Town council backs three 'river catalyst' projects, asks for clearer steps on one parcel

Truckee Town Council on Jan. 28 approved a volunteer steering committee's recommendation to pursue three private "catalyst" projects designed to spur private investment and redevelop properties along the Truckee River corridor.

The River Revitalization Steering Committee (R2SC) and its Economic Vitality action team vetted eight initial proposals and recommended three property owners: the Old Trestle Distilling flagship site adjacent to the new Dobey'Wumame Park, Mark Tanner Construction's East River Street parcel, and the first-phase adaptive-reuse portion of the Truckee River Village at 10855 West River Street. The committee presented the recommendations at the council meeting and urged the town to begin partnership negotiations with the property owners.

"Tonight is about selecting three catalyst projects which would result in the creation of partnership agreements that would come back to town council," said Jeff Munesco, representing the action team. The committee emphasized that the agreements would not commit the town to unrestricted funding; instead, they would spell out mutual deliverables, timelines and the maximum town contribution.

Interview panelist Jason Toups said the committee screened applicants for alignment with R2SC goals, project diversity, 1'to—2'year feasibility and an expressed willingness to collaborate with the town. "Being selected as a catalyst site isn't a blank check. It's about pioneering a new way of working together," Toups said.

Committee members recommended the Old Trestle Distilling location because it would activate the recently completed park; the Tanner parcel for its river frontage and willingness to lead a coordinated east-side effort; and the Truckee River Village for its scope, including planned multifamily housing and riparian restoration on a large West River parcel.

Council members questioned staff capacity to manage multiple agreements in parallel and asked how the town would structure partnership agreements and milestones. Vice Mayor Klobstad requested a gating provision tied to a pending purchase-and-sale agreement for the Old Trestle/"bar" parcel: staff should postpone major investment of resources on that site until the purchase is "signed or declined," Klobstad said. Council and staff agreed that partnership agreements would return to council for approval with clearer commitments and staff-resource estimates.

Town Manager and staff said the agreements would quantify the town's maximum contribution, including staff hours or consultant support, and avoid an open-ended financial obligation.

Outcome: Council voted unanimously to approve the R2SC economic vitality action team's recommendations and to authorize staff to negotiate partnership agreements with the selected property owners, with the stated caveat that the Old Trestle/"bar" parcel requires either a signed purchase-and-sale agreement or explicit confirmation of status before staff shifts significant resources to that site.

Why it matters: The town has already invested tens of millions of dollars in river-corridor infrastructure projects; council and volunteers described the catalyst approach as a private-sector complement to those investments intended to accelerate redevelopment and economic vitality along the river.

What happens next: Staff will begin negotiating partnership agreements with the selected property owners and return specific partnership agreements to council for approval. The R2SC volunteers said they would continue to support other nearby property owners and help reduce staff workload where possible.