Commission approves Milnes family major site-plan review with grading, drainage, and tree conditions

The City of Reno Planning Commission approved a major site-plan review (LDC26-00002) for the Milnes family at its Sept. 3 meeting, authorizing grading and access work for a single-residence development within a larger parcel.

Staff presentation: Leah Piccati, associate planner with City of Reno Development Services, said the site totals 146.62 acres but the proposed development and grading are limited to 5.6 acres. The application triggers major site-plan review because fills exceed 10 feet, cuts exceed 20 feet (the project includes fills up to 25.4 feet and cuts up to 29.4 feet), disturbance of a major drainage way, and grading within the Parks, Greenways and Open Space (PGOS) zone to accommodate a 20-foot paved driveway with 3-foot shoulders on each side. Piccati said staff considered an open-bottom arch culvert (22-foot wide) the least-damaging option for crossing the drainage way and recommended approval subject to conditions intended to reduce construction impacts and protect adjacent residential uses.

Applicant presentation and technical details: Eric Hasty of Wood Rodgers said the development area and driveway design are intended to minimize grading overall by rebalancing cut and fill on-site. He described proposed slope treatments (two-to-one and three-to-one slopes with riprap and revegetation where required) and said no retaining walls are proposed in the preliminary plan; final slope stabilization will be determined by a geotechnical report submitted with final grading plans. Hasty clarified the paved portion of the road will be a 20-foot-wide traveled way with three-foot shoulders on each side (total cross-section approximately 26 feet).

Utilities and stormwater: The applicant said utilities will likely come up the driveway and the residence will use sewer or septic subject to state permitting. During construction, best-management practices (straw wattles, silt fence) will control erosion; on-site hydrology and any required retention will be addressed in final grading and site-improvement plan reviews.

Trees, wildlife and public comment: The applicant reported a tree survey identified 92 trees within 500 feet of grading limits and proposed to remove three trees larger than 9 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) that cannot be relocated. A member of the Canyon Pines neighborhood (Sean Lehi) spoke during chambers public comment, raising concerns about removal of old-growth trees, visual and wildlife impacts (raptors), erosion and landslide risk, wildfire response times, and long-term stewardship and public access to the PGOS land. The applicant said he wishes to protect the grove and minimize removals and that he intends to coordinate with the city and adjacent homeowners’ associations on long-term stewardship and pedestrian access while maintaining required easements.

Fire, wildfire mitigation and maintenance: Staff confirmed the site is within the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Piccati said a wildfire mitigation plan must be submitted with building permits and will be reviewed by the Reno Fire Department and the state marshal. Maintenance of the private access easement (including snow removal and emergency access) was addressed through conditions of approval; staff said maintenance expectations had been established when the easement was originally created.

Geotechnical and groundwater review: Commissioners asked whether groundwater impacts would be analyzed; staff said engineering and the required geotechnical report will assess groundwater and slope stability when the applicant files final grading plans and permits. Geotechnical and engineering review is required prior to final grading approval.

Vote and conditions: Commissioner Jacob Williams moved to approve the major site-plan review subject to the conditions in the staff report; Commissioner Compiantini seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Conditions recorded include limitations on construction hours and measures to buffer headlight glare toward adjacent residences; final technical reports (geotechnical, hydrology, wildfire mitigation) and permit-level plans must be submitted and approved during the grading and building-permit processes.

Next steps: The approval authorizes the major site-plan review to proceed into final design and permitting. Staff will review required geotechnical, hydrology, and wildfire mitigation submittals as part of the city’s grading and permitting process.