[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6382585,"mediaKeyId","2126660-9ebe131dfe04aba70d8cfec7cf347f14","parentId",2126660,"title","Reno Planning Commission denies North Valleys data center, approves downtown Keystone data center amid public concern over water and energy","audioSeconds",9118,"startMs",750000,"endMs",9868000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2126660-9ebe131dfe04aba70d8cfec7cf347f14&start=750&end=9868","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2126660-9ebe131dfe04aba70d8cfec7cf347f14/thumbnail_750000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6382585/Nevada/Reno-Planning-Commission-denies-North-Valleys-data-center-approves-downtown-Keystone-data-center-amid-public-concern-over-water-and-energy","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382585-4f9d53c9f7adc4343f199b6dca2c3e0f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143167&Signature=mwRZpg7M9LlH8tb3~9SzAgDu3lZLb225pombs8CWaZvg6vlMiiGGFJB12A3rvZ-r9VKhiGRBW8mSrLBrwJCAFkw45iMwQtm8EaRvmw3eMfaW5~CCzh9PFhG1qYQy8PyoT7vcYS8YyTQVR23YFoa5GlktwwALcDoOu7HkyIQza2aidXpU8Rb5hdyzGwKXMjgTVkx4MSDwRCHQvoIcpWSoJqySS7sjSnXbBcEpQx-mkqGiy6VTXJUrjvdD5iluHe~WYy3Qld4j1Cv0Wj7xDWnbwjwgycmm7oXYrEedU7DXTcFJJVEwHqfzVxZtnZK~HiOMQ6gYasqukeJbiw1pVnK7zQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-01-16T01:28:07Z","article","The Reno Planning Commission on Jan. 15 denied a conditional use permit (CUP) for a proposed Oppaden data center in the North Valleys and approved a separate CUP for a Centra interconnection data center at 265 Keystone Avenue. Commissioners split on whether the projects meet municipal standards for compatibility, public services and long-term public welfare.

The commission's denial of the Oppaden proposal followed public comments from conservation groups and residents emphasizing data centers’ unique demands for electricity, water and sewer capacity. Olivia Tanager, executive director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, said she appealed the commission's earlier approval of a web data center and urged caution: \"Data centers require an extreme amount of both energy and water by several times more than a standard warehouse,\" she told commissioners during the meeting's public comment period.

The commission later approved Centra’s Keystone project, a two‑story, 91,000‑square‑foot interconnection facility that Centra and its consultants described as an \"interconnection\" center that will host fiber and telecom carriers and serve local businesses. Centra CEO Chris Wiesler said the project would use minimal water because it relies on air‑based cooling and that the company will install on‑site rooftop solar and EV charging infrastructure as part of its sustainability commitments.

Why it matters

Both proposals were evaluated under the Reno municipal code's CUP standards and the city's master plan policies. Opponents argued that approving large, resource‑intensive facilities while the city and region are still finalizing policy for data centers risks straining water and power systems and shifting costs to ratepayers. Supporters and the applicants said the projects bring investment, jobs and infrastructure upgrades and that some sites are more suitable for data centers than other industrial uses that could occur on those parcels.

What the commission heard and decided

Public commenters — including residents, local environmental advocates and an architect who said Reno should demand energy neutrality — urged moratoria or stricter city rules on data centers until city council or utilities complete broader planning. Olivia Tanager (Sierra Club) raised concerns about the Swan Lake sewer basin and said the Oppaden project would generate \"a substantial amount\" of wastewater discharge. Several speakers urged commissioners to require self‑generation of renewable energy and battery storage to reduce grid impacts.

Staff presentations described each project’s site design, noise and lighting mitigation, and requested conditions. Jeff Foster, the city’s associate planner, told commissioners that data centers are now a defined use in the municipal code and that both proposals meet zoning criteria for conditional use permits subject to conditions. For Oppaden, Foster noted a generator yard, proposed acoustic mitigation and that the nearest residentially zoned property was about 1,400 feet away; applicants proposed a staged build‑out and phasing for power and water use.

