UPDATE Aug. 29, 2023: This story has been updated, including quotes being removed, to correct erroneous statements and information provided by the city to This Is Reno.
The City of Reno has issued a request for qualifications to develop a Truckee River plan. The plan will encompass both the Reno-Sparks areas.
The RFQ states that, with COVID-19 relief dollars, $3 million is allocated to develop “a cohesive plan for the Truckee River and adjacent land as well as an implementation and financing plan to guide current and future investment.”
Plans, City Manager Doug Thornley said, are “to have talented people design a river path that’s something more remarkable.”
Portions of the path are damaged by erosion and neglect. Graffiti is omnipresent.
The city is seeking a consultant to “address land use and design, micromobility and connectivity, parks and open space, and safety. In addition to working with the City of Reno staff, the consultant will work with the public and stakeholders to identify a unified vision and provide recommendations and a phased implementation plan.”
The consultant will also “identify strategies for future land use, including economic development opportunities, mix of businesses and attractions, and corridor improvements.”
A draft report is expected by year’s end.
Ky Plakson with the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance said he was unaware of the city issuing the RFQ.
“It’s refreshing to see them doing so many studies. It means the momentum is in the right direction,” he said. “The question is, will they take the bold steps to protect the public and save our planet as fast as they should?
“The Fifth Street micromobility project a year ago shows they can do things fast and cheap to protect the public,” Plaskon added.
Path repairs delayed
Repairs to the bike path, initially scheduled for June or July, were delayed. The repairs include resurfacing the path between Lake Street and Fisherman’s Park.
One section of the path, off Lake Street and adjacent to the National Automobile Museum, is eroded, and an agreement with the city’s redevelopment agency put maintenance responsibility on the museum.
City officials said, however, erosion has complicated the matter.
“When the property was conveyed from the Redevelopment Agency to Harrah’s, an easement for the path was reserved,” city officials said. “That easement was created in the same timeframe as the fence construction. The fence did not come in after the fact and encroach onto the path.”
“The agreement does call for the museum to maintain [the path], but off-site slope erosion and tree roots are contributing to the issue,” Thornley explained. “We’re working through it. As part of the broader effort, this area will be addressed.”
