Information for you.

*CLICK HERE FOR MORE RECENT INFORMATION*

 *** We have defeated these plans before, but they are back with new plans.  See the HOME page for the most current information.



THIS PROJECT IS NOW HISTORY DUE TO THE ACTIONS OF OUR ORGANIZATION ***
PLEASE SEE THE MAIN PAGE FOR THE MOST CURRENT PROJECT PLAN

Reno Gateway Business Park was a LARGE warehouse approved by the
Reno Planning Commission for the south side of I-80 at Exit 7 in Mogul. 

This website is hosted by a cohort of neighbors who were in opposition​ to this project.  
​We filed an appeal which was heard on December 4, 2019 and the Reno City Council approved our appeal.

Washoe County Planning Commission Voted against our wishes
Tuesday, May 3, 6:00 p.m.

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Update:

July 28, 2021

At 7:00 p.m. on July 27, we found out that a request was going to be presented to the Reno City Council to remove the parcels 038-181-01 and 038-172-14 from the City of Reno's Sphere of Influence (SOI).

Five members of the Mogul Neighborhood Association spoke at the Reno City Council meeting in opposition to the removal and cited many of the same issues we noted in December 2019.  Unbeknownst to us, the parcels are under contract to be sold to S3 Development Company owned by Blake Smith.  His lawyer, Garrett Gordon, presented a significantly revised plan.  After deliberation, the City of Reno decided to remove the parcels from the SOI with heavy emphasis on fire emergency services.

The Mogul Neighborhood Association reached out to the lawyer and requested on-going conversations regarding the plans for this plot.  We will also reach out to the Washoe County Commission and the Washoe Planning Commission.  Some of our main concerns are that 1) the county does not require meetings with the neighboring stakeholders (us); 2) these parcels are zoned Industrial use and the builder could change their plans; 3) safety and security are still our highest concerns; and 4) that the development work in concert with the outdoor recreation the area offers.

​Any and all Mogul residents are welcome to help the association through this process.

STAFF REPORT FOR CITY OF RENO - REMOVAL FROM SOI

CITY OF RENO - MEETING AGENDA, VIDEO, MINUTES (not all documents are available immediately)

April 2021
​
The developer and his lawyers ordered a dismissal of the judicial review, and it was agreed on without prejudice. This means that the developer can resubmit another proposal, we don't know when, or how this proposal will look like. (In the formal legal world, a court case that is dismissed with prejudice means that it is dismissed permanently. A case dismissed with prejudice is over and done with, once and for all, and can't be brought back to court. A case dismissed without prejudice means the opposite. It's not dismissed forever.)
 
Apparently, there have been amendments to the City's Development code taking effect in January 2021, and the developer has decided based on that to withdraw the judicial review. Barb has been trying to find out about these amendments to the City's Development Code, and what it means for the lot where the Reno Gateways Business Park has been proposed. We will keep you posted.

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VICTORY TO THE PEOPLE OF MOGUL!
​
Reno Gateway Business Park Denied!

The Reno City Council meeting was standing room-only on the evening of December 4, 2019, packed with Mogul residents. By 9:30 PM, all five Appellants - and dozens of additional residents - had had their say. The Reno City Council did the right thing and voted UNANIMOUSLY to uphold the Appeals of Mogul residents and to reject the Planning Commission's approval of the development. The Reno Gateway Business Park will not be built!

Mogul residents attend the December 4th Reno City Council Meeting.

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​If you were not able to attend the meeting, you may watch on YouTube.  Our part of the meeting starts approximately 9:18:18

Update from our neighbors in Verdi. . .

February 11, 2020

​Hello neighbors,

Hope this email finds you well! As of our last update, we held a congratulatory get together to appreciate the several successes over the past couple months:

Reno Gateway Business Park - Approved by the Planning Commission. Several Mogul Residents appealed that approval to City Council, where the project was denied. Council members shared that this project appears to be a “terrible area” for such a use and would like to see something that would fit better, and not so adversely affect the existing community. NOTE: The applicant has filed suit against the City for this denial. We will keep you updated as this progresses.

Verdi Boat & RV - denied by City Planning (this applicant HAS appealed to City Council to consider - that appeal will be heard this Wednesday by Reno City Council 2/12/2020 at 6pm) There were numerous concerns expressed by residents and commissioners. Mainly Exit 2 and intersections are not designed for this type of use. The Planning Commissioners were not comfortable approving unless they received more information from NDOT on their right of way. Our neighbors need support in ensuring this project is properly mitigated. Please attend if you're able! 

Stan Lucas Mortensen Ranch - received unanimous denials from both City Planning Commission and City Council (on appeal by the applicant). Main issue was lack of infrastructure. 

Due to these denials the City of Reno is seeking input from the community to better outline the Mortensen Garson Overlay District (MGOD). There seem to be a lot of grey areas that need better defining. We will be holding discussion groups and meetings as we work with City Staff on text amendments to bring more clarity to everyone involved. Please stay tuned.

On that note, we wanted to provide a very basic outline of the Mortensen Garson Overlay District (MGOD) in an effort to assist residents with better knowledge of what we are facing. This overlay district derived from Ranch Owners approaching the City of Reno because they wanted to develop their land at a higher density than that required by Washoe County. This resulted in a lawsuit between City of Reno and Washoe County. A settlement agreement for that lawsuit resulted in a handbook, which outlined development in the area. The Handbook was then was converted into the Mortensen Garson Overlay District around 2004. 

In 2012 the settlement agreement and handbook were to expire, so the City of Reno adopted the MGOD in order to retain the development plans. Unfortunately, only a portion of the MGOD was adopted, and without the handbook the plan has some clarity issues (since the handbook has expired it makes development projects very difficult to navigate for the City of Reno Staff).

The MGOD allows for UP TO 3,000 units in the Verdi area, spanning from:

"Planning area 1" North of West Meadows / West of Sierra Canyon (Stan Lucas Mortensen Ranch);

"Planning area 2" North side of Interstate 80 (Garson Road - in addition to what is already there includes: Meridian 120 North, the Verdi Bluffs apartment complex proposed to east side of the warehouses, and a couple additional commercial parcels currently unknown - one was supposed to be a truck stop, but we are not sure if that is still in the works at this time).

"Planning area 3" South side of Interstate 80 (includes Meridian 120 South Villages 1-6, Santerra Ranch and Quilici Ranch)

Meridian 120 South Villages 1-6 is scheduled to be presented to the City of Reno planning commission February 19th at 6pm. The community has already expressed opposition to each Village presentation (1&2, 3&4 and 5&6) requesting they be presented and reviewed as one project, since a) the impact is so great to the existing community and b) this project will ultimately lay the foundation and precedence on the MGOD standards. 

These six villages constitute approximately 545 housing units. The Santerra Ranch (not yet presented) constitutes another 1500 units. Please note, there IS commercial acreage allowed within these projects, however, until we get a true presentation we are unsure what is planned. Additionally, there is still confusion with regards to these number of units since they do not comply with those specified in the MGOD standards.

It is imperative the entire community capture this opportunity to weigh in on concerns and requirements necessary, so they can be considered through the text amendment process and essentially form what will be our future extended community.   

Our residents have been AMAZINGLY engaged in understanding what is planned and fighting to preserve the area that we all love. Together we are making a difference!

Sincerely,
Carly Borchard
Verdi Community Council