Oppaden (North Valleys) — denied

- Applicant: Oppenet Investment Company (presented by Dylan Rusk)
- Scope: 60,000 sq. ft.; initially described as 5 MW critical IT load with phased growth to 8.2 MW total (applicant materials list 8.2 MW total request / 9.2 kVA in some documents)
- Water use cited in hearing: ~7 acre‑feet per year (applicant confirmation during questioning)
- Staff conditions proposed: limits on truck arrivals, noise and generator testing, screening and landscape mitigation, and a 36‑month extension window for permits tied to wastewater and utility coordination
- Commission vote (CUP LDC25‑0022): motion to approve failed on roll call (Commissioners Becerra: No; Delviar: No; Romyer: No; Villanueva: No; other commissioners voted in favor on the motion but the motion did not carry). Outcome: denied. The transcript records concerns from several commissioners about finding 4 (public services and facilities) and the project’s impact on regional resources.

Keystone (downtown) — approved

- Applicant: Centra (presented by Chris Wiesler and Josh Hindow)
- Scope: 91,000 sq. ft., two stories, 6.67 MW total power capacity; day‑one use estimated at 3 MW; Centra presented the project as an interconnection hub that will not use evaporative (water‑intensive) cooling
- Water use represented: company stated it will use \"almost no water\" beyond domestic fixtures; city counsel recorded project domestic demand as roughly 1.8 acre‑feet versus 7 acre‑feet for the Oppaden project
- Sustainability commitments presented: rooftop photovoltaic system (applicant offered to install as a condition), EV‑ready conduit and level‑2 chargers, low‑flow fixtures, low‑VOC materials, construction waste diversion, and a smoke‑detection fire‑suppression design intended to reduce firefighting water demand
- Staff conditions proposed: noise mitigation to reduce impact below existing ambient nighttime levels, limits on truck movement times, generator testing restrictions, security fencing and landscape screening
- Commission vote (CUP LDC25‑0026): motion to approve passed (roll call: Becerra: Yes; Delviar: No; Romyer: Yes; Villanueva: No; Draculich: Yes). Outcome: approved.

Commissioners’ reasoning and record

Commissioners who voted to deny Oppaden cited uncertainties about water and sewer capacity in the North Valleys basin and questioned whether the project’s impacts could be distinguished from other allowed industrial uses that could be built by right on the same parcels. Commissioners who voted to approve Keystone emphasized the differences in cooling technology and site design — the Keystone proposal used air cooling (no evaporative water cooling) — and pointed to Centra’s rooftop solar commitment, noise mitigation, and the site’s history as an underutilized downtown parcel in need of redevelopment.

What remains unresolved

Several commissioners and many public commenters asked city council and staff for clearer, binding standards for data centers, including: (1) thresholds for when projects require more rigorous utility planning review; (2) standard sustainability conditions (solar, battery storage, limits on water‑intensive cooling); and (3) clearer notice and appeal procedures for administrative interpretations that classify new use types. Staff said city council recently adopted Title 18 text updates incorporating data center standards and that staff would bring utility partners and NV Energy to future meetings for briefings. Commissioner suggestions included a formal resolution from the commission asking council for an expedited city‑level policy review.

Quotes from the meeting

\"I appealed the decision this body made to approve the CUP for the web data center in December... Data centers require an extreme amount of both energy and water by several times more than a standard warehouse,\" said Olivia Tanager, executive director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter.

\"We have a waterless cooling system so we're not using any water,\" said Josh Hindow of Kimley‑Horn on behalf of Centra during the Keystone presentation.

\"I encourage the commission to delay the approval of any new data centers until the city has finalized an ordinance governing data centers,\" said Barry Levinson, a volunteer with Sierra Club, during public comment earlier in the meeting.

