2020 2:00:00 PM

Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/97760575235
Meeting Dial-in #: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 977 6057 5235

General Business: 9.7

Title: Consideration of and possible action on a request to sponsor an amendment to the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan for a site 34.71 acres in size generally located west of 555 Highland Ranch Parkway, Sparks, Nevada, to change the Regional Land Designation from Rural Area to Tier 2 Land and amend the boundaries of the Truckee Meadows Service Area and City of Sparks Sphere of Influence to include the site. (PCN19-0040)

Petitioner/Presenter: 5 Ridges Development Company, Inc./Sienna Reid, Planner Senior

Recommendation: Staff and the Planning Commission recommend City Council sponsor an amendment to the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan for a site 34.71 acres in size generally located west of 555 Highland Ranch Parkway, Sparks, Nevada, to change the Regional Land Designation from Rural Area to Tier 2 Land and amend the boundaries of the Truckee Meadows Service Area and City of Sparks Sphere of Influence to include the site.

Financial Impact: No direct financial cost.

Business Impact (Per NRS 237):
A Business Impact Statement is not required because this is not a rule.

Agenda Item Brief:

The Master Developer for the Five Ridges project is seeking to expand the project site to include a 34.71-acre parcel located outside the City’s current corporate boundary (Exhibit 1 – Vicinity Map). To incorporate this parcel into the Five Ridges project site, the Master Developer has submitted annexation, development agreement amendment, Comprehensive Plan land use amendment, and rezoning requests.

Pursuant to the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan, the 34.71-acre parcel has a Rural Area Regional Land Designation and is located outside the Truckee Meadows Service Area (TMSA) and the City of Sparks Sphere of Influence (SOI). A Regional Plan amendment is necessary prior to City Council action on the development agreement amendment, annexation, Comprehensive Plan land use amendment, and rezoning requests. Regional Plan amendments must be sponsored by the City of Sparks, City of Reno, Washoe County, Regional Planning Commission or Regional Planning Governing Board. The Master Developer is therefore requesting that the Sparks City Council sponsor a Regional Plan amendment to re-designate the site from Rural Area to Tier 2 Land and amend the boundaries of the TMSA and City of Sparks SOI to include the site.

Background:

In July of 2018, the City Council entered into a development agreement (the “Agreement”) for a 386.87-acre property located at 555 Highland Ranch Parkway. In conjunction with the Agreement, the City Council approved annexation, Comprehensive Plan land use amendment, and rezoning requests for the site. As the subject property was formerly the site of an aggregate mining operation, the 2018 development proposal was referred to as the Quarry.

In February of 2020, the City Council approved Amendment Number 1 to the Agreement. Modifications to the Agreement resulted from the Master Developer’s further analysis of the site and the land and infrastructure plans. Substantive changes approved in Amendment Number 1 addressed property ownership changes, clarified permitted residential uses, provided an explicit exclusion of previously disturbed slopes from the calculation of maximum disturbed area pursuant to SMC 20.04.011, and altered the timing and scope of required infrastructure improvements. The name of the project also changed to Five Ridges.

Pursuant to the approved Agreement, a minimum of 1,200 and a maximum of 1,800 residential units are permitted. Single family, duplex and townhome uses are identified as permitted residential uses. Commercial or multi-family development may occur in the C2 zoning district currently located adjacent to Highland Ranch Parkway.

Tentative map and Conditional Use Permit (CUP) permit requests within the Five Ridges project site were considered by the Planning Commission and City Council in April and May of 2020, respectively. On May 26, 2020, the City Council upheld the Planning Commission’s decision to approve a CUP for development on slopes, hilltops, and ridges applicable to a 138.13-acre portion of the Five Ridges project site. In conjunction with the CUP, the City Council also approved a tentative map for a 460-lot single-family subdivision on an 88.83-acre portion of the site.

