City Council - Regular Meeting

I order the Spark City Council meeting for September 14th with a roll call.

Mayor Lawson.

Here.

Council members Abbott.

Here.

Vanderwell. Here. Anderson. Here. Bybee. Here. Rodriguez. Here. City Attorney Duncan. Here. City Manager Lawson.

Here.

We have a quorum. Thank you.

Okay, our invocation will be done by Pastor Barb West.

Good afternoon. Bow your heads with me and let's pray. Father in heaven, how thankful we are that we can begin this great council with prayer. Thank you, Lord, for Mayor Blossom and for the fine council that you've put together. Pray that you would be with them and give them your wisdom today as they execute the business of Sparks, Nevada. And Lord, we pray over our firefighters and our police force and our first responders and ask you to keep them all safe. Thank you for them and their dedication. be with our school children and our teachers as well, Lord. And Lord, all of the things that are on the agenda for today, we pray that you would instill into each and every council member your wisdom so that they will know exactly how to vote. And we thank and praise you in Jesus' name, amen.

Amen. Ms. Vanderwill, will you lead us in the pledge?

Yes, please join me in the pledge.

and justice for all.

Okay. All right, move into public comment. We have Joan Bowman. It's on. Green light means it's on. Yes, perfect.

Good afternoon. Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you. I am speaking today in opposition to BLOCK AND AXON CAMERAS OF WHICH THERE ARE 86 IN THE CITY OF SPARKS AT THE COST OF $225,000 A YEAR. THE DATA HERE ARE MAINTAINED FOR 30 DAYS AND I BELIEVE THIS IS EXCESSIVE. In the state of Washington, at least eight cities now have turned off their cameras indefinitely, ended their contracts, or cut ties with Flock in response to public backlash. Flock has a national lookup tool that has been used for immigration and abortion-related investigations. Cities in Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, New York, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, Arizona, California, Kansas, and Oregon have cut contracts because of concerns about our privacy. ALPR networks can create long-term records of vehicle movements, raising questions about how that data is stored, who can access it, and whether that information is ultimately shared beyond the local agencies that collect it. There are concerns about federal access to this data, information sharing, transparency surrounding how the technology works, and whether residents were adequately consulted. I know we were not. Police officers have repeatedly abused the system for personal stalking. According to Newsweek, Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin, all have had police officers with allegations of misusing this data. You're fooling yourself if you think we're any better. USA Today reports that it wasn't looked into by law enforcement until journalists started questioning. In sparks, you bemoan our lack of money for a budget, but you're spending $250,000 on these cameras. Whether it's flock or axon, the same problems exist. I don't want to be surveilled. City of, the police chief in Reno said, oh, we only use them for criminals. Well, I'm not a criminal, but you have data on my car license plate. It's make, model, color, location, and time, and that is unacceptable to me. And eventually, it's going to be misused here, and you guys will be liable for violating our civil rights. Thank you for this time.

Thank you. Walt Rosenberg.

Mr. Mayor, council members, our attorney and our city manager and our wonderful clerks, I drive home from Vista Boulevard up Los Altos and then I go up Belmar. And between Vista and Belmar, there are a lot of leaks from the sprinkler systems in the street. And I think it's unfortunate that water's being wasted and that the streets are wet. So I just hope something gets done about it.

You said it right in front of the guy that can make something happen.

Oh, great. Thank you. I'm going to hold you accountable, sir. Thank you so much.

Thanks, Walt. Is anyone else in the public wishing to speak at this time? If none, I'll bring this back to the dais. I'm looking for an approval of the agenda. Mr. Rodriguez. Move to approve the agenda as submitted. Mr. Anderson. Second. Got a motion and a second. Any other discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. Approval of the minutes. Any additional subtractions on the minutes? If not, I'm looking for a motion. Ms. Bybee.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I move to approve the minutes of the Spark City Council meeting for August 24th, 2026 as submitted. Mr. Rodriguez. Yes.

Second. Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. Number seven, announcements, presentations, recognition items, and items of special interest. And we have a proclamation for accent the positive day. You want to come down? And I guess Mr. Abbott is going to try this. I hope you didn't put a lot of big words in there for him.

Everyone's a comedian. And it's accentuate. Accentuate. Just so you know.

Go ahead and have a seat.

Got that jab back? Got it. Hey, Nick. All right, so whereas, I can't make any mistakes now, right? Or else you're gonna be watching. Whereas Truckee Meadows Tomorrow, TMT, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing quality of life in Washoe County through data-driven insights and community engagement, is hosting its Accentuate the Positive event on September 15th, 2026. And whereas essentially the positive is a celebration of the people, nonprofits, businesses, and public agencies working every day to strengthen the social, cultural, environmental, and economic fabric of our community. And whereas on this day, residents, nonprofits, public agencies, schools and businesses are encouraged to share uplifting stories, highlighting positive impacts and join together in spreading optimism and pride in Sparks and across Truckee Meadows. And whereas fostering a culture of positivity grounded in real progress promotes collaboration, builds community pride and inspires continued action towards improving quality of life for all. And whereas the City of Sparks is committed to recognizing and celebrating the good happening in our community and encouraging residents to take part in a collective spirit of optimism and engagement. Now, therefore, on behalf of the Mayor Ed Lawson, the Mayor of City of Sparks to hereby proclaim September 23rd, 2026 as essentially the positive day and sparked and encourage all residents, organizations and agencies to join in celebrating and sharing positive people, stories and progress that make our community thrive.

Give us your name for the record. Say a few words if you'd like.