Ending

Both projects remain subject to appeal to Reno City Council. Staff and several commissioners signaled they will request presentations from NV Energy and the regional integrated resource planning partners, and several commissioners proposed asking council to develop more explicit, citywide guidance before more large data‑center proposals move forward. The commission’s split votes reflected an unsettled balance between downtown redevelopment goals and regional resource planning concerns.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Reno City Planning Commission | January 15, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Reno Planning Commission on Jan. 15 denied a proposed Oppaden data center in the North Valleys and approved a separate Centennial/ Centra Keystone data center near downtown, after hours of testimony about water, sewer and long‑term energy impacts.","taxTitle","Planning Commission , Reno, Washoe County, Nevada","taxId",69271,"location","Nevada","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6382575,"Planning Commission recommends City Council approve zoning change for Western Road property in Ward 4",0,5760000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2126660-9ebe131dfe04aba70d8cfec7cf347f14&start=5760&end=5760","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2126660-9ebe131dfe04aba70d8cfec7cf347f14/thumbnail_5760000.jpg","/articles/6382575/Nevada/Planning-Commission-recommends-City-Council-approve-zoning-change-for-Western-Road-property-in-Ward-4","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382575-a6ae16818c447ee91e69127a261b1cbe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143167&Signature=LBMt9IPTMkpeYw2i53jnwcwjNh5sjI4mtqF6IzPAL3jCHbSPGZTRrzMzibEXpFPZQnYJEetS4ekSGIvtLf2UGNrmjpYFTW7fDWCuIVI3dvYHgnjt3zm-oMbyxaNi8ilRZemPjMOJJI6jap47n~ODHeyf-3RZ9v7DOput6vp-ufUNa27HWITZi6P2Bnvwc-n06UXJ3sINfHWrAVJu2HaxVCH4av77XgOSeSfi6H3L5aFMUiN4hF4rLzjQCEzpcZ8rxt1wEQxKInGnw913RLY1Ti7wkZ6BJ0Op9MnhQxgRvv9rxD0PI0r-2TG9jjSVRNFBt-FTofK7a1r64oo9592w2A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning Commission unanimously recommended that City Council approve a zoning map amendment changing a 0.83‑acre parcel at 900 Western Road from SF‑3 (three units per acre) to SF‑8 (eight units per acre). The change would allow smaller single‑family lots consistent with adjacent SF‑8 zoning to the north and south.

Staff presentation and public comment

Jeff Foster, associate planner, explained the site history: a circa‑1940 single‑family residence on an underutilized lot adjacent to Panther Valley Estates. Foster said SF‑8 zoning is already present on many nearby parcels and that the requested change would not conflict with the master plan land‑use designation for single‑family neighborhood. He noted Ward 4 NAB comments asking for preservation of mature trees and care for drainage and easements.

Heidi Schenk, a nearby resident and Panther Valley neighbor, presented a slide showing potential lot configurations and said she feared narrow \"spaghetti lots\" and drainage impacts in the part of the parcel where an irrigation ditch and easement exist. The applicant’s representative said the owner intends to explore options but that additional detailed subdivision proposals would come back to the commission as required.

Commissioner discussion and action

Commissioners noted that a zone change is a map amendment and that specific development proposals (tentative maps, subdivision layouts) would be reviewed later and could be conditioned. Commissioner comments encouraged the applicant to preserve mature trees where possible; the applicant’s representative said the owner intends to try to preserve vegetation.

Motion and next steps

A motion to recommend City Council approve the zoning map amendment (case LDC25‑0024) passed unanimously. Staff said the item will go to City Council for final action; neighborhood outreach and any future tentative map would be subject to additional public review and engineering review at the building permit stage.

