Sewalla proposes outdoor storage, site upgrades at 2401 E. 5th St.

Cody Myers presented a conditional-use application on behalf of Sewalla (a Stone Group distribution and real-estate business) to allow organized outdoor storage and improved distribution operations at 2401 East 5th Street in Reno. Myers described Sewalla as a western U.S. distributor and real estate owner and said the site would be improved with new landscaping, sidewalks along 5th Street, an ADA ramp, organized outdoor storage at the north end of the site, ecology-block separation between loading and storage, regraded and seal-coated pavement, and full 360-degree exterior security cameras.

Myers said the property includes a 13,400-square-foot warehouse on a 2.17-acre site and that Sewalla intends to relocate a Sparks branch to Reno roughly in an October timeframe. He said the relocation would create warehouse and distribution jobs and add tax revenue, and he showed examples of other Sewalla (Stone Group) property improvements in Portland, Yakima and Spokane to illustrate prior site remediation and landscaping work.

Board members asked about truck circulation and ingress/egress patterns; Myers said the intention is a pull-through truck movement with striping to maintain flow and that there is a second gate along the west side. Maya Johnson asked why a conditional-use permit was required; Myers explained the current zone is mixed-use urban and the use proposed is outdoor storage, which triggered the conditional-use requirement. Claudia Davis asked about the number of gates and back-in/turn movements; Myers confirmed two gates (5th Street and west side) and the plan for pull-through circulation.

No formal decision was reached; the board asked questions and accepted the applicant's presentation and staff will carry the matter forward through regular Planning Commission review. Several board members complimented the planned improvements and wished the applicant luck.