Hello, Mayor Lawson and members of the Spark City Council and staff. My name is Nick Sheeker. I am the Executive Director of Truckee Meadows Tomorrow. It was a pleasure to speak with you a couple weeks ago, and I really appreciate the proclamation. I think we could all use more positivity in our lives and accentuate the positive is just one of those ways in which we can do so. We are releasing our new version of the Community Progress Report at the event, and I would love to come back whenever the time is appropriate to share copies of that report with all of you to offer some more data insights on how we construct grow a stronger community together.

Thank you. Okay. Any questions from the dais? Donald? No. Something struck his funny bone. All right, well, then I'm going to have you stand over here and you and Donald can take a picture. So we can see the millions of YouTube viewers.

Okay.

Let's move on to consent items. Anyone wishing to pull a consent item? If not, I'm looking for a motion.

Mr. Anderson. Yes, sir. Move to approve agenda items 8.1 through 8.6 as submitted. Mr. Rodriguez.

Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. 9.1, general business, consideration, discussion, and possible approval. of the building officials appointment to the building code board of appeals from the following pool of applicants listed in alphabetical order, Brett McElhinney and Matthew Myers. And this is a tough decision because they're both gonna get appointed. Perfect. They're also renewing.

It's so good. Go ahead, Aaron. Mr. Mayor, council members, I'm Aaron Viviano, your building official. As you're aware, we have a board of appeals. It's a five-member group. Two of those positions are up for renewal. Brett McElhaney is a structural engineer and Matthew Myers is a mechanical engineer. Both the individuals have been sitting in that position for the last two years and they have requested or would like to sit for another two years. So... we make a motion or a move that you support that.

Okay, any questions from the dais? Not, I'm looking for a motion.

Mr. Anderson. I move to appoint Brett McElhaney as the Registered Professional Structural Civil Engineer and Matthew Myers as the Mechanical Engineer or Mechanical Plumbing Contractor to the Sparks Building Code Board of Appeals, each for a two-year term ending September 30th, 2028.

Mr. Abbott. Second. We've got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. Thanks, Aaron. Thank you, everybody. I like those kind of agenda items. 9.2 consideration discussion and possible approval of a forensic services agreement AC-6209 between the Washoe County Sheriff's Office and Sparks Police Department through their respective governing bodies for fiscal year 26-27 in the amount not to exceed $800,000, which includes a $200,000 reduction in fee. Chief, look at you go.

Good afternoon, Mayor, members of council. For the record, I'm Chris Crawforth, your police chief. Item 9.2 is a new contract with the Washoe County Sheriff's Office for forensic services for this fiscal year. The Sheriff's Office has not billed for any use this fiscal year as they awaited Board of County Commission approval, which they received last month before submitting to us. The Sheriff's Office will bill us, if approved today, for charges since July 1st of 2026 and will bill each month after that. As you're aware, the Sheriff's Office completed a billing study during the past fiscal year. The crime lab identified a new billing system that allows us to choose which tests we would like performed based on case need, thus reducing the costs and time required to process evidence. Sparks Police has also worked diligently to limit the number of items that we send to the lab. These combined actions have ensured a stabilization of costs moving into the future for the City of Sparks without a reduction in service. The current contract is based on a use fee and $800,000 has been budgeted within the police department budget for this expenditure. As you may recall, two years ago, the cost was $1 million. A study from the sheriff's office identified an expected annual cost of roughly $600,000 for sparks dependent on our use. Due to the previous overpayment, our city manager and the county manager agreed to a credit last fiscal year and this fiscal year of 200,000 each year to offset the overpayment from FY fiscal year 25. Last fiscal year, the city of Sparks cost for forensic services was 321,000. With the $200,000 credit, the actual cost to the city were 121,000. While this number was lower than anticipated, it is dependent on crime within the city and will fluctuate from year to year. With that, I'll turn it over to you and I recommend approval. I'm here for any questions.

Questions from the council. Ms. Leiby.

Clarify the numbers for me. I just got kind of wrapped up in. We're approving not to exceed 800 because you don't know. You don't know with each case what kind of testing you need to have done. And so we're estimating high and anticipating a lower amount based on the last two years of actual use. Is that right? Okay.

Correct. Looking over the history of our forensic services in roughly the last five years, we would average about 550,000 a year. And that's given a cushion based on what type of crime that we have. Obviously, violent crimes take a lot more forensic services versus property crimes, just the way they are. So yes, we're essentially budgeting high, but we need a few years to see how this works out on top of every year. Just like us, there's inflationary costs for personnel. So I expect it to go up just off that each year.

Okay, perfect, I appreciate that, and I appreciate your work on the new billing system, and that we have the opportunity to bill for what, specifically what we need, not just an overall bill from them that's specific to each crime, and that lowering costs $200,000 means a lot in our budget, so thank you so much, I appreciate it.

Okay, anyone else? All right. Seeing none, then I'm looking for a motion. Mr. Abbott.

I move to approve the fiscal year 2026 to 2027 Forensic Services Agreement AC-6209 between the Washoe County Sheriff's Office and the Sparks Police Department through their respective governing bodies in an amount amount to exceed $800,000. Mr. Rodriguez. Thank you.

We've got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. Thanks, Chief.

Thank you, Mayor.

9.3 consideration discussion of possible approval of an impact fee credit agreement number 31 AC6217 between the City of Sparks and Five Ridges Development Company, providing $513,820 in impact fee credits that may be used for future flood control fees within the impact fee service area one, Amber.

