This request is for approval of a tentative map for a 69-unit, multi-family residential townhome subdivision on a site approximately 7.72 acres in size located at 2255 Los Altos Parkway (Exhibit 1 - Vicinity Map). This site is located in the Vistas Planned Development. The Vistas Planned Development Handbook was approved in 1988 by Special Use Permit (SP19-87-1).

The site was rezoned to MF2/PUD (Multi-family/Vistas Planned Unit Development) in July 2018 in accordance with the development procedure outlined in the Vistas Planned Development Handbook (PCN18-0019). Rezoning of the property was approved in conjunction with a Development Agreement (DA). The DA limits the number of units on the site to a maximum of 75. In addition, pursuant to the project description in the DA, the units must be attached townhomes. The DA also addresses the infrastructure improvements the developer must construct, including some that are off-site, and requires that the site and buildings be constructed in conformance with the multi-family design standards for the MF2 zoning district and the design standards of the Vistas Planned Development Handbook.

This staff report addresses the requirements of the DA in addition to the findings typically addressed in a staff report for a tentative map.

On November 1, 2018, the Planning Commission reviewed this item and recommended the City Council approve the tentative map for the proposed 69-unit, multi-family residential townhome subdivision (see Planning Commission Report of Action).

The applicant is requesting a tentative map for 69 townhomes (Exhibit 2 – Tentative Map).

The proposed development will have direct access from Los Altos Parkway. Los Altos Parkway was designed to accommodate the volume of traffic that will be generated by this development. The streets within the subdivision will be private. A home-owners association (HOA) will be created to maintain all streets and common areas. The private ownership and maintenance of on-site utilities and common areas is required on the final map (Conditions 8 and 9).

As part of the final map submittal, the developer must provide the City a report for The Canyons subdivision that includes the following:

• an estimate of the costs to maintain, repair, replace, or restore all privately-owned streets, sidewalks and utilities within the subdivision;
• an estimate of the total annual assessment for the subdivision’s property owners 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 map. The report must be completed by a person who is registered to conduct reserve studies pursuant to NRS Chapter 116A (Condition 14).

The DA permits a maximum of 75 units. The applicant is requesting 69 units. Even with the higher number of units (108) on which the analysis is based, the peak PM trip estimate is below the 80 peak-hour trips that would trigger the requirement for a traffic study. While not required, the developer commissioned and submitted the Traffic Analysis Summary for Los Altos Townhomes (Exhibit 3 – Traffic Analysis by Traffic Works, July 18, 2018) to address concerns about the project’s traffic generation. The Traffic Analysis is based on the maximum density permitted by the MF14 zoning for the site, which is 108 units. The Traffic Analysis states that 108 townhome units would generate an average of 627 daily trips with 48 AM peak-hour trips and 56 PM peak-hour trips (Exhibit 3 – Traffic Analysis).

The applicant also submitted, with the tentative map application, a letter from Traffic Works dated September 17, 2018. This letter specifies three recommended off-site traffic operation and safety improvements that are based on the Traffic Analysis. These improvements are required as Condition of Approval 16.

Tentative Map Findings

FINDING T1:

The request conforms to the Master Plan and zoning ordinances.

RELATIONSHIP TO THE MASTER PLAN

The Land Use Plan Goals and Policies that are relevant to this proposal include:

GOALS

H2:       Promote a strong, diverse housing market that supports economic growth and vitality which ensuring environmental and fiscal sustainability.

POLICIES

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 69 lots. This project would advance Goal H2 and 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 Meadows Regional Planning Agency’s 2016 Housing Study as one of the “missing middle housing types” needed in the Truckee Meadows.

The tentative map shows sidewalks throughout the development connecting to the pedestrian infrastructure along Los Altos Parkway, complying with Policy C4. The infrastructure serving the site, including roads, water, and sanitary sewer facilities, was designed to support multi-family development on this site and the City’s sewer model shows sufficient capacity to serve the 69 proposed townhomes, complying with Policy CF1.

