Board approves amended fencing conditions for Eagle Canyon North flood-control site to deter OHV use

The Washoe County Board of Adjustment on June 5 approved an amendment to conditions for the Eagle Canyon North permanent flood-control facility, replacing previously required boulder barriers with a split-rail fence and related measures intended to deter off-highway vehicle (OHV) use.

Courtney Weick, senior planner with Washoe County, told the board the project spans about 10 acres in the Spanish Springs planning area and that the Board of Adjustment originally approved a special-use permit (WSUP21-0027) in 2021 for major grading and improvements to an existing flood control facility. Staff found that OHV use persisted after the original conditions were applied, and the applicant requested amendments to three conditions that had required boulders or a chain-link fence.

Weick described the agreed replacement: an extended split-rail fence, reinforced with steel bollards or posts at key access points, at least four feet in height, with lockable gates and Knox Box emergency access approved by the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District. "The split rail fence will serve as an effective barrier and provide a more desirable design for the adjacent community," Weick said. She also reported the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony expressed interest in alternatives to boulders and agreed to participate in the fence solution; the colony's planning director provided a letter of support and work-share with Robeson Engineering on design.

Homeowner representatives at the meeting said the cost of the flood-control improvements was taken by special assessment of homeowners. Jacob Lamont, a board member for the Eagle Canyon North Homeowners Association, said maintenance and cost sharing are still being finalized: "The cost of this project is being bared by all of us homeowners... We both, I've been to meetings with Reno Sparks Indian Colony's planning department. We've established a very good working relationship," Lamont said. He estimated the project's value and impact on homeowners were large, mentioning a figure "somewhere in the neighborhood of $800,000" for the flood-control project and that some homeowners paid "just under $600" as a special assessment; he did not provide exact counts.

Board member Leo Harishni moved to approve the amendment of conditions for case WAC25-0003 (modifying WSUP21-0027 conditions); a second was recorded and the motion passed unanimously. Planner Weick said staff and the applicant provided a site plan and that the amended condition was reviewed by all applicable agencies; approximately 54 property owners were noticed and staff reported no written public opposition.

The amended conditions require no boulders on the boundary with Reno-Sparks Indian Colony land, construction of the split-rail fence as described, nonreflective materials, and documentation of Knox Box emergency access. Weick said long-term maintenance responsibility would be between the permit holder and the property owner, and that code enforcement could require compliance if the fence was not maintained.