What’s Developing in the Sierra Nevada?–A Community Planning Blog

In order to increase dialogue related to planning and development in the Sierra Nevada, Sierra Business Council presents this blog, an ongoing, online discussion, about projects and development issues in the region. We invite you to participate by posting comments as a way to be involved in the community planning process.  (Note that your email address will not be published)

Our first featured project is the Truckee Railyard.

Looking southwest across rail yard site with downtown on far right

Redevelopment Discussion

In the Sierra Nevada where towns historically sprung up around gold mines, mill sites and rail yards, recycling of defunct industrial lands is now a golden opportunity for infill development. Adjacent to downtown cores, these areas are ripe for redevelopment and lie waiting to enhance the vitality of our small towns.

Redevelopment of brownfields has accelerated in California in recent years. In Sacramento, the much publicized Railyards project has been approved, and in the bay area, the first phases of west Oakland’s Central Station are nearing completion. Community input and dialogue is underway about future redevelopment of a former mill property in Fort Bragg. And the Eureka Balloon Track redevelopment area has a number of similarities to the Truckee Railyard site.

Historic Rotary Snow Blower used to plow Sierra railroad tracks in years past

The lumber mill on the edge of historic downtown Truckee closed in 1989. The site had originally been used for operations of the transcontinental railroad. In 2002, Sierra Business Council, long a promoter of efficient use of land, infill and sustainable development, teamed up with the Town of Truckee and the California Center for Land Recycling to identify key stakeholders critical to advancing the reuse of Truckee’s vacant mill site. Out of this effort came funding for a Railyard Master Plan through the California Sustainable Communities Grant and Loan Program.

In 2004, when Holliday Development purchased a significant portion of the Railyard site from Union Pacific Railroad, a partnership was formed with the Town of Truckee, called the Truckee Railyard Partnership, to jointly plan the future of the site.  The Draft Truckee Railyard Master Plan was released in November, 2007.

The Truckee Railyard Master Plan moves forward this month with the Public Review Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) released on November 6th.

The opportunity is huge right now to effect appropriate changes to the Railyard Master Plan.  Get your suggested edits to the Town as soon as possible. The Town Council and the Planning Commission may give direction for changes to the Public Review Draft at the May 13th Workshop ,  starting at 6 pm at Town Hall.  There are a lot of big issues to discuss, so the Town needs your help in checking  the details. Especially look at Chapter 5,  Development Standards and Guidelines, and Chapter 10,  Master Plan Administration.  The meeting is designed for the Council and Commission to address the big issues, so it would be best to suggest changes to details in writing. The Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to hold a public hearing to consider recommending adoption of the Master Plan on May 27th, unless that date is changed at the Workshop.

the site looking from the east

A community workshop on the Revised Economic Impact Anaysis for the Railyard will be held on Thursday, April 23rd at 6 pm at Town Hall.  Following a brief update from staff on the Railyard Master Plan Process, a presentation will be made by Strategic Economics on the revisions to the economic analysis based on public, commission and council comments in January.  The Planning Commission will accept public comments and questions regarding the economic analysis plus make their own.  The list of January comments is available along with the staff report for the workshop.  Official comments must be made directly to the Planning Commission, but post a comment here to share with other members of the public–and invite your friends to join the conversation.

Adoption of the Truckee Railyard Master Plan may be considered at a June 18th public hearing tentatively set before the Truckee Town Council.

The Final EIR and Revised Economic Analysis will soon be released.  The Town has set a public review timeline for the Truckee Railyard, which includes 3 workshops prior to a tentative  May 27th Planning Commission Public Hearing and the tentative June 18th Town Council Public Hearing for Master Plan Adoption and EIR Certification.

An April 23rd Workshop is scheduled on the Economic Analysis. An April 30th Workshop is scheduled on changes to the Master Plan concerning mass, scale and traffic. Another meeting is scheduled May 13 to focus on Council/Commission discussion on recommendations for the final Master Plan version.

Truckee is at a Crossroads

All aboard! Let’s get a discussion going here.  What changes should be made to the Master Plan? Share your thoughts by clicking “Post a Comment”.  Note:  your email address will not be published.

View Larger Map

Here’s where Donner Pass Road swoops to the left heading east out of downtown. Navigate the map to imagine a straight alignment of the road which continues parallel to the railroad tracks and to Church Street. Imagine pedestrians, bicycles and cars traveling back and forth between the historic Downtown and the new Railyard development. What would a pedestrian friendly streetscape look like here?