Good afternoon, Mayor, members of council, Amber Sosa, City Engineer. As described for your consideration, this is an impact fee credit agreement that would be between the City of Sparks and the Five Ridges Development Company. Under Ordinance 2157, IFSA impact fee service area number one was established. Within that program, a capital improvement plan has been approved by the city council. These improvements are specific to flood, sanitary sewer, regional parks, and fire station projects to be built to serve the new development within the service area of IFSA number one. As building permits are issued, impact fees are collected to finance those capital improvements. Should a developer build any of those specified improvements, they may be eligible for IFSA credits through an impact fee credit agreement, such as the one you're considering now. Earlier today, under consent item 8.5, an impact fee agreement for Five Ridges Development Company was approved. That agreement allows the Five Ridges Development Company to participate in the IFSA program. The item before you now is the impact fee credit agreement. The Five Ridges Development Company has constructed oversized detention basins and sedimentation basins as flood control facilities within their development. These improvements have been included in the capital improvement plan for IFSA, and they have been deemed to provide regional flood benefits. Should this agreement be approved, the Five Ridges Development Company will receive $513,820 in flood credits that may be used to pay IFSA flood control fees for future permits, again, within IFSA. Staff has reviewed the cost associated with the constructed facilities and have determined those costs to be acceptable. We recommend improvement of this impact fee credit agreement, specifically it's titled agreement number 31, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Questions from the council? No, no. Great presentation. All right, I'm looking for a motion. If there are no questions, Mr. Rodriguez.

I move to approve the impact fee credit agreement number 31 AC-6217 between the City of Sparks and Five Ridges Development Company. Incorporated providing 513,820 impact fee credits that may be used to pay for future flood control fees within the fee service area number one. Ms. Spivey.

I'll second the motion.

Okay, we've got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. Thanks, Amber. Item 10, public hearing and action items unrelated to planning and zoning. Madam Assistant Clerk.

Chief Deputy, thank you very much.

Chief Deputy Clerk. General Chief Jeopardy Clerk, four star.

This is the second reading of Bill number 2860, an ordinance amending Title V of the Sparks Municipal Code entitled Business Licenses, Taxes, and Regulations to redefine the chief license officer, modernize the business license application, denial, appeal, and enforcement processes, update administrative references throughout the title, standardize language for clarity and consistency, and providing for other matters properly related thereto. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Chief Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good afternoon, Mayor Lawson, members of council, Lisa Hunterman, your city clerk for the record. I'm here today seeking adoption of Bill 2860, which is an ordinance amending Title V of the Sparks Municipal Code, which governs business licenses, taxes, and regulations for businesses operating within our city. Title V has not seen a comprehensive update in many years, and over time, a number of provisions have become outdated or misaligned with how we currently operate. The changes span across 26 chapters of Title V, the majority of which standardized language for consistency and do not have any substantial effect. Today, what I will go over is the administrative and process changes that can be found in this ordinance. First, Title V still references the director of finance and the revenue division in dozens of places throughout the code. As most of you know, we haven't had a revenue division in quite some time. This ordinance corrects that across all 26 affected chapters and designates the city clerk as the chief license officer and client relations as the payment location to match our current operations. Next, the review process has been updated to recognize that some business inspections are conducted by non-city entities, as an example, Washoe County Health Department. Also, applicants who receive a recommended denial now have 15 calendar days to correct identified deficiencies before a formal denial is issued. Previously, a denial could only be appealed to counsel with no opportunity for the business to come into compliance. Additionally, the deadline to file a closing statement when a business closes has been extended from five days to 15 business days. And licensees who properly close under this section are exempt from an expired license penalty. Next, a new tiered structure has been created to combine delinquent and expired license penalties for the appeal process. Anything under $5,000, the chief license officer or their designee would review and an appeal of that review would be to the city manager or their designee. Anything over $5,000 would be reviewed by the city manager with an appeal to city council. Also added with delinquent penalties would be a stay of enforcement while the appeal was pending. So the business could still continue to operate and not pay the appeal until the decision has been determined. Any expired license penalties would still need to be paid prior to business operation. One of the biggest changes was a complete restructure of Chapter 5.16, which is the denial, suspension, and revocation process. Previously, everything was intermingled and could become quite confusing. So what we did was we created a new section, which was 5.16.010, which covers the denial of new applications only, then created an additional section 5.16.012, which covers any refusal to renew existing business licenses and a new section 5.16.015, which creates one unified appeal process for all license actions with a 15 calendar day filing window and a city council hearing within 45 days. Any kind of summary suspension is still effective immediately, but we have added a limited appeal to the city manager or designee within 15 calendar days with a 72 hour decision window from the city manager. And email has been added as an equivalent method of service for all notices. Additionally, the outdated cease and desist order process, which was 5.08.045, has been repealed and replaced with a new section notice of violation in order to comply. And businesses now have five business days to achieve compliance with immediate cessation required for any kind of cessation. suspension or summary suspension. And lastly, inspection authority has been expanded to include the chief license officer and room for a future business license compliance enforcement personnel and outdated position references have been replaced with position neutral language. This ordinance does not change any license fees, does not create any new fees and a business impact statement was not required. Staff does recommend the city council adopt bill 2860, That does conclude my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions. And as a reminder, this is a public hearing.

Questions from the council? Okay, no questions from the council. There's a public hearing. Anyone in the public wishing to speak on this item? Seeing none, we'll bring it back to the dais. And we are looking for a motion.

Mr. Anderson. Yes, Mr. Mayor, I move to adopt bill number 2860 in ordinance amending title five of the Sparks Municipal Code entitled Business Licenses, Taxes and Regulations to redefine the chief license officer, modernize the business license application, denial, appeal and enforcement processes, update administrative references throughout the title, standardize language for clarity and consistency and providing for other matters properly related thereto.

Mr. Abbott. Second. Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously.

Thank you.

