shooting range, wildlife habitat protection, “That land piece gets nominated by the trails, road connectors and a school site. local jurisdiction,” Solaro explained. “[Then] “It’s a way to wrap this up in one place that land then goes to the Bureau of Land ... and has been used successfully in a Management, and they do a full review of number of counties,” Netherton added, also whether that land has characteristics they’re citing a need to preserve wilderness areas comfortable with being sold. Stakeholders especially as growth continues at a rapid can then say, ‘this makes sense’ or ‘it doesn’t rate in Washoe County. make sense.’ If it doesn’t make sense, then Both ranchers and wilderness advocates that piece dies. It does not get sold.” said such growth represents “death Solaro said the lands bill may by a thousand cuts” for their never see the light of day. The interests. three local governments have Top of mind for already passed resolutions in “As you can urbanites is housing support of the process, and imagine, there are a affordability and Solaro stressed that there the availability of will be full-blown public lot of people that have residences. Goals meetings for people to interest in how these lands outlined by local provide input before a are designated at the federal governments for the bill gets to Congress. lands bill emphasize Getting everybody level.” these issues, as well to agree on what it Dave Solaro, Assistant Washoe as encouraging infill should look like is County Manager development and preservunlikely, though. ing open spaces. “We are going to get to A number of federal a point where, hopefully, we parcels around the Reno area have enough consensus that the have already been identified for these federal delegation says, ‘OK, if the local purposes. entities bring something to us, we’ll push it across the finish line,’” Solaro said. “We are certainly not going to be able to please WHAT’S NEXT everybody.” Ω Any federal lands transferred for potential development will need to undergo federal review. It’s not a simple matter of giving a city Learn more at landsbill.org acreage and watching a development pop-up.
Goin’ up
One of the University of Nevada, Reno’s newest dorms has begun to take shape on Virginia Street, next to the Little Waldorf Saloon. The new structure is the brainchild of New York-based developer Park7 Group, and will be called “Park Place Reno.” Early planning by the group states that the new dorm will house over 700 students. PHOTO/MATT BIEKER
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