Did Main Street become a cliche as it was pitted against Wall Street during the presidential debates?  The majority of us don’t live on either street, but if you had your choice to live on a Main Street, what would you want it to be?  What is it about  Main Street that is so attractive?  Does Downtown Truckee have that appeal?  Could development of the railyard site help achieve that Main Street feel? Click on the arrows in the  Urban Advantage picture above and visualize what the Truckee image might be!

The re- alignment of Donner Pass Road into a “T” configuration has become a T-Bone of Contention.  The fear is that new Railyard businesses will steal customers from the historic district.  Some see the existing easterly swoosh of Donner Pass Road as a luge course dumping cars right into Commercial Row.  And they see the proposed “T” as a design to divert traffic to the new stores.  The question is, how many customers arrive from the east and how many of those do not know where the old town is?  Who arrives in historic Truckee from the east?–certainly folks from Glenshire and Olympic Heights, from Prosser and Grays Crossing, from Sierraville.  And if a new tourist coming from the east on i80 exits at signs for Sierraville and Lake Tahoe and actually finds Donner Pass Road, chances are they will find Commercial Row.    It is far easier for new visitors to exit at Central Truckee, and follow the sign to Historic Downtown Truckee.  Some have criticized the Economic Impact Analysis for using only 10% as the number of cars arriving from the east, a figure from the Truckee TransCAD model.  Actual traffic counts would probably show the number to be less.  And a “Historic Downtown Truckee” sign could direct whatever traffic lands at the new intersection.

As the Truckee General Plan says, “The interface between historic Truckee and the new Mill Site Development should be seamless.”  In developing the Railyard Master Plan, alternatives were considered.  The “T” intersection creates the most seamless connection, allowing for pedestrian and business connectivity.  Leaving the Swoosh “creates a separate and distinct main street from the existing Downtown.” (See pages 22-23 of the Master Plan.)

But the differences are hard to visualize.  There are various two dimensional maps to help, but a three dimensional model and a simulated “fly-through” would be great.  And how about an on the ground mock-up demonstration?

A workshop on the draft Economic Analysis Impact Report for the Truckee Railyard Master Plan will be held at Trukckee Town Hall on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  The report is available on the Town’s web page for the Truckee Railyard, and written comments on the draft will be accepted by the Town up to February 6, 2009.

Click on poster to see full image

The Town of Truckee received thirteen comments on the draft Environmental Impact Report for the Truckee Railyard Master Plan.  They are available to read on the Town’s website on the Railyard Master Plan.  This timely Web uploading by the Town is a great opportunity for the public to stay informed.

Comments on the draft Environmental Impact Report (dEIR) should address the sufficiency of the document in identifying and analyzing the possible impacts on the environment (including traffic, housing, employment, air quality, noise, soils, historic buildings, and more).  Comments can also propose how significant impacts could be avoided or reduced.  This is the public’s opportunity to suggest what the developers must do to reduce impacts if the project is built. The dEIR proposes mitigation measures.  Take a close look at these and suggest more effective measures.   Comments should also point out inadequacies in

Historic Railroad Warehouse to be demolished?

studies or data.  Also, look at the proposed project alternatives and suggest other alternatives you think would be better for the community.

Copies of the draft Environmental Impact Report are available on line, at the Truckee Library, and at the Copy Center.  Some copies may still be available for check out at the Town.  Comments on the draft Environmental Impact Report must be in writing and submitted to the Town of Truckee by email, in person, by fax or by mail and they must reach the Town by 5 pm on Monday, January 5, 2009.

Get an overview of the Draft Environmental Impact Report at the Truckee Town Council meeting on December 18th and tell the Council what you would like them to consider in their review.  Plus, be sure to submit your own comments in writing to the Town by January 5th so they will be considered in the Final EIR.  For further information on how to effectively comment on an EIR, check this blog in a few days.

Category B Historic Building Blocking the Path

The Staff Report for the Town Council meeting  provided a brief outline of the contents of the 500-plus pages in the EIR document,  draft Minutes from the EIR review by the HIstoric Preservation Advisory Committee and notes from the Traffic Workshop. Contact planner Denyelle Nishimore to obtain a copy.  The  EIR with its mitigation measures is “the bite of the apple” for the public.  You can express your ideas and copy your comments on this blog to share with others.  Again, you must submit your EIR comments in writing directly to the Town.  Comments can be submitted in person, by mail or by email to the Denyelle Nishimori, the Town’s planner for the Truckee Railyail.