Thank you. Are you going to come up here and read this public hearing 10.2? Item 10.2.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is public hearing, consideration, discussion, and possible approval of the Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for Program Year 1, Fiscal Year 2025-2026 for submittal to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Casey. Casey.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. I'm Casey Chavala, an administrative analyst with your Community Development Department. And as our city clerk mentioned, this is the request to submit the Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for fiscal year 2526. As many of you may remember, the CAPER is an annual report and submission and the purpose of it is to measure the progress carrying out the city's strategic and annual action plan priorities as identified in the consolidated plan. It documents how CDBG resources are utilized over the program year and evaluates housing, infrastructure, fair housing, homelessness and community services activities. And finally, it identifies the accomplishments and challenges that the city may have faced during the program year, as well as identifies carry forward funds and any other considerations that we may need for future annual action plans. For FY25-26, the city received $739,006 in new entitlement funding. We rolled forward $544,429 from previous CDBG awards and had revolving loan funds of $82,434. And those revolving loan funds come from when a participant in the deferred loan program has sold their home and repaid that loan. The city also had CDBG-CV funds in the amount of $329,844, which left us with a total of $1,695,713 to be used in FY2526. One of the activities identified that we would participate in were pedestrian improvements. And those are concentrated in, excuse me, in an identified low to moderate income census track, primarily located in the Sparks West side. Work includes sidewalk repair replacement, curb and gutter replacement, road repair and replacement, and ADA accessibility improvements. Through the FY25-26 Annual Action Plan, Council approved to have $959,933 allocated towards this type of work. $410,208 was expended, which left us with $549,726 to be carried forward into FY26-27 to support additional pedestrian improvement programs. In FY25-26, the city also continued its partnerships with the Eddy House and Silver State Fair Housing Council. Eddy House was awarded an application of $90,850 to go towards homeless services. And they used that funding towards their transitional living, their new transitional living program. and their aftercare coordination, which supports ages 18 through 24 with moving towards self-sufficiency. They fully expended that $90,000 allocation in those programs. Silver State Fair Housing provides education, outreach, and advocacy in the city of Sparks for fair housing means, and they fully expended their $20,000 allocation as well. As you likely know, the city of Sparks is also a partnering jurisdiction in the Washoe County Home Consortium, which in FY25-26 recommended home funds for three projects and three new affordable housing projects in the Reno Sparks area, including the Reservate Sparks, Summit Heights, and Reno Ave, which resulted in 17 new home assisted units. So looking at our activities in more of a performance perspective, starting with pedestrian improvements, we are going to carry this activity forward as we did not fully expend the allocation made available. As stated before, that remaining 549,000 will be carried forward to FY26-27 to continue those pedestrian improvement activities. Both fair housing and homeless services activities have been marked completed for the FY25-26 fiscal year as there was full expenditure of the allocations through those partnerships we discussed. Now for the deferred loan and emergency repair grant programs, we did see a little bit more challenges on those two programs. We did not have any expenditures as none of the projects had made it fully to completion in that program year. We actually had two deferred loans repaid, which is why you see that positive $52,000. And that will be put into the revolving loan funds category. The challenges did not come from a lack of interest in the programs and we did receive a handful of applications in that FY25-26 year. However, we did see more of a challenge receiving feedback contact from eligible contractors to be eligible to work with these CDBG funds. The contractors must be registered in SAM.gov and we've not been super successful in getting responses from those contractors to complete the requested work. So that's something that staff is continuing to work towards looking to see if contractors are willing to be registered in SAM.gov and hopefully in the current fiscal year we'll see some more completed projects in those two For the planning and administration activity, that is being marked as completed for FY25-26 as we fully extended that allocation towards administration and staffing costs. And finally, the CDBG-CV activity, we had $329,844 allocated towards a new play structure at Deer Park. As of the end of FY25-26, only $184,939.36 of that had been expended. However, as of August of 2026, the remaining has been expended on that project. So it's now been completed. So looking ahead or maybe more accurately at our current fiscal year, on May 26th of 2026, council approved the annual action plan for FY26-27, which identified how new CDBG funds and carry forward funds would be allocated for the current fiscal year. We received $719,425 in new funding and council approved to allocate $958,970 towards a pedestrian or multiple pedestrian improvement projects for this current fiscal year. $153,129 were allocated for the continuance of the deferred loan and emergency repair grant programs, which does include all of those revolving loan funds. Council also opted to continue fair housing and homeless services activities in the amounts of $20,000 for fair housing activities and 87,913 for the homeless services activities. The city has since partnered with Silver State Fair Housing Council and again, Eddie House for this year However, we are looking to issue an RFP for the next fiscal year for those public services, that public service categories to see if we have any other interested parties. And as intended for this CAPER, we are looking to use the FY25-26 performance results to strengthen implementation and improve the alignment between our planned and So we're gonna use those challenges that we've identified and implement some things to make it better for FY26-27. So with that, I've included a recommended motion on the screen. As a reminder, it is a public hearing, but I'm happy to answer any questions that council may have.

Questions from the council. Mr. City Manager, can you send us a memo on this contractor issue? The idea is to keep these people in their homes and your roof's leaking and you get mold, you can't stay in your home. And we can't find a contractor to do some of these smaller jobs. I would like to go twist the right arms.

We can absolutely do that.

Thank you, sir. Okay, anyone else? All right, this is a public hearing. We'll open it up to the public. Any of the public wishing to speak on this item? Seeing none, we'll call it back to the dais. And I am looking for a motion. Ms. VanderWaal.

I move to approve the Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for program year one of five fiscal year 2025-2026 for submittal to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Mr. Rodriguez. I'll second. We've got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Thanks, Casey. Number 11, planning and zoning public hearings and action items. 11.1, Madam Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is public hearing consideration discussion and possible action to adopt resolution number 3502 to certify a comprehensive plan amendment to change the comprehensive plan land use designation from large lot residential LLR to commercial C for a 1.88 acre parcel located at 3940 Pyramid Way, Sparks, Nevada, APN 03518301. PCN 22-0027, MPA 23-0008. Hi, Danny.

