The Reno City Council last Wednesday approved a single-family-home subdivision of 59 homes in Rancharrah, to be known as Rancharrah Village, following an appeal against the development. 

As part of the approval, the council added conditions that the developer must make “best efforts” to preserve trees, the aesthetic nature of the statues and signage, and a wall that matches the character of the established community. They also stipulated that the developer cannot exceed 59 units. 

Appeal concerns included parking, the demolition of an existing parking lot, and the use of an outdated traffic study. Each home will require three parking spaces per unit and no on-street parking will be permitted. 

Following community concerns, the northern parking area will not be demolished until the southern parking area has been developed. 

The last traffic study was conducted in 2015 and was updated in 2018. However, according to associate planner Leah Piccotti, that was with an assumption that there would be 310 multi-family apartments in the area. The proposed development will have 77% fewer daily trips than anticipated in the traffic study. 

Appellant Audrey Keller said she felt the developer was trying to coerce neighbors into accepting the Rancharrah Village project by “threatening” the 310-unit multi-family project, which, she said, no one ever proposed to build. 

Keller also asked that the builder follow Planned Unit Development (PUD) requirements rather than simply follow the city code. 

Andy Durling, on behalf of the developer, presented the project, which includes 59 lots on a 12.1-acre site. He said the project is perfect for “move-down” home buyers—individuals, such as seniors, who wish to sell or rent out their much larger homes in favor of simpler designs and who no longer wish to maintain yards. 

The homes are “patio style” with shared driveways and common open space. They are typically one-story but will have a two-story option. 

Several council members questioned why the PUD had undergone so many changes. Durling said there “actually haven’t been many” since its creation in the 1990s when it initially had only around 100 “estate” lots within the Rancharrah property. Those were never acted upon. 

Then, in 2011, the PUD was revised with other subdivisions and the potential for the mansion to be used as an events center with other commercial uses. However, Durling said that, in 2014, the entire ranch was sold to Reno Land Development, which then created the plan “as it stands now,” with the subdivision and villages. Since then, there have been “clean-ups” and “minor tweaks.” 

Council member Miguel Martinez asked if the council could force the developer to adhere to PUD covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs), and city attorney Jonathan Shipman said no. CC&Rs are under private property ownership and would be a civil matter between residents and the developer.

Council member Devon Reese moved to implement conditions that the developer must make “best efforts” to preserve trees and the aesthetic nature of the statues and signage and to construct a wall that matches the character of the established community. 

The appeal was denied, upholding the tentative map proposal for the development.

City sells railroad properties 

Council members approved the sale of the final two properties on West Fourth Street, which the Union Pacific Railroad initially transferred to the city. 

The city acquired the properties in 2006 as part of the ReTRAC project.

Later, the property was conveyed into joint ownership with the Redevelopment Agency, but agency provisions no longer encumbered it. 

Tenants of the properties said they want to make significant improvements to their properties, but do not want to make the investments unless they can own the property outright. 

The first proposal is to sell two bundled properties at 1220 and 1250 to Flyers Properties LLC for $738,000. The second is to sell the property at 1510 West Fourth Street to Truckee River LLC for $938,500. Both of the sales were approved. 

According to state law, redevelopment or economic development properties do not need to go to public auction.