Ending

The Commission’s recommendation does not authorize immediate redevelopment; it changes the allowable zone and leaves specific lot layouts and infrastructure requirements to later discretionary review and public notice.","Commissioners recommended approval of a zone change from SF‑3 to SF‑8 for a 0.83‑acre parcel at 900 Western Road, aligning the parcel’s zoning with adjacent SF‑8 properties and enabling potential subdivision; commissioners noted neighborhood concerns about tree preservation and lot configuration.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6382580,"Planning Commission approves L&H Concrete conditional use permit for outdoor storage on North Virginia Street",2083,4980000,7063000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2126660-9ebe131dfe04aba70d8cfec7cf347f14&start=4980&end=7063","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2126660-9ebe131dfe04aba70d8cfec7cf347f14/thumbnail_4980000.jpg","/articles/6382580/Nevada/Planning-Commission-approves-LH-Concrete-conditional-use-permit-for-outdoor-storage-on-North-Virginia-Street","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382580-19a912e16a26e3471f5de7f5a179c6ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143167&Signature=kexUVfLwaVS4k0XmqhRjgFZ-5agFz3J9RxQhYUuvlk92EYdgLldZddtxpl0iPmdDZvF19a6X-k~0jqt-B7H0kJHWtiG2woM79wSs5gR5x~T~iQh~OgD6-ph6lkJUevBomzh5fg-MtddS8Wm8GDNg6rdHqICHJMb3akxuxR8M~2qNWQpxKz-N8dA9YqSMOw0HLzaenoZAZNVRVV52P0fb9NDw46xSGiLRfqz8L38y8MANFA9hyBEtUwcvP03c2OxfOQ7qgkUJnPo4R8H~ijAbPUvg-c4X2gWBbCde1TqlKbePn6qsyEKEk546S~byrCiL9Geahu69gOt6vImk7q8Ujg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Reno Planning Commission on Jan. 15 voted unanimously to approve a conditional use permit for L&H Concrete to operate an office, shop and outdoor storage area on a 6.69‑acre parcel along North Virginia Street.

Staff presentation and applicant description

Nathan Gilbert, principal planner for the city, said the site is master‑planned for industrial uses and that the outdoor storage portion required a CUP because of proximity to residential zoning and the mixed‑use suburban zoning district’s standards. Gilbert said the nearest residentially zoned parcel is about 330 feet south across a railroad parcel and recommended conditions to limit business hours to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., require perimeter landscaping, and screen outdoor storage with walls or solid fencing.

Applicant Veronica Barton and owner Matt Long said the project would demolish dilapidated outbuildings and construct an 8,300‑square‑foot office and shop while reserving the rear area for outdoor storage. Long told commissioners the rear portion of the lot would be used for future RV and boat storage, and that gate access would be locked to prevent 24‑hour access. Barton emphasized the company’s local employment and community support.

Key conditions and findings

The permit includes conditions that:
- Limit hours of business activity and construction (proposed 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. day operations and restricted construction hours).
- Require perimeter landscape buffers meeting mixed‑use suburban standards and a 35‑foot buffer between sidewalk and building.
- Require solid fence/wall screening around outdoor storage and pretreatment (sand/oil) separators for any on‑site drains.
- Allow a gravel surfacing of the storage yard with paved drive aisles as required by engineering standards.

Commission action

Commissioner Villanueva moved to approve the CUP subject to staff findings and a memo amending condition 6 to allow limited security lighting, and Commissioner Manny Becerra seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters

The approval formalizes an existing contractor operation at the site while adding conditions designed to reduce impacts on nearby residential zones. The permit explicitly disallows on‑site concrete production or other higher‑impact industrial operations without a separate entitlement. The engineering manager confirmed the rear storage area will be gravel surfaced with design measures to capture oil and runoff.

Local context

The property has a history of unlicensed outdoor storage and past entitlements that lapsed. Applicant materials state roughly 60 of L&H’s 65 employees live in the North Valleys area, and the applicant emphasized local employment benefits.

Ending

The decision is subject to appeal to Reno City Council within 10 business days. Building permits and standard engineering requirements (including pretreatment devices for runoff) will be required at the development stage.","The commission approved a conditional use permit allowing outdoor vehicle and equipment storage for L&H Concrete on a 6.7‑acre parcel along North Virginia Street, subject to conditions including hours limits, landscape buffers, lighting controls and gravel surfacing for the storage yard.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Reno Planning Commission denies North Valleys data center, approves downtown Keystone data center amid public concern over water and energy

Planning Commission recommends City Council approve zoning change for Western Road property in Ward 4

Planning Commission approves L&H Concrete conditional use permit for outdoor storage on North Virginia Street