hold public summit with Historic Resources Commission in October before deciding next steps (sale, restoration, partnership, or other options). Building deterioration is urgent; water in basement, roof cracks, and river proximity create risk.
Debated But Not Resolved
Data center regulation — Environmental advocates want local ordinance; council member proposed moratorium for regional coordination with Sparks and County — Next steps unclear pending October regional meeting.
ADU ordinance second reading — Accidental strikethrough of entire Article 5 language discovered; legal compliance question raised — Document must be reposted without strikethroughs before adoption vote.
Short-term rental regulation — Majority favored continued monitoring over new licensing; minority wanted requirements for operators with 10+ properties — Deferred; no consensus on enforcement costs versus revenue.
Mount Rose Junction design standards — Applicant and staff agreed to revision process; council members disagreed on whether to deny or send back to Planning Commission for redo — Applicant will revise handbook with staff review before resubmission.
What to Watch
$60,000 — Affordable housing fee reduction for Relief on Harvard project — Building permit fee subsidy fund
$150,000/year — Redevelopment agency outside legal counsel (3-year contract) — RDA funds and 1% fee on completed development deals
LER Theater October decision — Historic Resources Commission meeting in early October will set parameters for restoration, preservation, or other options. City wants to prevent teardown by developers but funding and approach remain unresolved.
Mount Rose Junction resubmission — Applicant revising project handbook and design standards. If substantially changed, will return to Planning Commission before council vote. Neighborhood opposition remains significant.
Data center moratorium — Regional coordination meeting set for October 1. Outcome will determine whether Reno pursues independent ordinance or waits for multi-agency approach.
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