Reno City Council approves alley abandonment sought by Reno Housing Authority after hours of public comment

The Reno City Council on Aug. 13 voted to approve a requested abandonment of a 6,197-square-foot public alley in Midtown, clearing the way for the Reno Housing Authority (RHA) to merge the alley into parcels it owns on both sides of the right-of-way.

Council’s action followed a multi-hour public hearing that included a staff presentation, detailed questions from council members and more than a half-dozen neighborhood speakers who said the alley is an important neighborhood asset and raised concerns about parking, density and public safety.

City planning staff told the council the alley was dedicated to the city by tract map, that RHA now owns all directly affected parcels and that the alley contains utilities (telephone, electric, storm drain and sanitary sewer). Jeff Foster, associate planner, said public safety agencies had no objection and that staff’s required finding — that the public would not be materially injured by the abandonment — could be made.

RHA’s representative, JD Klippenstein, told the council the authority seeks the abandonment to allow a more usable project area and to provide flexibility to increase on-site amenities such as parking, which will make future financing for an affordable-housing project more feasible. Klippenstein said RHA purchased the property about a year ago and has committed to additional neighborhood outreach and to producing a conceptual design before submitting financing requests.

Neighbors urged the council to deny the request or delay action until a full project plan and parking and traffic analyses were available. Speakers described the alley as part of the historic neighborhood character, said alleys provide delivery and waste access, and warned that development could remove a buffer between single-family homes and larger multifamily buildings. Several asked that any change be tied to firm limits on height, density and on-site parking.

Planning consultant and local resident Isaac Morrison warned that recent code changes that increase density bonuses for affordable housing could materially increase units on the site if the alley area were included in the zoning calculation. He asked council to cap unit counts and require at least one parking space per unit as a condition of any abandonment. Foster and RHA staff said existing zoning and overlay rules (including the Plumas Corridor overlay) constrain height and other development dimensions; RHA also said its current concept envisions roughly 40–45 units and that the property carries an affordable-housing deed restriction tied to its purchase funds.

Council members pressed RHA for clearer commitments to neighborhood outreach and for the authority to bring a conceptual plan back to residents before pursuing financing. RHA said it is expediting selection of an architect and intends to present a concept for community review by late fall or early winter. Council members also confirmed that subsequent development review (a minor conditional-use permit for 20–99 units) would be subject to staff review with 750-foot public notice and the opportunity for further public comment.

After discussion, Vice Mayor Taylor moved to approve the abandonment; Councilwoman Durer seconded. The motion carried without recorded opposition.

What happens next: If the abandonment order is recorded it reverts the public alley to the adjacent parcels and would allow RHA to merge the area into the parcels it already owns. Any subsequent development will be regulated by the city’s land-development code, including zoning, parking requirements and any applicable overlay standards. If RHA or any future owner seeks greater deviations such as additional height beyond overlay limits, those actions would require public review and, in some cases, Planning Commission or council review or could be appealed under the code.

Neighborhood concerns and staff commitments: Multiple neighbors said they felt the project was being advanced without sufficient detail and asked council to require a return with a conceptual design. RHA committed to additional neighborhood meetings prior to financing and to consider limits on height and parking as part of the design. Planning staff confirmed public notice procedures and appeals paths for any subsequent land-use approvals.

The council’s approval was the city’s final determination that the city finds no material injury to the public from abandoning the right-of-way; the order must be recorded within 12 months to complete the abandonment process.

Ending note: The city’s approval clears a necessary procedural step for RHA to pursue an affordable-housing project on the Midtown parcels, but council members and RHA staff said the community-design stage remains critical and pledged further outreach and more detailed plans before construction permits are sought.