The Master Developer is now seeking further changes (Amendment Number 2) to the Agreement to add 34.71 acres to the Five Ridges project site (Exhibit 1 – Vicinity Map). In conjunction with Amendment Number 2 to the Agreement, the applicant has submitted annexation, Comprehensive Plan land use amendment, and rezoning requests for this subject site. As proposed, the applicant is requesting City of Sparks Comprehensive Plan land use designations of Intermediate Density Residential (IDR) for 10.00 acres and Open Space (OS) for 24.71 acres (Exhibit 2 – Existing and Proposed Land Use). In association, the applicant is requesting rezoning of the site to approximately 10.00 acres of SF-6 (Single Family Residential – 6,000 sq. ft. lots) and 24.71 acres of A-5 (Agriculture) (Exhibit 3 – Existing and Proposed Zoning).

Pursuant to the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan, the 34.71-acre site is not located within the Truckee Meadows Service Area (TMSA) or the City of Sparks Sphere of Influence (SOI). In addition, the site has a Rural Area Regional Land Designation, which does not allow the type of single-family residential development the applicant intends to pursue on the site. A Regional Plan amendment is necessary prior to City Council action on the development agreement amendment, annexation, Comprehensive Plan land use amendment, and rezoning requests. The applicant is therefore requesting that the City Council sponsor a Regional Plan amendment to re-designate the site from Rural Area to Tier 2 Land and amend the boundaries of the TMSA and City of Sparks SOI to include the site.

On July 2, 2020, the Planning Commission forwarded a recommendation of support to City Council for sponsorship of the requested amendment to the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan for the subject 34.71-acre site.

Analysis:

The proposed development agreement amendment, annexation, Comprehensive Plan land use amendment, and rezoning requests necessitate amendments to the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan prior to City Council action. NRS 278.0272(7) provides that only the Regional Planning Commission (RPC), Regional Planning Governing Board (RPGB), and local governing bodies may sponsor amendments to the Regional Plan. The applicant is seeking City Council sponsorship of a Regional Plan amendment for the subject 34.71-acre site to (1) change the Regional Land Designation from Rural Area to Tier 2 Land, and (2) amend the boundaries of the TMSA and City of Sparks SOI to include the site.

If City Council sponsors the amendment, the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency (TMRPA) will analyze the request in relation to the goals and policies of the Regional Plan, including policies with explicit review criteria for each requested designation. Review criteria for requests seeking inclusion in the Tier 2 Land Designation, the TMSA, and the City of Sparks SOI are discussed below.

Tier 2 Land Designation

Regional Plan Policy RF5 (Regional Land Designation Amendments) specifies the following review criteria for requests seeking inclusion in the Tier 2 Land designation:

Proximity to Tier 2 Land;
Compliance with applicable density requirements set forth in Policy RF3;
Enhanced potential for land use diversity and a mix of housing types;
Potential for connectivity to existing or planned multi-modal transportation opportunities;
Proximity and availability of infrastructure and facilities; and
An assessment of impacts to planned land uses in higher priority designations.

The eastern property line of the subject site is adjacent to Tier 2 Land. The proposed Intermediate Density Residential (IDR) Comprehensive Plan land use designation specifies a residential density range of ten to less than 14 dwelling units per acre, which complies with the maximum residential density of 30 dwelling units per acre for Tier 2 Land.

Including the subject site in the Tier 2 Land designation would support its addition to the Five Ridges project site provided the associated development agreement amendment, annexation, Comprehensive Plan land use amendment, and rezoning requests are ultimately approved. The Agreement allows for a mix of single family, duplex, multi-family, and townhome housing types, supporting housing type diversity.

Addition of the subject site to the Tier 2 Land designation would further allow for the extension of infrastructure and public facilities to the site consistent with the Agreement, including sidewalks and multi-use paths required to be constructed by the developer. Extension of transit service to the Five Ridges project site is not identified in the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan.

As proposed, approximately 10 acres of the site would be designated Intermediate Density Residential (IDR) and the remainder would be designated Open Space (OS). Substantive impacts to other priority lands are not anticipated due to the relatively small amount of acreage and number of potential dwelling units associated with the proposed IDR Comprehensive Plan land use designation.

