Commission recommends zoning change and approves tentative map for Moose Ridge with large open‑space component

The Reno City Planning Commission on July 15 recommended that City Council approve a zoning map amendment to SF‑8 and approved a companion tentative map and major site plan for the Moose Ridge project, a hillside development that includes approximately 46 single‑family detached homes and about 20 acres of parks, greenways and preserved open space.

Leah Piccati, presenting for the city, said the applicant returned with a site plan after a prior continuance that had asked for more detailed development information. Staff concluded only about nine acres of the 43‑acre property are developable due to slopes, and that the proposed layout preserves roughly 33 acres as open space or protected areas in the revised schematic. She emphasized conditions intended to control erosion, protect drainage ways, and preserve existing trail alignment.

Dirk Wilson, representing the owner, said the plan reduces disturbance to slopes, preserves access to existing trails and creates a public benefit by providing a new waterline redundancy to the neighborhood and improved fire‑flow connections. "We're developing the easily accessible flat part of the site," Wilson said, adding that prior tentative maps had been approved for the parcel and that the current design is consistent with surrounding uses.

Several neighbors voiced concerns about lot size and zoning consistency. Doug Harland presented a spreadsheet comparing existing Moose Ridge lot sizes (average roughly 9,000 square feet) with the proposed lot sizes (6,000–7,000 sq ft) and warned that rezoning could enable similar changes on adjacent parcels. Steve Nivler recalled prior discussion where commissioners had asked for an R‑5 alternative and criticized the return at an R‑8 (SF‑8) level.

Staff replied that lot size and density are distinct—while individual lots may be smaller, the project’s net density across the 43‑acre site with large open‑space buffers yields roughly one unit per acre overall, less than some neighboring areas when open space is considered. Staff also described drainage and slope stabilization proposals including an oversized box culvert crossing, berms and revegetation plans to mitigate historic erosion.

The commission voted unanimously to recommend the zoning map amendment to council and to approve the tentative map and major site plan subject to the staff‑recommended conditions that address drainage, revegetation, trail access and wildfire mitigation.

Next steps: the zoning amendment proceeds to City Council; the tentative map and major site plan approvals will be implemented under the conditions set by the commission and typical engineering and permitting review.