Hello, Mr. Mayor and members of the city council. I'm Danny Ray, senior planner. Here to present these three items to you today. If it's all right with you, Mr. Mayor, I would like to propose that these three items be combined into a single presentation since they're all related to the same parcel and the same project.

11.2 and 11.3? Thank you. Thank you.

Although I'll be providing a single presentation today, the council must hold separate public hearings and motions for each item after the findings are presented. So shown here on your screen, the 1.88 acre parcel is located at 3940 Pyramid Way and is shown here outlined in red and is generally located near the southeast corner of Pyramid Way and Disk Drive and is currently undeveloped. A residence once existed on this property, but has been demolished some time ago with some ruins still remaining on the site. Immediately surrounding the parcel is Bureau of Land Management or BLM land, as well as commercial uses in the Sparks Galleria plan development, which is located to the east and northeast of the site. To the east and south of the site is the Wedekin Regional Park, including the trailhead, which is immediately to the east right here. So the applicant has submitted comprehensive plan land use amendment, rezoning and conditional use permit requests to support use of a commercial mini warehouse facility in the subject site. This request seeks to certify the planning commission's approval of the change to the comprehensive plan land use designation of the parcel from large lot residential to commercial. to rezone the parcel from SF 40 single family residential to C2 general commercial, and to obtain a conditional use permit to allow mini warehouse as a primary use in the C2 zone. On May 21st, the planning commission approved the amendment to the comprehensive plan land use map and forwarded to the city council its recommendation of approval for the rezoning and conditional use permit requests. On July 23rd, The regional planning commission determined the amendment is in conformance with the regional plan. So for the comp plan amendment, our first item, the current large lot residential comprehensive plan land use designation or LLR supports single family residential uses up to three dwelling units per acre. The subject site is most immediately surrounded by undeveloped lands with a comp plan land use designation of community facilities, but is near the commercially developed Sparks Galleria plan development and shopping center. The proposed commercial land use designation supports a wider range of commercial and multifamily uses, including but not limited to banks, restaurants, retail, offices, daycare facilities, assisted living facilities, clinics, hotels, motels, parks, personal services, religious institutions, and many warehouses. For the rezoning portion of the request, The existing single family residential or SF 40 zoning permits uses including but not limited to detached single family dwellings with a maximum density of 1.1 dwelling units per acre, home occupations, group homes, in-home childcare, religious institutions, college or trade schools, public or private schools, parks and open space and mining. The proposed C2 zoning district permit a range of residential, commercial, and institutional uses, as well as limited number of industrial uses. Rezoning the site as proposed would increase the number of commercial, institutional, and industrial uses that may establish on the site in the future. Now for the conditional use permit portion of the request, The conditional use permit request seeks approval to construct and establish a 108,900 square foot, four story climate controlled mini warehouse use on the 1.88 acre undeveloped subject parcel. If the comp plan land use amendment and zoning requests are approved, the CUP request would allow for the construction and establishment of a mini warehouse use in that C2 zoning district as a conforming use in that zoning district. The site is currently undeveloped with natural vegetation. The site slopes down from the south to the north from an elevation of 4,605 feet to 4,570 feet and approximately 72% of the site was previously disturbed and is not subject to the standards governing natural slopes in the Sparks Municipal Code. While the project area is presently covered in natural vegetation as is surrounding BLM land, the project proposes to install 10,324 square feet of landscaping area, 23 trees and 138 shrubs. This represents 15% of the parcel. which complies with minimum landscape requirements in the Sparks Municipal Code. Landscaping is utilized on the site, not only for the beautification of the site, but to provide a permeable surface to reduce drainage of drain water runoff into the storm drain systems. The parking analysis identifies 15 parking spaces are needed to serve the project area and they are provided. The applicant submitted a trip generation letter, which identifies trips associated with the mini warehouse use. According to this letter, the mini warehouse use on the subject site is anticipated to generate approximately 158 average daily trips, 10 a.m. peak hour trips, and 16 p.m. peak hour trips. Mini warehouse is traditionally a very low trip generating use. A sanitary sewer main is located on disk drive north of the site, however, the distance to connect to that main exceeds 1000 feet sparks municipal code requires new development connect to sewer facilities that are located within 300 feet of a site. While it is possible to connect to sewer facilities within disk drive, it is impractical. Staff and the applicant have worked with the Northern Nevada Public Health, or NNPH, and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, or NDEP, to obtain permission to install a septic tank to serve the proposed mini warehouse use. Staff believes a septic tank is appropriate in this specific instance to serve a mini warehouse use that is estimated to generate a minimal 200 gallons per day of sewage. Proposed architecture for the four story building, it's well designed and sensitive to the 20 foot change in elevation from the grade at Pyramid Way to the grade of the Sparks Galleria Shopping Center east of the project site. If the conditional use permit request is approved, the proposed mini warehouse building is required to conform to the development standards in the Sparks Municipal Code for commercial districts. Those development standards require commercial buildings include articulation on all four sides of the building, pedestrian scale features on the first floor level, and articulated roof lines. The preliminary architectural elevation submitted by the applicant comply with these standards because they include considerable vertical and horizontal articulation and a variety of building materials, including stucco, brick, veneer, and aluminum accents that provide visual interest to the proposed mini warehouse. The proposed colors are not only compatible with the surrounding terrain, but also the nearby shopping center. And the mini warehouse use proposes to be constructed at a height of 48 feet and four inches in height at the roof line in compliance with the SPARC municipal code that limits total building height to 60 feet. For reference, a typical two story single family residence is 30 feet in height. And this is the Northeast elevation. This is the Northwest elevation as seen from disc drive. You can see how the building's design follows the change in elevation in the terrain as it directs toward Pyramid Way. The full height of the building is seen here from the direction of say Sprouts. However, the massing of the building is further reduced by the L-shaped Southeast elevation as seen from that Sparks Galleria Shopping Center. This is the Southwest elevation in the view from Pyramid Way. You can see how the building is intended to be four stories in height, but from Pyramid Way oncoming from the South, it looks to be two stories in height, reducing the massing in general. So this concludes the background and analysis of the three applications before you today. There's a total of 12 findings that must be considered by the City Council. between the three applications. In addition to the analysis provided in the staff report and this presentation, I've grouped the required findings to better reflect the similarity of the various findings as they apply to the project as a whole. So findings for conformance and consistence. Requires conformance with the Truckee Meadows Regional Plan and consistency with the city's comprehensive plan. Supporting CP1, CP2, Z1, and C1 and C3, the proposed commercial land use designation would reflect the existing land use pattern by creating a new commercially designated area adjacent to Pyramid Way. a major arterial and state highway near its intersection with disc drive and would provide an opportunity to establish a range of commercial office, lodging, entertainment, institutional, and multifamily residential uses similar to the existing commercial land use designation in close proximity to the site. The proposed mini warehouse use will provide additional commercial activity on the largely commercial area off of Pyramid Way and provide a service to the community. For these reasons, staff believes the findings related to conformance and consistency can be made. Went too far, sorry. The findings on this slide focus on compatibility and surrounding development. Supporting CP3 and Z2, rezoning from SF40 to C2 would allow a range of residential, commercial and institutional and entertainment uses to establish on the site either by right or with an approved CUP provided impacts to the surrounding neighborhood can be mitigated. This range of uses is compatible with the mix of land uses surrounding the site, which are generally commercial and multifamily housing products. supporting C2 and C4. The architectural elevations for the building incorporate many of the development and architectural standards described in the Sparks Municipal Code commercial districts and found throughout the city's commercial shopping centers. The architectural design reflects that which is near the project site at the Sparks Galleria Shopping Center while also maintaining individuality in color treatment. Landscaping is utilized on the site, not only for the beautification of the site, but again, to provide a permeable surface to protect the storm drain systems. Staff therefore believes the proposed mini warehouse use is compatible with adjacent properties due to the site design that is sensitive to the terrain and incorporates landscaping and the building design that is consistent with Sparks Municipal Code and the Sparks Galleria Shopping Center. And finally, in support of CP2, Z3, and C5, public notice of both the Planning Commission and City Council meetings was published in the Reno Gazette Journal on May 5th, and again on September 1st. Notices of both the Planning Commission and City Council public meetings for this item were also provided to 54 owners of property within 750 feet of the subject site on May 5th and on September 1st. So again, I'd like to remind the City Council that a separate public hearing is required for each item and open in successive order. After the public hearing for each item, City Council will take possible action. So I've provided the first recommended motion, which is for the comprehensive plan amendment, which must be the first item considered, and changes to the comprehensive plan land use designation from large lot residential to commercial. Then the rezoning, which must be the second item as it is dependent upon certification of the comp plan amendment and changes the zoning from SF 40 to general commercial C2. Then lastly, the conditional use permit as a decision of the council is dependent upon approval of both the previous items. Approval of the CUP would allow the construction and operation of the mini warehouse use. This does conclude my presentation. I'm here for any questions as is the application, the applicant, excuse me.

