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Sun Valley CAB unanimously signs letter backing Protect grant for Sun Valley Boulevard improvements
Summary
The Sun Valley Citizen Advisory Board voted unanimously to sign a letter of support for an application seeking federal resiliency funds to rebuild Sun Valley Boulevard, a multiagency effort planners say could fix drainage, add pedestrian safety features and transfer the road to Washoe County.
The Sun Valley Citizen Advisory Board voted unanimously Feb. 1 to sign a letter supporting an application for a federal "Protect" grant to rebuild Sun Valley Boulevard.
The motion — moved and seconded on the floor and approved by voice vote — backs a multiagency plan led by the Regional Transportation Commission and Washoe County to address chronic flooding, drainage and pedestrian-safety shortcomings on the corridor. Paul Nelson, government affairs officer for the RTC, said the proposal would combine Protect grant funds, NDOT participation and local contributions to overhaul the roadway and hand the route to Washoe County after reconstruction.
"This grant is specific to resiliency when it comes to weather events and natural disasters," Paul Nelson said, describing frequent flooding on the corridor and saying the project is a top regional federal priority. Nelson said the grant would cover roughly half the project, NDOT would contribute a significant portion and the county would fund design and an estimated local share.
Why it matters: Sun Valley Boulevard is a state-owned corridor that residents identified repeatedly as a local hazard: poor drainage, limited sidewalks, few safe crosswalks and heavy traffic. Nelson and county staff said the project is large — they referenced tens of millions in infrastructure and drainage work — and includes multimodal upgrades such as sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, bus stop improvements and potential park-and-ride or bus pullouts to reduce on-street conflicts.
County Manager Eric Brown described the plan as a major investment and said the county has been working with RTC and NDOT to secure state and federal money. "This is a big step, and a big investment in this community," Brown said, noting the scale of drainage and infrastructure work that officials estimate will be required.
Public comment at the meeting focused on safety and transit access. A resident urged stronger, brighter crosswalk warnings and lighting; another asked that bus pullouts and shelters be included so stopped buses do not block traffic. An RTC representative said pedestrian facilities and drainage are part of the corridor concept now under design.
The CAB's signed letter of support will be included in the RTC-led grant application, due Feb. 24, according to Nelson. Residents who wanted to provide additional, brief testimony were invited to speak with project staff after the meeting; the CAB chair noted testimony would strengthen the application.
Votes at a glance: The board also approved routine items earlier in the meeting, including the minutes from Jan. 4, 2024 (motion, second, unanimous voice vote). The Feb. 1 motion to sign the Protect grant letter carried by unanimous voice vote.
The project remains in the design and environmental phase; RTC staff said the work will continue through future public meetings and design milestones and that more detailed plans will be posted on the project's public webpage for comment.
