In stark contrast to August’s contentious Reno City Council meeting discussion on the proposed Canyon Estates Planned Unit Development (PUD), council members approved the second reading of the PUD ordinance without argument at Wednesday’s meeting.
The ordinance increases the number of residential units in the PUD from 81 to 126, reduces land use categories and “villages,” and updates grading standards, wild horse management plans, open space requirements and design standards.
The main issues at the prior meeting were concern over wild horses, abundant in the development area, and the developer’s apparent reversal of the agreements they had made before the meeting.
Now, fencing is all that remains for wild horse management pertaining to the PUD.
Council member Meghan Ebert asked several questions about the horses and what was now officially included in the agreement regarding their presence. “That meeting got a little bit contentious. What was put in regarding the wild horses?” she asked.
Carter Williams, an associate planner for the city, said horse management language had been updated. “Management efforts are related to fencing, not relocation,” he said. The language update also clarified where the horses may be moving to on the range and removed some Bureau of Land Management components that needed to be “cleaned up.” However, he said, none of the regulations were changed.
“So, fence the horses out of the development, correct?” Ebert asked.
“Correct,” Williams said.
Council member Naomi Duerr said the day before the meeting, she had spoken directly with the developer’s advocate, Brook Oswald. Oswald had relayed to her that since the project was approved, they’d had conversations with the Wild Horse Connection, the organization contracted to manage the Virginia Range band of horses.
However, an issue was raised when Wild Horse Connection spoke directly to Tom Dolan, whose family company, Virginia 40s, is developing The Canyons. Dolan allegedly committed to the horse advocates that he would do whatever he could to help. After that meeting, Dolan died.
“[According to Wild Horse Connection,] Mr. Dolan said, ‘Let me know what I can do to help, we need to take care of the wild horses,'” Ebert said. “He understood what a sensitive issue this is, and he made a commitment to work with the group and help facilitate wild horse management.”
Wild Horse Connection’s Deana Kirk said they had a good discussion with Dolan following the meeting and that developers and community organizations should be in communication long before they come before the council.
“He was quite kind and really wanted to do whatever he could … and said he’d help with whatever we needed, whether that be making the roadway safer, adjusting the location of diversionary feeding, etc.,” Kirk said. “He said, ‘We need to sit down and have these conversations, and the project needs to be open to having these meetings before coming to argue in a meeting.'”
Ebert said that while Dolan may have made a verbal commitment to the group, situations such as these are why having things in writing is so important. “Mr. Dolan has now passed. How do we know that his will will go forward in this project?” she said. “I think it’s wonderful; it sounds like he had his heart in the right place, but do we have any guarantee that will go forward with this project? That’s why it’s so important to have these things in place and in writing.”
Oswald said that he is passionate about wild horses and is willing to facilitate conversations between the city and the Nevada Department of Agriculture—the agency in charge of the Virginia Range horse population—not only for The Canyons project but also for future projects.
However, NDA’s management of the horses has led to several protests, including one in August during which horse advocates said a round-up of south Reno horses was “beyond cruel and completely unnecessary.”
According to Duerr, Oswald said he was “as surprised as anyone” that the NDA had sent a letter only the night before the August council meeting advising of rules regarding the watering and management of the horses. The letter was one of the reasons discussions on The Canyons were thrown into disarray. Still, as he did during the August meeting, Oswald continued to advocate for the NDA and urged the council to work with them, stating he’d be happy to help.
During the meeting, Oswald said that the Dolans have “done so much” to help the wild horses in the area for years, and he believes that will continue. Oswald said many of Duerr’s concerns will be addressed within the future tentative map rather than within the PUD.
“These are still outstanding issues, so I appreciate that acknowledgment,” Duerr said.
“Absolutely, we’re just looking for the appropriate time to implement those issues,” Oswald said.
Brekhus said she did not support the changes to the PUD because of concerns over wildfire, stating that the council’s approval was “irresponsible.” Brekhus did not attend the meeting in August, during which changes to the Canyon PUD were discussed.
Brekhus said that adding more homes to the development means adding more people who would need to evacuate in an emergency. Adding more roadways also increases the chances of horse-and-driver collisions, among other issues.
Ebert said she would remain consistent with her vote from the last meeting, not because she “doesn’t think everyone’s hearts are in the right place,” but because she believes there needs to be more in writing, and many of the issues should be ironed out before approval.
The ordinance was approved 5-2, with Ebert and Brekhus voting against it. Mayor Hillary Schieve received a campaign from the Dolan Auto Group in 2021. Council members Reese, Taylor, Martinez and Duerr each received $5,000 in campaign contributions from the Tom Dolan Trust.