Questions from the council on any of the three items? Oh, Ms. Vanderwill, sorry. She's playing by the rules and I wasn't. That's okay.

Thank you, Danny. The only question I do have is regarding the septic tank. So if at any time the sewer line comes close enough for them to hook up, are they required to hook up?

No.

Okay, thank you.

Mr. Rodriguez. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just want to confirm, how would the motoring public access, would this just be strictly coming from the east to westbound side of disk.

Let me get back to that. There we go. So it would be only off of disk. There will not be any separate access from Pyramid Way. So it would be right in only. Right in and right out. Yeah, down here. There is an easement. One of the reasons why this project was originally submitted back in 2023, but there was issues with the easement across the BLM land. That easement needed to be widened, and that was quite a lengthy process with BLM. It took about a year and a half.

Okay, so I just want to, I guess my question, sorry if it was confusing. So the only way to access to that road to the storage unit is going to be going eastbound off of DISC. That's correct. Okay, so like traffic, because I know I can kind of get a bottleneck there. People are coming from DISC going towards Pyramid. There's not going to be like another intersection or turn lane. Okay.

No, sir, there isn't. But I would like to reflect back in the presentation in the trip generation letter, there's only 10 peak hour trips.

Yeah, just my concern is people trying to do U-turns or whatever. So yeah, thank you.

Mr. Anderson. Not a question, Danny, but I just want to say thank you for working with the applicant. Likewise, appreciate the applicant. This is a unique piece of property and it looks like it's going to be a very nice fit for that piece there. So thank you for your work.

I remember seeing this a few years back, so glad to see. It's a good project. All right, this is a public hearing. Anyone in the public wishing to speak on this item? Seeing none, we'll bring it back to the dais. We're gonna vote on 11.1. So I'm looking for a motion on 11.1. Ms. VanderWaal.

I move to adopt resolution number 3502, certifying a comprehensive plan land use amendment to change the comprehensive plan land use designation from large lot residential to commercial for a 1.88 acre parcel at 3940 Pyramid Way based on findings CP1 through CP4 and the facts supporting these findings as set forth in the staff report.

