In June 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 followed 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 changed to Five Ridges.

Pursuant to the approved the Agreement, a minimum of 1,200 and a maximum of 1,800 residential units may be developed on the 5 Ridges site. Single family, duplex and townhome uses are identified as permitted residential uses.  Commercial or multi-family development was permitted in the C2 (Commercial) zoning district located adjacent to Highland Ranch Parkway. At least 100 acres of open space was required.

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.

On July 2, 2020, the Sparks Planning Commission voted to forward recommendations of approval to the City Council for the rezoning, annexation and development agreement requests and approved the Comprehensive Plan amendment. The Planning Commission also forwarded a recommendation of support to City Council for sponsorship of a Regional Plan amendment to re-designate the site from Rural Area to Tier 2 Land and amend the boundaries of the Truckee Meadows Service Area (TMSA) and City of Sparks Sphere of Influence (SOI) to include the site (Exhibit 5 - Planning Commission Report of Action).

On July 27, 2020, the City Council sponsored the Regional Plan amendment to re-designate the 34.71-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 September 24, 2020, the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) held public hearings to review the Regional Plan Amendment sponsored by City Council and the Comprehensive Plan amendment requested by the applicant. The RPC voted to forward recommendation of approval to the Regional Planning Governing Board for the Regional Plan Amendment and determined that the Comprehensive Plan amendment conforms with the Truckee Meadows Regional Plan. On October 8, 2020, the Regional Planning Governing Board (RPGB) held a public hearing and adopted the Regional Plan Amendment.

With the Regional Plan amendment and conformance review processes complete, the applicant is now seeking City Council action on the development agreement amendment, annexation, Comprehensive Plan land use amendment, and rezoning requests.

If annexed into the City of Sparks, the 34.71-acre subject site will have an A-40 (Agriculture) zoning designation. This is a request to rezone the site to 10.00 acres of SF-6 (Single-Family Residential, 6,000 sq. foot lots) and 24.71 acres of A-5 (Agriculture) (Exhibit 2 – Existing and Proposed Zoning). As discussed in the Background section, this request is coming forward for City Council consideration in conjunction with related requests for annexation, a development agreement amendment, and a Comprehensive Plan land use amendment.

The following table compares the uses permitted in each zoning district.

Rezoning Findings:

FINDING Z1: The rezoning is consistent with the City of Sparks Comprehensive Plan.

The Comprehensive Plan Goals and Policies that are relevant to this request include:

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

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

Policy RC22:     Maintain development restrictions and standard in the Sparks Municipal code as necessary to conform to policies in the Truckee Meadows Regional Plan pertaining to Development Constraints Areas and for slopes with gradients over 30%

Policy RC23:    Require new development to preserve and protect significant natural amenities, unique features (e.g., rock outcroppings and drainageways) and other natural features.

As proposed, the 34.71-acre site would be rezoned from A-40 (Agriculture) to 10.00 acres of SF-6 (Single-Family Residential – 6,000 sq. ft. lots) and 24.71 acres of A-5 (Agriculture). The SF-6 zoning district allows for single-family uses at a maximum of 7.3 dwelling units per acre. Approval of the rezoning request would allow for development of residential units consistent with the Agreement, promoting Goal H2.

With the proposed inclusion of the 5 Ridges project site in Impact Fee Service Area #1 (IFSA#1), development of the site will contribute fees for construction of a fire station, storm drains, sewers, and regional trails to serve the area. The Agreement also specifies the timing and scope of improvements needed to provide City services at acceptable service levels to future development. To serve between 1,200 and 1,800 total units, the Agreement requires:

• Improvements to Highland Ranch Parkway and the intersection of Highland Ranch Parkway with Pyramid Way upon reaching certain level of service (LOS) thresholds and/or residential unit counts;
• Construction of a secondary fire apparatus access road prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for and/or final inspection of any dwelling unit;
• Equipment of all dwelling units and commercial structures intended for or used for human occupancy with fire suppression systems;
• Improvements to upsize the sanitary sewer collection system upon reaching certain equivalent residential unit (ERU) thresholds;
• Construction of all flood control and drainage improvements, whether onsite or offsite; and
• Construction of all water transmission facilities and improvements, whether onsite or offsite, to specifications equal to or exceeding those of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA).