FINDING T2:

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

As discussed in the Analysis section above, the proposed development will have access from Los Altos Parkway. Traffic associated with development of this site for multi-family residences was considered with the review and approval of the Vistas Planned Development Handbook. This tentative map does not change the traffic patterns or generate trips exceeding the planned capacity of the surrounding streets.

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 School District and the Regional Transportation Commission 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 18.11 acre-feet per year. The water rights needed to serve the project must be in place or 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 8,970 gallons per day. The City’s sewer model shows sufficient capacity to serve the 69 proposed townhomes, but 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 (Condition 12). The grading and drainage plan for the development must be reviewed and approved by the City Engineer prior to the recordation of a final map for the project (Conditions 6).

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 Beasley Elementary School, Mendive Middle School, and Reed High School. As stated in the attached letter from Washoe County School District (Exhibit 4 – Agency Comments), this proposed development will add 3 new students to Beasley Elementary, 1 to Mendive Middle School, and 1 to Reed High School. Beasley Elementary School’s enrollment for 2017-2018 was at 104% of base capacity; adding 3 new students from The Canyons would increase enrollment to approximately 105% of the school’s base capacity. Mendive Middle School’s enrollment for 2017-2018 was at 97% of base capacity; adding 1 new student from The Canyons would not change this figure. Enrollment during the 2017-2018 school year at Reed High School was at 96% of base capacity, which would not change with an additional student from The Canyons.

POLICE PROTECTION

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

TRANSPORTATION

Comments provided by the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) (Exhibit 4 – Agency Comments) propose that the recommendations made in the traffic study (Exhibit 3 – Traffic Study) be conditions of approval, which is addressed by Condition 16. The City’s Transportation Manager has reviewed the project and determined that the proposed road network conforms to the approved Vistas Planned Development Handbook and is designed to handle traffic generated by this project.

FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE 

Fire and emergency medical service will be provided by the Sparks Fire Department. The project site is located within a 6-minute response time 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.

The Traffic Analysis anticipates the proposed project will generate less than 627 average daily trips with an AM peak-hour of less than 48 trips and PM peak-hour of less than 56 trips. The proposed project will have access from Los Altos Parkway, which was designed to accommodate multi-family development on this site. The Traffic Analysis concludes that project-generated traffic volumes are not expected to degrade operations on Los Altos Parkway to unacceptable levels or create any significant traffic impacts (Exhibit 3 at 7). The City’s Transportation Manager concurs with this conclusion.

The project’s internal streets will be owned and maintained by the HOA.

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 proposed project triggers application of the Slopes, Hilltops and Ridges requirements of the Sparks Municipal Code (SMC 20.04.011). The maximum allowed disturbed area, based on the applicant’s slope analysis, is 6.69 acres. The applicant proposes disturbing 6.64 acres, leaving 1.08 acres undisturbed. This degree of disturbance complies with SMC 20.04.011. This site does not contain any protected hilltops or ridgelines.

SOILS

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.

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

- Washoe County School District

- Regional Transportation Commission

These comments and recommendations are addressed in this staff report as appropriate.

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:

Development Agreement requirements:

This project is subject to all limitations and requirements of the DA (Condition 17).

Landscaping:

The DA requires that a minimum of 1.54 acres of the site be reserved as open space, which is equivalent to 20% of the site. The preliminary landscape plan indicates that 1.74 acres will be landscaped as commonly owned open space areas, which satisfies this requirement. 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 common, pedestrian, and street areas, including the area along Los Altos Parkway. Common areas within the development will be maintained by the HOA. 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:

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 69-unit tentative map associated with PCN18-0048 with the 17 proposed Conditions of Approval.

2. The City Council can approve the 69-unit tentative map associated with PCN18-0048 with additional or different Conditions of Approval.  

3. The City Council can deny the 69-unit tentative map associated with PCN18-0048.

I move to approve the tentative map request for a 69-unit, multi-family residential townhome subdivision on a site 7.72 acres in size in the MF2/PUD (Multi-family/Vistas Planned Unit Development) zoning district located at 2255 Los Altos 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 17 as listed in the staff report.