Mr. Rodriguez. Second. Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. Madam Clerk, let's read 11.2.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is second reading public hearing discussion and possible adoption of bill number 2859 to rezone a 1.88 acre parcel located at 3940 Pyramid Way, Sparks, Nevada, APN 03518301 from SF 40 single family residential to C2 general commercial.

Okay, questions from the council on this item? All right, this is a public hearing. We'll open it up to the public. Anyone in the public wishing to speak on this item? If none, we'll bring it back to the dais and I'm looking for a motion.

Ms. VanderWaal. I move to adopt bill number 2859 to rezone a 1.88 acre parcel located at 3940 Pyramid Way, Sparks, Nevada, APN 035-183-01. from SF 40, single family residential, to C2, general commercial based on findings Z1 through Z3, and the PAC supporting these findings is set forth in this staff report.

Mr. Rodriguez. I'll second. We've got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Most carries unanimously. Madam Clerk, 11.3.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is public hearing, consideration, discussion, and possible action on a request for a conditional use permit to establish a 108,900 square foot mini warehouse use on a 1.88 acre... Site located at 3940 Pyramid Way, Sparks, Nevada, APN 03518301 in the C2 General Commercial Zoning District. PCN 22-0027, CU 23-0008.

Okay, questions from the council on 11-3? Seeing none, just a public hearing. Anyone in the public wishing to speak on this item? We'll bring it back to the dais, and I'm looking for a motion. Ms. VanderWaal.

Move to approve CU23-0008, a request to allow the establishment of 108,900 square foot mini warehouse use at 3940 Pyramid Way based on findings C1 through C5. And the fact supporting these findings is set forth in the staff report subject to the 11 conditions of approval as listed in the staff report.

Ms. Bybee.

I'll second that.

Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. You sticking around for 11-4? All right, 11-4, Madam Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is second reading public hearing discussion and possible adoption of bill number 2862 for modification of a final approved plan for the Sparks Galleria plan development to one, modify development standards applicable to gasoline service stations permitted in the RCSZ. R-C-S-O-2-B land use designation located at the southeast corner of Shoppers Way and Galleria Parkway that contains the Costco fuel station by increasing the number of fueling dispensing nozzles from 18 to 24 and creating sign standards specific to gasoline service station canopies. And two, clarify the convenience store service station definition. And three, add sign standards applicable to convenience store service station canopy signs. The Sparks Galleria plan development includes approximately 133 acres generally located east of Pyramid Way, north and south of Disc Drive, and west and east of Galleria Parkway in the NUD New Urban District Sparks Galleria Zoning District.

Good afternoon, Mayor and council members. For the record, Kobe Belano with the City of Sparks. My apologies for the long title there. This item is a request to amend the Sparks Galleria Development Plan Design Standards and Regulations Handbook to increase the number of allowed fuel dispensing nozzles from 18 to 24 and clarify sign standards for the Costco Fueling Center, which is located in the handbook's RSC02B land use designation and called out in the handbook as a gasoline service station use. The proposed handbook amendment also seeks to clarify the definition for a convenience store service station and add sign standards applicable to convenience store service station canopies. The Sparks Galleria plan development encompasses approximately 133 acres in North Sparks and is outlined in blue. The Costco site shown in red is surrounded by commercial uses to the north and west and residential uses to the east and south. The Costco fuel station is located within the bottom left corner of the Costco site. City Council initially adopted the Sparks Gallery handbook in June of 2004. You may recall there was an unrelated amendment to the handbook approved by Council earlier this year pertaining to outdoor storage on the Home Depot site. Submitted concurrently with this request is an administrative review to allow for the expansion of the existing Costco fuel station. The proposed expansion would allow for the addition of six new fuel dispensing nozzles, increase the size of the fuel station canopy from 5,282 square feet to 7,321 square feet and allow for the construction of a new 40,000 gallon underground gasoline storage tank. The administrative review is currently under review by staff and the approval of that administrative review is contingent upon the proposed handbook amendment request today. The proposed modifications to the Sparks Galleria handbook seek to first increase the number of fuel dispensing nozzles from 18 to 24 and add sign standards applicable only to the R-SCO2B land use designation that applies again to the Costco fuel station. The handbook does not currently have clear sign standards applicable to gasoline service station canopies. As proposed gasoline service station canopy signage will be limited to one sign in 20 square feet in area on each side of the canopy with a maximum total of four building signs. Staff find the proposed sign standards for gasoline service stations are appropriate given the limited individual size of each sign and the location of the existing fuel station of Costco. The request also seeks to distinguish traditional convenience stores with fueling stations from the gasoline service station use that is currently associated with the retail membership warehouse or Costco, as well as add sign standards that apply to canopies for standalone convenience stores with a service station. The handbook allows for convenience store service stations to be constructed in various land use categories within the plan development. As previously referenced, the clarification of the land use terminology contained within the commercial land use matrix as shown on the screen is from the handbook. Specifically, the term service stations is proposed to be revised to convenience store service stations. Again, the convenience store service stations are a standalone use that you would see with a typical Maverick, Extra Mile, Quick Stop, et cetera. The proposed sign standards for convenience store service stations within table 20 are consistent with the existing wall sign standards for pad tenants in the plan development, limiting convenience store service station wall signs to two and establishing a maximum sign area of one square foot per linear foot of building furniture. Excuse me. With the background and analysis concluded, I'll transition over to the 10 required findings. Staff believe the requested modifications to the Sparks Gallery handbook to increase the number of fuel dispensing nozzles, clarify service station uses and specify canopy signage for both convenience store service stations and gasoline service stations are consistent with the comprehensive plan because the proposed modifications will facilitate continued support of commercial areas in an area plan for commercial uses since 2004. promoting compact development in a location where infrastructure such as sewer, water, storm drains, and police and fire services are available, supporting Goal MG6, Policy CF1, and Goal CC1. The proposed changes do not alter the type, location, or size of development allowed in the Sparks Galleria plan development and therefore are not anticipated to adversely impact surrounding uses or the surrounding community's ability to enjoy the land abutting or across the streets from the Sparks Galleria Commercial Center. Oops. A fiscal impact analysis was not required with this amendment because there is no proposed changes to density requirements or land use. This amendment is intended to support the increased demand for fuel at the Costco fuel station and clearly specify use and signage standards applicable to both convenience store service stations and gasoline service stations. As part of this review process, staff worked with the developer to come up with an improved vehicle stacking configuration that combined the additional fueling nozzles with the combined additional fueling nozzles that should reduce wait times for local residents. Staff believe that these proposed standards are consistent with the original intent of the plan and the proposed amendments will further the mutual interest of residents, property owners, and the public by supporting commercial activities that are consistent with the original plan. And finally, as proposed, the changes do not benefit any one person and will allow any interested party to pursue development within Sparks Gallery in accordance with the handbook making finding PDI. For finding PDJ, a total of 487 notices were mailed to all owners within the Sparks Galleria plan development and within 750 feet of the plan development boundary on September 1st, as well as published in the Reno Gazette Journal on August 27th. As of today, staff has received no public comment for this request. Staff believes findings PDA through PDJ can be made and the planning commission recommends that the city council adopt the proposed amendment to the Sparks Galleria handbook. Thank you. And with that, I'm available for any questions as is the applicant.

