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TMRPA updates: Pine Middle School closure, school-review policy discussions and data center tracking
Summary
Washoe County School District reported a planned closure and rebuild at Pine Middle School, the board heard that jurisdictions are pursuing more public review of school projects, and TMRPA staff said they are tracking data center proposals and compiling contextual data on power, water and land use.
Washoe County School District trustees told the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency governing board that Pine Middle School will close after the 2025'26 school year and the district will rebuild the site as an elementary school; the board also heard updates about regional efforts to standardize review of school projects and staff work to track data center proposals.
A Washoe County School District board member identified only in the transcript as "Ms. Smith," speaking during the board report, said the district voted to close Pine Middle School following the upcoming 2025'26 school year and plans to rebuild an elementary school at the site. "We will be rebuilding a new school at that site. It will be an elementary school to serve that immediate area along with other adjacent neighborhoods," Ms. Smith said. The change, she said, appears in the district's facilities modernization plan and the regional five'year plan. She also announced a forthcoming groundbreaking for the rebuilt Stead Elementary School.
TMRPA staff reported work on a separate but related topic: how jurisdictions review and approve new school projects. Dr. Jeremy Smith said staff convened stakeholders and is pursuing consensus on whether and how the region should use a "project of regional significance" (PRS) mechanism or other guidance to create consistent expectations for school approvals. He said staff has been holding small-group meetings with school developers and planners and hopes to bring a recommended approach to the board after additional meetings and a larger reconvening before the April meeting.
Board member Sandriola reported that the City of Reno recently amended its Title 18 regulations to require planning-commission review (rather than a staff-level review) for school applications that exceed a student threshold (discussed in the meeting as 400 students). "We decided to just take the bull by the horns and require schools of a certain size to come before our planning commission so that the public could have an opportunity...to register their support or concerns," Sandriola said. She encouraged other jurisdictions to consider similar thresholds and clarified the change applies to all schools regardless of governance model.
Separately, Dr. Smith reported TMRPA is tracking data-center proposals and approvals at the request of the Regional Planning Commission. Staff are collecting contextual data on energy demand (reported as comparisons to household energy use), water consumption and land-use intensities to help jurisdictions evaluate proposals and compare them with other industrial uses.
The board received the reports; there were no formal votes attached to these informational items.
