TMRPA continues Stonegate (Hines Ranch) regional‑plan conformance review after extensive public comment on water, data centers and infrastructure

The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency on July 7 continued its conformance review of the Stonegate (Hines Ranch) amendment to the City of Reno master plan to the August 4 meeting, asking for additional information from the underlying applicant and the City of Reno.

Chris Tully (Team RPA) presented a lengthy staff analysis of the amendment, which would change approximately 1,767 acres in the Cold Springs/North Valleys area from primarily residential under the previously approved Stonegate PUD to a mix emphasizing industrial uses. Tully said the proposal would substantially increase industrial acreage (to roughly 923 acres in staff figures), reduce the number of residential units from the 2018 Stonegate approvals (from 5,000 units under the earlier PUD to approximately 1,350 in the proposed amendment), and reduce estimated water use, wastewater generation, average daily vehicle trips and student generation in the draft build‑out scenario staff analyzed.

Tully explained the item is a Project of Regional Significance because projected employment under the proposed amendment would exceed the RC‑thresholds used by the agency. He noted the applicants elected to have the application processed under the 2019 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan because the project was submitted to the local jurisdiction prior to adoption of the 2024 plan; the project therefore is being evaluated under the 2019 plan’s RC‑9 criteria.

Commissioners asked extensive technical questions about likely land uses (including whether data centers were expected), water availability and effluent disposal in the closed Cold Springs basin, wastewater treatment capacity at the Cold Springs Water Reclamation Facility, truck vs. passenger vehicle trip generation, and power needs. Jeremy Smith, the agency director, and other staff said the agency had modeled a range of industrial uses (data centers, warehouses, advanced manufacturing) using established square‑feet‑per‑employee conventions; staff estimated that an all‑data‑center build‑out of the industrial acreage would generate relatively few on‑site employees per square foot, but that other industrial mixes would change job and trip totals. Staff also said approximately 314 acre‑feet per year was currently available through Great Basin Water Company dedication for quasi‑municipal use on the site, with additional water rights requiring validation or purchase and state approval.

Public comment was extensive. Reno Planning Commissioner Manny Becerra urged the regional commission to delay action until the City of Reno finalizes a data‑center policy; Becerra said the city planning commission had given the proposal a technical denial and cited compatibility and infrastructure concerns. Former Ward 4 councilman Paul McKenzie and residents including Becky Flannery and others raised concerns about the Cold Springs basin’s water balance, groundwater levels, loss of parks/open space and impacts on wildlife, rural character and traffic. Reno City Council member Megan Ebert told the commission she had met with constituents and emphasized water and open‑space impacts; she also noted additional comment would be provided to the city hearing on East Stonegate.

Great Basin Water Company representative James Eason said Great Basin regulates water service under the Public Utilities Commission and that developers are responsible for all development costs for water infrastructure; he said Hines Ranch’s water rights include senior rights in the basin and that Great Basin’s integrated resource plan should be consulted for basin supply context.

Representatives for the underlying applicant (Hines Ranch Land Company) and…