Stonebrook Phase 2 is generally located between the terminuses of Stonebrook Parkway and Fen Way within the Stonebrook planned development (Exhibit 1 – Vicinity Map). The site is governed by the Stonebrook Design Standards and Regulations (Handbook), which was approved in 2006.

In February of 2014, the City Council approved a tentative map for Stonebrook Phase 1 (PCN12014/TM130002) for a 617-lot single-family residential subdivision. Stonebrook Phase 1 is located in the northeast portion of the Stonebrook planned development and abuts the Cimarron planned development to the east.  To-date, 492 lots have been recorded in five subdivision maps and 111 lots are being reviewed in one final map.

In May of 2018, the City Council approved a tentative map for Stonebrook Phase 2 (PCN18-0007/ STM18-0004) for a 459-lot single-family subdivision on 118.45 acres. This tentative map, which is still active, consists of five villages with lots ranging in size from approximately 4,625 to 20,649 square feet (Exhibit 2 – STM18-0004 Phasing Plan). Currently, 141 lots located in Villages F, G1 and G2 are being reviewed in two final maps. 

In January of 2019, the City Council approved various amendments to the Handbook. One amendment provided for consolidation of two five-acre neighborhood park sites into one larger community park approximately 20 acres in size based on a request from the Sparks Parks and Recreation Department. One of the neighborhood park sites was located within the initial (2018) Phase 2 tentative map.

This proposed amendment to the Stonebrook Phase 2 Tentative Map requests the addition of 30 lots, increasing the number of lots from 459 to 489, by incorporating townhome units into the Tentative Map.

In conjunction with this Tentative Map amendment request, the applicant also submitted a request to deviate from the recreation area standards for townhomes set forth in Section 5.4.13.2 of the Handbook. Section 2.1.4 of the Handbook authorizes the Administrator to approve deviations and waivers from Handbook standards.

The Handbook standards for townhomes require recreation areas to accommodate play areas that include three of the following features: tot lots, half court for basketball, fitness clusters, and large and small group picnic areas.  The applicant intends to develop an active adult community and requested the deviation to eliminate the child-oriented play area in favor of an “active” landscaped common area with features such as walking paths, benches and gathering areas with trellis shading, active adult fitness equipment, and a bocce ball court. This deviation request was approved by City staff on October 9, 2020 (Exhibit 3 – Stonebrook Deviation Approval Letter).

On October 15, 2020, the Sparks Planning Commission voted to forward a recommendation of approval to the City Council for the request to amend the Stonebrook Phase 2 Tentative Map (Exhibit 13 - Planning Commission Report of Action).

The applicant is requesting an amendment to the Stonebrook Phase 2 Tentative Map to add 30 lots, increasing the number of lots from 459 to 489, by incorporating townhome units into the Tentative Map. The lots will range in size from approximately 4,174 to 21,777 square feet with an average lot size of 6,500 square feet.  The gross density of the project is 4.2 dwelling units per acre (Exhibit 4 – Tentative Map).

As proposed, the amended Tentative Map consists of three primary villages (E, F and G) that are each divided into sub-villages (Exhibit 5 – STM20-0003 Phasing Plan). Village E, which consists of two sub-villages, is approximately 41.4 acres in size and is proposed to have 105 lots. This yields a gross density of 2.5 dwelling units per acre. Village F, which also consists of two sub-villages, is approximately 27.9 acres in size. With 109 lots proposed, Village F yields a gross density of 3.9 dwelling units per acre. The lots in Villages E and F are designed to meet the Single Family LDR Residential standards in the Handbook.

Village G is approximately 46.3 acres in size and includes four sub-villages. With 275 lots proposed, Village G yields a gross density of 5.9 dwelling units per acre. Lots located in Villages G1-A and G1-B are designed to meet the Patio Home standards in the Handbook. A total of 128 lots located in Villages G2-A and G2-B are planned for townhome units and are designed to meet the Townhome standards in the Handbook. Four lots located in Village G1-A, where a model home complex will be located, are also planned for townhome units.