Truckee Meadows Service Area

Regional Plan Policy RF5 (Regional Land Designation Amendments) further specifies the following review criteria for requests for land to be added to the TMSA:

Indication of regional need for additional land, uses, or purposes, and why the need cannot otherwise be accommodated within the existing TMSA;
An analysis of the requested Regional Land Designation;
Proximity and availability of infrastructure and facilities; and
An assessment of potential impacts to existing land within the TMSA.

An analysis of the requested Regional Land Designation, the proximity and availability of infrastructure and facilities, and an assessment of impacts to higher priority land uses within the TMSA is provided in the Tier 2 Land designation discussion above.

Regarding regional need for additional land, uses, or purposes, the application materials indicate the addition of the subject site to the TMSA will support better design and circulation for the Five Ridges project, which will facilitate development of the project as a whole and thus assist in meeting regional housing needs.

City of Sparks Sphere of Influence

Amendments to the City of Sparks SOI require a rationale for the request that analyzes changed conditions in the region and in the vicinity of the request. In addition, the SOI may not be amended without evidence that affected local governments have conferred regarding the proposal.

Changed conditions in the vicinity of the request include the proposed amendment to the Agreement and associated entitlement requests for the 386.87-acre Five Ridges project site, which is adjacent to the subject site. Amending the boundary of the City of Sparks SOI to include the site allows for the absorption of an otherwise largely undevelopable parcel into the adjacent Five Ridges project site.

The residential units permitted in the Agreement are anticipated to assist in meeting demand for additional housing in the region due to anticipated population growth. As proposed, the Regional Plan amendment request would support the development of these residential units.

Upon receipt of the development agreement amendment, annexation, Comprehensive Plan land use amendment, and rezoning requests associated with the requested Regional Plan amendment, City of Sparks staff discussed the requests and Regional Plan amendment process with Washoe County staff. In addition, all requests were distributed to Washoe County for review and comment. No comments were received. Thus, the City of Sparks has conferred with Washoe County, the other local government entity affected by the proposed Regional Plan amendment.

If City Council sponsors the requested Regional Plan amendment, the RPC and RPGB will apply the review criteria discussed above to this request. In addition, these bodies will review the effects of the amendment on seven components of the Regional Plan (regional capacities and growth projections; existing and planned development; existing and planned public facility and service availability, timing, adequacy, and fiscal impacts; natural resources; intergovernmental impacts; vision, goals, and policies of the Regional Plan; and health and welfare of the community) based on an analysis TMRPA staff will provide.

Based on general consistency with the review criteria for the requested Regional Plan designations, the Planning Commission forwarded a recommendation to City Council in support of sponsoring the requested Regional Plan amendment.

Alternatives:

Council can sponsor a Regional Plan amendment to re-designate the 34.71-acre site from Rural Area to Tier 2 Land and amend the boundaries of the TMSA and City of Sparks SOI to include the site.
Council can reject the request to sponsor a Regional Plan amendment to re-designate the 34.71-acre site from Rural Area to Tier 2 Land and amend the boundaries of the TMSA and City of Sparks SOI to include the site and provide direction to the City Manager.

Recommended Motion:

I move to sponsor an amendment to the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan to re-designate the 34.71-acre site generally located west of 555 Highland Ranch Parkway, Sparks, Nevada, from Rural Area to Tier 2 Land and amend the boundaries of the TMSA and City of Sparks SOI to include the site.

Attached Files:

01 - Vicinity Map_Exhibit 1.pdf

02 - Existing and Proposed Land Use_Exhibit 2.pdf

03- Existing and Proposed Zoning_Exhibit 3.pdf

04 - Planning Commission Report of Action_Exhibit 4.pdf

CC RPA Sponsorhip_5 Ridges_Draft_2020.07.27.pdf

Previous Item

Next Item

Return To Meeting