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Governing board approves Sun Valley tier change that could allow up to 68 more units
Summary
The board adopted RPA 26-002 to change an 18.4‑acre Sun Valley site from tier three to tier two, aligning with a Washoe County master plan amendment; staff said the change could allow a maximum increase of 68 dwelling units and that utilities and trails connections are planned.
The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Governing Board on April 9 approved RPA 26‑002, a regional plan amendment to reclassify an 18.4‑acre site in Sun Valley from tier three to tier two to align with a Washoe County master plan amendment, staff said.
Nick Kusha, a policy analyst with the agency, told the board the county approved and sponsored the master plan amendment and that the requested tier change would enable a higher maximum density under tier‑two rules. "Moving to tier two does allow for a maximum density of up to 30 dwelling units per acre," Kusha said, noting that the county's suburban residential land‑use designation for the parcels would allow a conceptual maximum of 196 units — "a 68 dwelling unit increase over what is currently allowed on site."
Staff said public facilities and services are available: the Sun Valley General Improvement District was identified as having adequate water and sewer capacity for the site. A conceptual traffic analysis for a hypothetical 168‑unit development estimated about 1,132 average daily trips and reported that no roadway improvements would be needed to accommodate that increase, staff said. Natural‑resource constraints were addressed in the staff report: steeper slopes on the southern portion of the site are to be designated open space and development is prohibited there, and proposed connector trails are intended to link Lewis Allen Elementary School to Red Hill open space and the future Sun Valley Rim Trail.
The Regional Planning Commission had recommended approval and staff recommended finding RPA 26‑002 in conformance with the 2024 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan. The board briefly reopened the public hearing for comment (none were received), then moved to adopt the resolution (denoted in the meeting as RPGB resolution 26‑02) and the motion carried.
Staff and several board members noted past precedence for tier changes nearby, including a tier amendment tied to the Chocolate Drive Affordable Housing Project in 2022; staff also said the amendment is not itself a project and no final development plan has been submitted.