The project site has Low Density Residential (LDR), Intermediate Density Residential (IDR), Community Facilities (CF) and Open Space (OS) land use designations pursuant to the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map. The site is zoned NUD (New Urban District – Stonebrook) and designated LDR (Low Density Residential), LMDR (Low Medium Density Residential) and OS (Open Space) in the Handbook (Exhibit 6 – Stonebrook Land Use Map).

The following table compares the proposed densities for this amended Tentative Map with the density ranges for the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map designations and the Handbook land use designations based on the three primary villages identified in the Handbook phasing plan (Exhibit 7 – Stonebrook Phasing Plan).

The additional 30 lots proposed with this Tentative Map amendment would result in 1,274 single-family lots with final or tentative map approval. This lot count is below the 1,848 single-family dwelling unit maximum specified in the Handbook and leaves 574 remaining single-family dwelling units. The proposed amendment to the Tentative Map will thus have no significant impact on the larger Stonebrook planned development or surrounding communities.

Staff requested comments from public agencies in accordance with NRS 278.330 to 278.348, inclusive. Staff received comments from the Washoe County School District, Regional Transportation Commission, and Nevada Department of Transportation (Exhibit 12 – Agency Comments). A Plan Review meeting was held on September 2, 2020, with the applicant’s representatives and staff from planning, engineering and the Sparks Fire Department. All departments agreed that the proposed changes are appropriate given the number of dwelling units permitted by the Handbook.

The proposed Conditions of Approval attached to this report (provided both in “track changes” and “clean” formats) are generally consistent with those originally approved through STM18-0004. Additions and deletions to the conditions are shown in a “track changes” format as follows:

• Condition 3 has been amended to reflect the new maximum unit count of 489, replacing the original 459 units. 
• Condition 10 has been updated to correctly reference the Truckee Meadows Regional Drainage Manual.
• Conditions 12, 14, 15 and 16 related to regional trails and associated landscaping have been revised for clarity regarding construction options and landscape installation.
• Condition 18 pertaining to a community park site has been deleted because the Handbook has been amended to identify the park site.
• Condition 19 is modified to address model home complex fencing.
• Condition 20 is modified to require a temporary fire turn-around where Stonebrook Parkway terminates at the western property line (or other alternative method) prior to the recordation of any final map associated with Villages F or G.
• Condition 21 is added to address compliance with the community collector street design standards for a portion of Oppio Ranch Parkway.

For the reasons discussed below, findings T1 through T12 can be made. Planning Commission recommends approval to the City Council.

Tentative Map Findings

FINDING T1:

The request conforms to the Master Plan and zoning ordinances.

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 while ensuring environmental and fiscal sustainability.

H3: Ensure that Sparks residential and mixed-use neighborhoods are desirable locations to live.

POLICIES

C4:  Require sidewalks for pedestrian 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.

CC8: Foster neighborhood diversity and design by permitting varied lot sizes, building materials, building styles and color.

H1: Ensure there are sufficient appropriately zoned areas with the infrastructure, public facilities and services necessary for the production of new housing.

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

The proposed amendment to the Tentative Map increases the allowed number of single-family lots from 459 to 489 by incorporating townhomes into the subdivision. A total of 128 lots located in Villages G2-A and G2-B and four lots in the model home complex will accommodate townhome units. As proposed, lots with townhome units will comprise approximately 27 percent of the lots proposed in this amended Tentative Map. This amendment advances Goal H2, Policy H1, and Policy H2 by providing a townhome housing product in the Sparks housing market. Townhomes are commonly classified as “missing middle” housing that offers home ownership opportunities at lower price points than traditional detached single-family housing.

Home designs will be reviewed and approved by staff as part of the review for the final map. The proposed subdivision provides a variety of lot sizes and home designs to comply with the architectural standards in the Handbook that address varied building styles, color and materials, advancing Goal H3 and Policy CC8.

The street cross sections and Tentative Map plans show sidewalks on both sides of all streets, complying with Policy C4. Infrastructure and utilities are currently available to the property and infrastructure modeling included development of Phase 2 as a single-family subdivision, which complies with Policy CF1 and supports Policy H1.

