Reno City Council members again discussed housing solutions for the community this week, this time addressing affordability through zoning code changes.
Angela Fuss, the city’s assistant director of development, presented five housing initiatives for council members to discuss: Incentives and density bonuses for affordable housing projects, density bonuses for market rate infill projects, and increasing development by right and for the “missing middle.”
Many of these ideas drew from a recent report provided to the city by Shane Phillips, an urban planning and policy expert. Phillips’ top recommendation was for the city to focus on infill projects, which he said are more affordable due to lower land costs and smaller units. Directing growth inward also gives the city more control over its appearance in existing neighborhoods.
Fuss presented two proposals for affordable housing incentives. The first would exempt projects that provide housing for residents at 60% AMI (average median income) from an entitlement review, and the second would assign a staff liaison to all affordable housing projects during the building permit review.
According to Fuss, the department typically sees two to three affordable housing projects annually. Exempting them from entitlement review would save time and money and allow the projects to progress straight to the building permit review.
Council member Jenny Brekhus disagreed with the proposal, stating it was a “low priority” for her because it doesn’t “take a big grab of the problem.”
In previous meetings, city staff has advocated for incremental changes that have a large combined impact. Fuss contended that the goal should be to get affordable housing projects to market faster, including removing unnecessary roadblocks.
“This is in line with what the legislature has asked us to do,” she said.
Density bonus incentives were also proposed for affordable housing and market rate infill projects, especially because only one affordable housing project has used an affordable housing density bonus since 2021.
Council member Naomi Duerr said a density bonus would be an issue in south Reno, stating, “People there are concerned about any apartments,” regardless of whether they’re affordable housing, particularly due to traffic concerns.
Fuss also proposed allowing all multi-family developments with fewer than 100 units by right. Anything over 100 units would trigger an entitlement review, and anything under would continue projects straight into the building permit phase. Since 2021, seven development projects of fewer than 100 units have been completed. Allowing projects to continue straight to the building permit phase can cut six months from the project timeline.
Council member Devon Reese said Reno is “way behind” in affordable housing, and any initiatives to address the issue are positive.
The presentation was a non-action item and will return before the council at a later meeting for further discussion and implementation.
The full presentation can be viewed here.
