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Planning commission backs comprehensive plan amendment, forwards rezoning for 2301 Sparks Boulevard
Summary
The City of Sparks Planning Commission on July 9 unanimously adopted a resolution to change the comprehensive plan land-use designation for 2301 Sparks Boulevard from intermediate density residential to commercial and forwarded a recommendation of approval for a concurrent rezoning from MF-2/PUD to Professional Office (PO).
The City of Sparks Planning Commission on July 9 adopted a resolution to amend the comprehensive plan designation for 2301 Sparks Boulevard from Intermediate Density Residential (IDR) to Commercial and voted unanimously to forward a recommendation of approval for a concurrent rezoning from MF-2/PUD (multifamily/planned unit development) to PO (Professional Office).
Staff presented the two linked requests together and recommended approval. For the record, Coe Gallano, planning staff, summarized the requests and how they relate to local and regional planning policies, saying staff believed the change “is compatible with the area surrounding the subject site” and recommended approval of the plan amendment and forwarding the rezoning recommendation to city council. The subject property is a 0.79-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Sparks Boulevard and O’Callaghan Drive developed in 1987 with a commercial building and operated under a special use permit as a child-care facility for roughly 38 years.
The staff report explained why a commercial designation and PO zoning are appropriate. The comprehensive plan change would allow the site to be designated commercial rather than IDR; staff noted the parcel is adjacent to a major arterial (Sparks Boulevard) and to existing commercial centers to the north, including Bering Village Shopping Center. The rezoning from MF-2/PUD to PO would narrow the set of permitted uses compared with broader C-2 commercial zoning but would allow nonresidential uses such as offices, medical offices, personal services and institutional uses. Staff cited transportation analysis supplied by the applicant showing that the previous child-care use generated an estimated 73 AM and 74 PM peak-hour trips, whereas an example medical office use would be estimated at about 21 AM and 26 PM peak-hour trips; city transportation staff reviewed and had no objection to the trip generation letter.
Staff noted conformance with the Truckee Meadows Regional Plan and consistency with the City of Sparks Comprehensive Plan, observing the site is in Tier 1 of the regional plan and is located in an area already served by public utilities. Staff also said the current MF-2 zoning did not conform with the IDR land-use designation and that the concurrent requests would bring the parcel into compliance with the comprehensive plan. A neighborhood meeting was held May 31; staff reported three members of the public attended and expressed concern about impacts from the prior child-care operation. Public notice for the hearings included publication in the Reno Gazette-Journal and mailed notices to 390 property owners within 700 feet of the subject property.
An applicant representative, who identified herself as Anya, told the commission she is pursuing the site to operate applied behavior analysis services and said the building’s previous child-care configuration “is very, suitable for what we do.” Anya explained the intended use is categorized as a medical office and is the reason for seeking the PO zoning.
Commissioners discussed the findings and then acted. Commissioner Pritzos moved to adopt Resolution No. 246 approving the comprehensive plan amendment (BA5-00002) associated with PCN 25-0008; the motion carried unanimously. The commission then opened the separate rezoning public hearing for PCN 25-0008 / RZ25-0002, received no public comment, and voted unanimously to forward a recommendation of approval to city council for the rezoning request. Staff said, if approved on the schedule anticipated, the item would go to regional planning in August, then to Sparks City Council for first reading on Sept. 22 and second reading on Oct. 13.
The commission’s actions change the local land-use designation and send the rezoning to the council for final action; no site-specific development approvals were granted as part of these motions. The record for both requests includes the staff report, trip generation exhibit, comparative use tables (Exhibit 5) and neighborhood meeting notes; staff recommended conditions of compliance and found the PO zoning better matched anticipated traffic impacts than broader commercial zoning.