FINDING T2:

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

Project access is provided from Stonebrook Parkway, Oppio Ranch Parkway and Fen Way. The Tentative Map generally incorporates the street designs shown in the Handbook. However, the segment of Oppio Ranch Parkway west of Stonebrook Parkway does not comply with the community collector standards in the Handbook. The developer shall comply with these standards which require an 18-foot wide common area that includes a five-foot wide detached sidewalk (Condition 21). The addition of 30 units will not materially impact street design.

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 administrate environmental and health laws. No written comments were provided by these agencies; however, the developer shall comply with all Washoe County Health District requirements (Condition 5).

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 489 single-family lots at 138.04 acre-feet per year. Municipal water service will be provided by Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) and water rights must be in place or dedicated with final maps (Condition 6).

FINDING T5:

The availability and accessibility of utilities has been considered.

The developer estimates that 489 single-family lots will generate 171,150 gallons of sewage per day. The applicant is 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 shall be reviewed and approved by the Engineering Division of the Community Services Department prior to the recordation of a final map for the project (Condition 7).

The availability of municipal water is addressed in Finding T4 above. 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 T6:

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

SCHOOLS

The site is zoned for Bohach Elementary School, Shaw Middle School, and Spanish Springs High School. As stated in the updated comment letter from Washoe County School District (Exhibit 12 – Agency Comments), the project, including the additional 30 units, is anticipated to add 104 new to students to Bohach Elementary, 48 new students to Shaw Middle School and 44 new students to Spanish Springs High School. Bohach Elementary School and Shaw Middle School were recently constructed and will remain under base capacity for at least five years based on Washoe County School District projections. Current enrollment at Spanish Springs High School is 113% of base capacity. However, enrollment relief at Spanish Springs High School is anticipated with the opening of the new Procter R. Hug High School in Fall 2022.

POLICE PROTECTION

Law enforcement services will be provided by the Sparks Police Department. Staff did not receive comments from the Police Department regarding the provision of police services to 30 additional dwelling units.

TRANSPORTATION

The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) and Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) provided comments regarding this application. RTC comments indicate the additional 30 lots proposed with this Tentative Map amendment will not have a detrimental impact to traffic circulation or increase traffic in a manner that changes the results of the 2017 traffic analysis provided with the initial Phase 2 tentative map request. NDOT comments express concern that an update to the 2017 traffic analysis was not provided with the application.

An updated trip generation letter has been provided by the applicant (Exhibit 9 – Trip Generation Letter). This letter indicates the amended Tentative Map, with a total of 489 single-family dwelling units, will generate 4,478 average daily trips, 352 AM peak hour trips and 466 PM peak hour trips. The roadway network for the Stonebrook planned development was designed to accommodate 1,935 single-family dwelling units generating 15,874 average daily trips, 1,379 AM peak hour trips and 1,746 PM peak hour trips. The trip generation letter finds adequate capacity exists to accommodate the addition of 30 lots to the Phase 2 Tentative map as 574 single-family lots remain approved but un-built. Staff concurs with this conclusion.

FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE 

Fire and emergency medical services will be provided by Sparks Fire Department. At this time, the project site is located outside the 4-minute travel time standard of the Sparks Fire Department. The City has an agreement with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District for automatic aid to serve this area.

Stonebrook Parkway terminates at the western boundary of the property. With any final map for Villages F or G, a temporary turnaround (or other alternative method) will be required to the approval of the Fire Chief and City Engineer until such time that Stonebrook Parkway is constructed through the neighboring property located to the west of Phase 2 (Condition 20).

Utilities

NV Energy will provide gas and electrical services. Electric, telephone, and cable services will be extended underground within 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.

Adding 30 single-family homes to the Phase 2 Tentative Map does not increase the maximum number of single-family units allowed pursuant to the Handbook and does not represent a significant increase in overall traffic. The updated trip generation letter submitted by the applicant finds adequate roadway capacity exists to accommodate adding 30 lots to the Phase 2 Tentative map (Exhibit 8 – Trip Generation Letter).

