This request is for approval of a tentative map for a 32-unit, multi-family residential townhome project on a site approximately 3.1 acres in size generally located south of Los Altos Parkway and west of Galleria Parkway (Exhibit 1 - Vicinity Map). This site is located in the Spanish Springs Town Centre Planned Development.  The Spanish Springs Town Centre Planned Development Handbook (Handbook) was approved in 2005 (PCN02075, PCN03069, and PCN03088).  In 2008 the Handbook was amended to allow lodging and 24-hour uses without requiring a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) (PCN07060). In 2016, the Handbook was again amended to allow mini-warehouse storage as a use and to include development standards specific to mini-warehouse uses.

The site is located in the RCSO2 (Retail, Commercial, Service, and Office) land use designation within the Spanish Spring Town Centre Planned Development. This designation permits multi-family townhomes with a CUP.  Uses that require a CUP are considered permitted uses that may require additional conditions to mitigate possible impacts on surrounding land uses and development.

A CUP (CU18-0011) for a 32-lot, multi-family residential townhome project was approved by the Planning Commission on September 6, 2018.  On that same date the Planning Commission also recommended that the City Council the tentative map that is the subject of this agenda item.

The applicant is requesting a tentative map for 32 townhomes (Exhibit 2 – Tentative Map).

The proposed development will have access from Galleria Parkway via an existing private street located approximately 400 feet southeast of the intersection of Galleria Parkway and Los Altos Parkway. The streets within the development will also be private. A homeowners association (HOA) will be created to maintain all streets and common areas. The private ownership and maintenance of on-site utilities and common areas must be specified on the final map (Conditions 8 and 9).

As part of the final map submittal, the developer must provide the City a report estimating the costs to maintain, repair, replace, or restore all privately owned streets, sidewalks and utilities serving or located within the Galleria Square Townhomes for a period of at least 30 years. The report must include an estimate of the total annual assessment that may be necessary to cover the cost of maintaining, repairing, replacing, or restoring the privately owned streets, sidewalks, or utilities and a plan to provide adequate funding to cover these costs. The report is subject to City review and approval prior to recordation of any final maps. The report must be completed by a person who is registered to conduct reserve studies pursuant to NRS Chapter 116A (Condition 14).

The applicant has submitted a trip generation letter prepared by Solaegui Engineers. Mr. Solaegui estimates the project will generate an average of 186 daily trips with 14 AM peak hour trips and 17 PM peak hour trips (Exhibit 3 – Trip Generation). These estimates are well below the 80 peak hour trips that would trigger the requirement for a traffic study. The proposed road network conforms to the approved Spanish Springs Town Centre Planned Development Handbook. These roads are designed to handle traffic generated by this project.

Staff recommends that the City Council approve the tentative map for this proposed 32-lot, multi-family residential subdivision, based on findings T1 through T12, and subject to the fifteen (15) Conditions of Approval attached to this staff report.

Tentative Map Findings

FINDING T1:

The request conforms to the Master Plan and zoning ordinances.

RELATIONSHIP TO THE MASTER PLAN

The Comprehensive Plan Policies that are relevant to this proposal include:

C4:       Require sidewalks for pedestrians on all street networks within the City. 

CF1:     When reviewing new development, the City will not approve an application unless City services can be provided at acceptable service levels.

H2:       Promote a variety of housing types throughout Sparks, including within mixed-used settings, to expand the choices available to meet the financial and lifestyle needs of a diverse population and workforce.

The proposed tentative map is for a multi-family townhome subdivision with 32 lots. The tentative map shows sidewalks throughout the development and connecting to the pedestrian infrastructure along Galleria Parkway, complying with Policy C4. The infrastructure and utilities needed to serve the project are currently located within the Spanish Springs Town Centre and the infrastructure modeling shows sufficient capacity for the development of this site as a multi-family townhome subdivision, which complies with Policy CF1.

This project would advance Policy H2 by providing townhomes, which differ from traditional single-family or apartment homes, the predominant housing options in Sparks. Townhomes are a housing product identified in the Truckee Meadow Regional Planning Agency’s 2016 Housing Study as one of the “missing middle housing types” needed in the Truckee Meadows.

FINDING T2:

General conformity with the City's master plan of streets and highways has been considered.

As discussed above, the proposed development will have access from Galleria Parkway via an existing private street located approximately 400 feet southeast of the intersection of Galleria Parkway and Los Altos Parkway. The tentative map incorporates the street designs shown in the Spanish Springs Town Centre Planned Development Handbook. The project’s streets will be owned and maintained by the HOA.

FINDING T3:

Environmental and health laws and regulations concerning water and air pollution, the disposal of solid waste, facilities to supply water, community or public sewage disposal, and, where applicable, individual systems for sewage disposal were considered.

This application was distributed to the agencies that provide basic services and administer environmental and health laws. The Washoe County Health District, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Nevada Division of Water Resources, and Washoe County School District have provided comments. The developer will have to comply with the requirements of outside agencies with regulatory authority over tentative maps, including specifically the Washoe County Health District, prior to recordation of a final map (Condition 4).

FINDING T4:

The availability of water which meets applicable health standards and is sufficient in quantity for the reasonably foreseeable needs of the subdivision has been considered.

The developer has estimated the domestic water requirement for the proposed development at 4.64 acre-feet per year.  The water rights needed to serve the project must be in place or will be dedicated with the final map (Condition 5).

FINDING T5:

The availability and accessibility of utilities has been considered.