The applicant provided an updated trip generation letter dated April 2020 based on 1,062 detached single-family units and 158 townhomes (1,220 total units) (Exhibit 3– Trip Generation Letter). Compared to the previous 2017 traffic study that assumed 1,223 detached single family units and 13 acres for mini-warehouse use, average daily trips decrease by 679 trips, AM peak hour trips decrease by 67 trips, and PM peak hour trips increase by 24 trips. The April 2020 analysis finds that these trips will result similar or fewer traffic impacts than identified in the 2017 traffic study.

The applicant also provided sewer and water studies analyzing development of the Five Ridges project site with solely residential development. The master developer is responsible for the construction of all new sanitary sewer lines within the project site. Sanitary sewer service will be provided by the City of Sparks. Sanitary sewer flows will be conveyed to the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility via the Northwest Sanitary Sewer Interceptor located to the east of the project.  The applicant’s sewer study finds existing sanitary sewer mains, trunk mains and interceptors have available capacity to serve the 1,241 residential units assumed for purposes of the study (Exhibit 4 – Master Sewer Study).  Should development exceed 1,650 equivalent residential units (ERUs), Section 3.2 of the Agreement requires capacity upgrades to the existing sanitary sewer collection system. The Agreement identifies the Sun Valley General Improvement District (SVGID) as the anticipated purveyor of municipal water for the Five Ridges project. The preliminary water service study assesses the ability of SVGID to supply potable water to the Five Ridges property and estimates associated infrastructure costs (Exhibit 5 – Preliminary Water Service Planning Report). Section 3.2 of the Agreement requires the master developer to construct all water transmission facilities and improvements (both onsite and offsite) to specifications that meet or exceed those of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority. The Planning Commission concluded that, with the Agreement already in place, the rezoning request complies with Policy CF1.

Policies RC22 and RC23 require that new development provide for the protection of natural features such as steep slopes. SMC 20.04.011 regulates project sites over 10 acres in size with slope gradients of 10 percent or greater over 25 percent or more of the site. This section of the zoning code requires that the site be analyzed to identify the maximum allowable disturbed area by slope categories. Section 3.3 of the Agreement requires compliance with this section of the zoning code for naturally occurring slopes. The developer is required to convey, with each final subdivision map, the lands designated as open space to the entity responsible for maintenance of those lands (e.g., a homeowner’s association).

FINDING Z2: The rezoning is consistent with the surrounding existing land uses.

Land uses and zoning surrounding the subject site are summarized in the following table:

The subject site is located adjacent to the northwest corner of the current Five Ridges project site (Exhibit 1 – Vicinity Map). Federal- or homeowners-association-owned vacant land is located to the north, south, and west of the site. These vacant lands are zoned Open Space by Washoe County.

The rezoning request from A-40 to A-5 for the western portion of the subject site is consistent with surrounding vacant properties zoned Open Space by Washoe County. Similar to the Washoe County Open Space zoning district, the A-5 zone allows for agriculture and recreation uses by right and requires discretionary review for a limited number of industrial and utility uses. The rezoning request from A-40 to SF-6 proposed for the eastern portion of the subject site is consistent with future single-family uses in the adjacent SF-6 zone within the existing 5 Ridges project located east of the site. 

FINDING Z3:

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

Public notice was given as required by SMC 20.05.06 and Nevada Revised Statutes. The Planning Commission and City Council meetings function as the public hearings for this item. This rezoning request was noticed, at a minimum, to all property owners within 750 feet of the subject properties; 60 property owners were mailed notices. Public notice was published in the Reno Gazette-Journal on June 19, 2020.

1. Council can adopt Bill No. 2780 to rezone the property generally located at 555 Highland Ranch Parkway.
2. Council could remand the rezoning request back to Planning Commission with direction.
3. Council could deny the rezoning request.

I move, based on Findings Z1 through Z3 as set forth in the staff report, to adopt Bill No. 2780 to rezone real property approximately 34.71 acres in size generally located at 555 Highland Ranch Parkway from  34.71 acres of A-40 (Agriculture) to 10.00 acres of SF-6 (Single-Family Residential, 6,000 sq. foot lots) and 24.71 acres of A-5 (Agriculture).