Reno planning commission recommends rezoning of vacant Fairfield site to SF5 amid neighborhood safety and drainage concerns

On April 15, 2026, the Reno City Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend City Council approve a zoning map amendment (case LDC26-000060) to rezone a 1.08-acre infill parcel north of Plum Lane from single-family 3 units per acre (SF3) to single-family 5 units per acre (SF5). The recommendation advances to City Council for final action.

Leah Bucatti of City of Reno Development Services told the commission that the parcel has been vacant for roughly a decade, meets master-plan land-use designations for single-family neighborhood, and that most surrounding parcels already reflect densities consistent with SF5. She said the applicant submitted a concurrent parcel map and intends to record a deed restriction limiting the site to four lots, though she cautioned the city cannot enforce private deed restrictions; the zoning change itself would be the city's regulatory mechanism.

The proposal prompted sustained neighborhood opposition focused on access, traffic and drainage. "We do not want a driveway there. Period," said resident Louie Praashe, who lives on the Fairfield cul-de-sac and warned that additional driveways would increase backing movements, congestion and risk for children who play in the street. Rob Stone, another neighbor, said visibility at existing driveways is limited and questioned who benefits from increasing density. Several commenters argued the site can be developed under existing SF3 rules and called the rezoning spot zoning that primarily benefits the property owner.

Applicant representative Derek Wilson and property owner Walker Smith said they had conducted outreach, showed conceptual site plans for four homes accessed from the cul-de-sac and emphasized compatibility with surrounding lot sizes. Staff and the applicant said access directly to Plum Lane is not allowed under current intersection-spacing standards; instead the design proposes a driveway from the Fairfield cul-de-sac with a gated emergency access to Plum. Jason Gillis, a civil engineer, told the commission that historic drainage problems exist at the cul-de-sac but that building the proposed driveway and required on-site stormwater controls would provide a defined outlet and detention to prevent increased off-site flows.

Commissioners asked whether existing easements could create an unintended cut-through to Plum; staff said an existing public-access easement is recorded and explained the city would not allow removal of required access and that any standard access from Plum would have to meet city spacing and safety standards. Commissioners also discussed the deed restriction the applicant offered; staff reiterated zoning controls are enforceable while deed restrictions are private instruments.

After deliberation, commissioners found the requested rezoning compatible with the master plan and surrounding parcels and voted 5-0 to recommend approval to City Council. The recommendation is not a final entitlement; if City Council approves the change, subsequent development will require site-specific plans and building permits that must demonstrate compliance with sight-distance, drainage, parking and public-safety standards.