The developer has estimated that sewage flows for the development will be 33,600 gallons per day.  The applicant will be required to provide evidence that there is adequate sewer capacity to serve the project prior to the recordation of a final map.  The storm water and drainage plan for the development must be reviewed and approved by the Engineering Division of the Community Services Department prior to the recordation of a final map for the project (Conditions 7 and 12).

FINDING T6:

The availability and accessibility of public services such as schools, police protection, transportation, recreation and parks have been considered.

SCHOOLS

This area is currently zoned for Sepulveda Elementary School, Sparks Middle School, and Reed High School. Based on calculations provided by Washoe County School District, the project could generate approximately 1 elementary school student, 0 middle school students, and 1 high school student. The project’s impact on schools is thus expected to be minimal.

POLICE PROTECTION

Law enforcement services will be provided by the Sparks Police Department.

TRANSPORTATION

The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) has reviewed this project and provided comments (Exhibit 4). The RTC comments do not propose any improvements beyond those required by the handbook and the SMC. The City’s Transportation Manager has reviewed the project and determined that the proposed road network conforms to the approved Spanish Springs Town Centre Planned Development Handbook and is designed to handle traffic generated by this project.

FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE 

Service will be provided by the Sparks Fire Department.  The project site is located within a 6-minute response time area for the Sparks Fire Department.

Utilities

NV Energy will provide electrical and natural gas services. Electric, telephone, and cable services will be extended underground within the roadway right-of-way to serve this development.

FINDING T7:

The effect of the proposed subdivision on existing public streets and the need for new streets or highways to serve the subdivision has been considered.

It is anticipated that the project will generate 186 average daily trips with an AM peak hour of 14 trips and PM peak hour of 17 trips. Traffic impacts from this project have been considered with the review and approval of the Spanish Springs Town Centre Planned Development Handbook. This tentative map does not change the traffic patterns or generate trips in excess of the planned capacity of the surrounding streets.

FINDING T8:

The physical characteristics of the land such as flood plain, slope and soil has been considered.

FLOOD PLAIN

The site is located within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Zone X.

SLOPE

The project does not meet the threshold triggering application of the City’s hillside development ordinance as the site is relatively flat with slopes of less than 5% over the entire site.

SOIL

A final geotechnical report will be required prior to the issuance of any building permit.  Any recommendations from that report shall be incorporated into design for the building permits (Condition 11).

FINDING T9

The recommendations and comments of those entities reviewing the tentative map pursuant to NRS 278.330 to 278.348, inclusive, have been considered.

The City has received comment letters from the following agencies, which are attached (Exhibit 4 – Agency Comments) to this staff report:

•          Washoe County Health District

•          Nevada Division of Environmental Protection

•          Nevada Division of Water Resources

•          Washoe County School District

These comments and recommendations are outlined in this staff report and addressed in the proposed Conditions of Approval. The Nevada Department of Environmental Protection has concerns that they have not seen documentation of sewage management from the “municipal sewer service provider.” The City of Sparks is the sewer provider and is prepared to provide documentation to that effect. The City Engineer has stated that the City will prepare a will-serve letter to demonstrate ability to manage sewer service to the subdivision prior to the approval of a final map.

FINDING T10

The availability and accessibility of fire protection, including, but not limited to, the availability and accessibility of water and services for the prevention and containment of fires, including fires in wild lands has been considered.

Fire protection service will be provided by the Sparks Fire Department. Refer to comments regarding Finding T6 above.

FINDING T11:

The application, as submitted and conditioned, will address identified impacts.

This section identifies project-specific issues not discussed above such as:

Landscaping:

The Spanish Springs Town Centre Planned Development Handbook has standards for the required landscaping in the right-of-way along Galleria Parkway. Landscaping within the project will be regulated by the standards for the MF2 zoning district as well as Sparks Municipal Code Section 20.04.006, Landscaping and Screening. The tentative map includes conceptual plans for the common areas, pedestrian access, and preliminary landscape plans along the streets. Common areas within the development will be maintained by the HOA and landscaping along Galleria Parkway shall be maintained by the Landscape Maintenance Association for the Spanish Springs Town Centre Planned Development. A condition of the tentative map requires that final landscape plans be submitted with the final map and approved prior to recordation of the final map (Condition 8).

Architecture:

As stipulated in the Spanish Spring Town Centre Planned Development Handbook, the design standards for the MF2 zoning district (Sparks Municipal Code Section 20.02.005, Residential Multi-Family Districts) govern the architecture for this project (Condition 15).

FINDING T12:

Public notice was given and a public hearing held per the requirements of the Sparks Municipal Code and Nevada Revised Statutes.

Public notice for tentative maps is accomplished through the posting of the agenda for a public meeting. The Planning Commission and the City Council meetings function as the public meetings for this item.

1. The City Council can approve the 32-lot tentative map and the 15 Conditions of Approval.
2. The City Council can approve the 32-lot tentative map with additional or different Conditions of Approval.
3. The City Council can deny the 32-lot tentative map.

I move to approve a tentative map for a 32-unit, multi-family residential townhome project on a site 3.1 acres in size in the NUD (New Urban District-Spanish Springs Town Centre Planned Development) zoning district located south of Los Altos Parkway and east of Galleria Parkway, Sparks, Nevada, adopting Findings T1 through T12 and the facts supporting these Findings as set forth in the staff report, and subject to the Conditions of Approval 1 through 15 as listed in the staff report.