The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Governing Board voted Oct. 9 to reverse the Regional Planning Commission's prior determination of nonconformance and found that the City of Reno's proposed Stonegate (Hines Ranch) master-plan amendment conforms with the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan.

The vote came after a full afternoon and evening session of the Regional Planning Governing Board (RPGB), extensive public comment from Cold Springs and North Valleys residents, presentations by regional and city staff, and an appeal filed by the project sponsor following the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) decision earlier this year.

Why it matters: The amendment would change land uses on roughly 1,767 acres in Cold Springs, north and south of U.S. Highway 395 and west of White Lake Parkway, shifting large portions of the property from residential-focused designations to industrial and commercial uses while retaining open space. Supporters say the change reduces projected water, sewage and student impacts while increasing jobs and fiscal returns; opponents warned it could stress an already constrained closed basin and change the area's character.

Staff presentations and appeals

Regional planning staff, joined by City of Reno and applicant representatives, reviewed the procedural history: the property was annexed and planned previously; a 2018 planned unit development (PUD) for about 5,000 homes was approved years ago but never built; the applicant submitted a master-plan amendment (MPA) and rezoning to allow about 1,350 dwelling units plus extensive industrial and commercial acreage. City staff and the applicant argued the amendment would reduce water demand (the applicant estimated roughly a 60% reduction versus the PUD), lower expected sewage disposal (about 44% lower), cut daily trips (roughly 17'percent in staff estimates) and reduce student generation (about an 82% decline from the 5,000-home PUD estimate).

Kim Rigdon, program manager for the Western Regional Water Commission, and Joanne Smith, director of engineering and capital projects for Washoe County, described an ongoing Cold Springs water-balance analysis. Rigdon said the region prioritized a basin-level study because Cold Springs is a closed basin and because planning should consider groundwater, surface water, wastewater disposal and stormwater together. Joanne Smith said consultants (Stantec) are building a combined surface-and-groundwater tool and running six initial scenarios, and that the study will inform infrastructure timing and options for recycled water use.

Public comment and community concerns

More than three dozen people addressed the governing board in person or online. Most public commenters opposed the MPA, citing water scarcity, sewage and recycled-water impacts, wildfire and emergency-access concerns, increased heavy truck traffic on local roads, and the possibility of data-center development.

Several commenters cited water figures during their remarks. Barry Levinson, a Sierra Club volunteer and retired physician, said the proposal could put "250 acres" or more into data-center use if the site hosted large campuses and warned of cooling-water needs; Levinson referred to the regional staff and TMRPA materials in making his point. Others repeated estimates from different presenters: the Great Basin Water Company was described in public testimony as having 314 acre-feet of water available immediately; Mr. Levinson and others cited staff analyses that projected the earlier PUD would require roughly 2,500 acre-feet while the amended plan would need about 1,000'acre-feet (applicant representatives disputed the underlying assumptions but acknowledged the amendment lowers modeled residential demand relative to the PUD).

Several speakers asked the board to delay action until the Western Regional Water Commission's Cold Springs study is complete; the study is expected to continue into 2026. "Approving industrial expansion now before this study is completed would be premature," Colin McGinnis of the Sierra Club told the board. Others emphasized quality-of-life issues. "We are a small, tight-knit rural area," Caroline Sekula said in online comment. "We are not a dumping ground for massive tech infrastructure that drains our limited water supply."

Applicant and city responses

City of Reno and applicant representatives (Wood Rogers on behalf of Stonegate Hines Ranch Land Company) urged the governing board to accept staff conclusions that the amendment conforms with the regional plan's five-factor test. City and applicant presentations said the amendment: (1) shifts the site away from a large-scale residential PUD and therefore lowers school and residential-service projections; (2) would not automatically remove the existing public-safety agreement from the PUD but could require modification if future development proposals change; (3) anticipates phased, developer-funded infrastructure improvements and possible use of reclaimed effluent to help offset basin demands; and (4) would increase jobs and projected fiscal revenues regionally.

Stacy Huggins, principal planner for Wood Rogers, told the board the applicant owns adjudicated water rights on site (the presentation stated Stonegate holds roughly 1,700 acre-feet of rights) and that the amendment "does not require importation to serve the amended land use". Huggins also said that larger hyperscale data-center campuses are unlikely given existing power constraints discussed with NV Energy, though smaller 'or '"boutique"' data facilities could still be proposed later and would require separate permitting.

Board action and next steps

After extended board questions and discussion, the RPGB voted to reverse the RPC's Aug. 4, 2025 determination of nonconformance and to find the City of Reno's Stonegate master-plan amendment in conformance with the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan. The motion passed following a roll-call vote; board members expressed differing views during deliberations, with some citing the narrow legal scope for regional conformance review and others urging more community outreach and caution about basin-level water impacts.

What the vote does and does not do

The RPGB action is a conformance determination under regional planning statutes; it does not approve any specific project, building permit, or data-center facility. Any future use proposed on affected parcels will require separate entitlements under Reno municipal code, including conditional-use permits where required. Several speakers and board members noted that future project-level reviews remain the venue to examine specifics such as stormwater design, wastewater-treatment capacity, on-site fire protection and traffic mitigation.

Ending

Board members and staff said the Cold Springs water-balance study will remain a key input for future reviews of development proposals in the basin. Multiple members urged applicants and local officials to continue direct outreach to Cold Springs residents and to pursue design and infrastructure commitments that address community concerns. The RPGB also approved a 30-day contract extension for the agency director so the board could complete personnel business at its December meeting.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke at the Oct. 9, 2025 RPGB meeting and are identified in the meeting record.