Questions from the council. I don't think six is enough, but my wife sits in that line every weekend. No questions from the council. All right. There's a public hearing. Open it up to the public. Anyone in the public wishing to speak on this item? Seeing none, we'll bring it back and we will look for a motion. Mr. Rodriguez.

I move to adopt bill number 2862 to amend the final approval plan for Sparks Galleria, plan development PCN 15025-PD26-0004 based on the findings PDA through PDJ and the facts supporting those findings as set forth in the staff report.

Mr. Abbott. Second. Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Motion carries unanimously. Thanks, Colby. All right, how do we handle 11-5, Madam Clerk?

I will read it into the record and then Kobe will present. This is consideration, discussion, and possible action on an appeal of the Planning Commission's approval of a conditional use permit to allow for an unlisted use retail and wholesale recycling center within a 24,000 square foot tenant space, Suite 102, that is part of a larger existing industrial building with associated outdoor storage on an 18.49 acre site Located at 650 Vista Boulevard, Sparks, Nevada, APN 03727237. In the I, Industrial Zoning District, PCN 26-0005, CU 26-0006.

Mayor and council members, for the record, again, Kobe Guano with the City of Sparks. This item is for an appeal of a decision by the Planning Commission to approve a request for a conditional use permit to allow for an unlisted use or a retail and wholesale recycling center within an existing industrial building located at 650 Vista Boulevard. On July 16th, the Planning Commission approved this conditional use permit unanimously subject to eight conditions of approval. On July 24th, the city received an appeal from a nearby property owner of the planning commission's decision. Following that appeal, staff prepared a staff report and sent out public notice for the city council meeting. As such, the notice was published in RDJ and mailed to 164 property owners on September 1st. On September 8th, last Tuesday, the city received a letter from the appellants withdrawing the appeal and the opposition of the conditional use permit. No action is needed for the item given the withdrawal of the appeal in opposition. However, given noticing has been issued, a public hearing must still be held for the item. Thank you. And with that, I'm available for any questions.

Questions from the council? Okay. There's a public hearing. Do you want to open it up to the public? Anyone in the public wish to speak on this item? If not, we'll bring it back. And there's a no vote on this one since it's a reduction... Retraction. Okay. Let's move on to public comment. Do you have any public comment, Madam Clerk? Anyone in the public wishing to speak? Okay. Let's move on to announcement from the Mayor, City Council, City Manager. Mr. Manager, do you have anything?

No, sir, Mayor. Thank you.

Okay, let me start with Ms. Vander Wells. She has a prepared statement.

Thank you.

Thank you. I'd like to ask the city manager to direct staff to prepare an agenda item for the September 28th city council meeting to consider sponsoring an amendment to the Truckee Meadows regional plan to remove all parcels south of clean waterway from the spark sphere of influence.

Okay, got that Mr. Manager. Yes, sir, thank you. Ms. Bybee.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I would like to just thank all the staff that assisted in our 9-11 ceremony on Friday. I organized on behalf of the city with Dave Sousa with Nevada Veterans Memorial Plaza. So both groups working together, but really from the city side, fire... Thank you, Chief and Chief and your teams for coming in, especially fire, you know, your ladder truck with the flag. We had the joint honor guard from police and fire, parks and recreation and all the work that Raquel and her team did to set up and take down. And it was everything I had hoped it would be. It was a beautiful morning. We had about 150 to 200 people there. I had General Ron Bath as our keynote speaker who had been at the Pentagon that morning. His words were inspiring. I shared the story of the flight attendants on flight 11 that a lot of people don't know. And it was just a great, great morning, including our World War II Sparks resident, Tony Pagano, gave our Pledge of Allegiance. He is amazing. He's 101.

101.

101.

Does not look anywhere near it.

Just turned 101. But it was a great morning, a great remembrance after 25 years, remembering, never forgetting 9-11, and I think our community stepped up, but couldn't have done it with all the help from all of our team as well, so thank you.

Anyone else? Okay, it was a great ceremony. We'll have to do it again next year. just for that reason, it turned out very, very well. All right, we're going to my favorite subject, we're adjourned.