Sparks residents urge council to reject Northeast Connector and housing plan at Red Hawk Lakes

Dozens of Sparks residents urged the City Council on Monday to oppose a proposed Northeast Connector road and a separate application that would replace Red Hawk Lakes Golf Course with nearly 800 homes, saying both projects would harm neighborhoods, schools and wildlife.

During public comment, Dean Sater, a Diamondback Court resident, said a feasibility study projects 2,600 vehicle trips per day at La Posada and warned that the prospect of connector roads has already reduced property equity for hundreds of homeowners. “There are 450 plus homes in this HOA alone that could be affected,” Sater said, arguing the study does not address noise, health impacts or environmental harms and that buyout funds are not in place.

Neighbors echoed those concerns. Rebecca Nimsgern, a Wingfield Springs homeowner and former Washoe County teacher, asked the council to halt plans that would destroy a lake and add 764 homes, saying local schools (Van Gorder and Sky Ranch) are at or near capacity and further growth would strain education resources. Tom Sazinski, also of Wingfield Springs, said the Red Hawk Lakes proposal contradicts the neighborhood’s 1994 master‑plan vision and estimated property‑value impacts in the “neighborhood of 10 to 25%.”

Former Regional Transportation Commission official Steve Burley and other speakers criticized the Northeast Connector for increasing traffic, noise and pollution; Burley cited research on health risks for people living within about 1,000 feet of highways. Valencia Ray and others also challenged public notice and mapping for the RTC’s “Level 2 screening corridors,” saying an existing route (Wingfield Hills Road) was omitted from the map distributed to residents.

A few residents proposed alternatives: Justin Euhart pitched a gondola system as a rapid, low‑emission way to move workers off I‑80, arguing it could be built faster than major highway projects. Several speakers urged more comprehensive master planning, careful traffic‑mitigation measures, and greater community notification before major corridor decisions move forward.

The presentation and comment period did not include a staff recommendation or a council vote on the connector or the Red Hawk Lakes proposal; city staff later continued with the agenda. The council did not take formal action on either proposal during the Jan. 26 meeting.

What’s next: Residents asked staff to give fuller study of traffic and health impacts, to ensure accurate maps and outreach, and to follow the city’s master‑plan process for substantive land‑use changes. Any formal application or staff recommendation would return to council for public hearings and potential votes.