FINDING T8:

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

FLOOD PLAIN

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) limiting the FEMA Zone A to the defined Reach 4 channel and pond areas was approved August 25, 2011. The lots proposed with this Tentative Map amendment are located within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Zone X, which is outside the 100-year flood hazard zone.

SLOPE

The project does not meet the thresholds of the City’s Hillside Development Ordinance as the site is relatively flat with slopes of less than 10% over 89% (105.3 acres) of the site (Exhibit 9 – Slope Map). A total of 13.3 acres of the site have slopes over 10%; however, these slopes are the result of roads graded pursuant to a previously approved grading permit.

SOIL

Final geotechnical reports are required prior to the issuance of any building permits. Adding 30 single-family townhomes will not alter soil characteristics.

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.

City staff received comments from the Washoe County School District that are addressed in Finding T6 above. Comments from the Regional Transportation Commission and Nevada Department of Transportation are addressed in Findings T6 and T7 above. No comments were provided by other outside agencies regarding this application.

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 and municipal water service for the containment of fires will be provided by TMWA as discussed above for Findings T4 and T6.

Fire service will be provided by the Sparks Fire Department. Refer to comments above under Finding T6. In addition, the City has an agreement with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District for automatic aid to serve this area.

FINDING T11:

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

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

Landscaping:

Conceptual landscape plans submitted with this request show landscaping for typical front yards and common areas such as village entries and landscaping adjacent to the right-of-way (Exhibit 10 – Landscape Plan). Common areas must be maintained by the landscape maintenance association and final landscape plans that conform with the Handbook’s landscaping requirements must be approved by City staff prior to the recordation of a final map (Condition 12).

Architecture:

This project consists of detached single-family homes and attached townhomes. Architectural elevations must be approved by City staff prior to the recordation of a final map (Condition 8).

The developer has not yet designed the homes. House designs must comply with the architectural standards in the Stonebrook Planned Development Handbook.

Regional Trails:

Figure 4-2 of the Comprehensive Plan identifies the trails and pathways network for the City of Sparks. For Stonebrook Phase 2, regional trails are shown east of Village E and through the center of the project site on the eastern side of the drainage and detention basin.

Construction of the regional trail located to the east of Village E will add a missing link that connects regional trail facilities in the Cimarron planned development to the Wingfield Springs planned development. Condition 14 provides the developer options for construction of the missing section as part of the improvements required with the final map.

Construction of the regional trail generally located in the center of the project site will continue the planned regional trail that traverses all phases of the Stonebrook planned development and will connect to the existing regional trail facility located to the east in the Wingfield Springs planned development. Condition 15 provides options for construction of this section of the regional trail system as part of the final map improvements. 

In addition, Condition 16 requires a pathway connection from Fen Way at the southern portion of the subdivision to the regional trail located within the Pioneer Meadows planned development.

Fencing:

Fencing plans that conform with the Handbook’s permanent fencing requirements must be approved by City staff prior to the recordation of a final map. Additionally, the application indicates the model home complex will be gated to prohibit vehicle traffic so that prospective buyers can freely circulate through the model home complex (Exhibit 11 – Model Home Complex).  Trap fencing associated with the model home complex must accommodate emergency access, minimize the intrusion of posts into concrete, and be removed prior to the sale of model homes (Condition 19).

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 posting the agenda for a public meeting. The Planning Commission agenda was posted on October 7, 2020.  The Planning Commission and the City Council meetings function as the public meetings for this item.

1. Council can approve the tentative map amendment as recommended by the Planning Commission.
2. Council can approve the tentative map amendment with changes to the Conditions of Approval.
3. Council can deny the tentative map amendment.
4. Council can remand the tentative map to Planning Commission with direction.

I move to approve an amendment to the tentative map for Stonebrook Phase 2 (STM18-0004) to add 30 lots, increasing the number of lots from 459 to 489, by incorporating townhome units into the tentative map on a site approximately 118.45 acres in size in the NUD (New Urban District – Stonebrook) zoning district generally located east of Pyramid Way and south of La Posada Drive, Sparks, Nevada, adopting Findings T1 through T12 and the facts supporting these findings as set forth in the staff report, and subject to Conditions of Approval 1 through 21.