November 2008

Remember when everyone gathered for the photo shoot?

Three quarters of the town came out for this millennium photo at the railyard site

What was that day like for you?

Share your memories in “Post a Comment” above.

Sierra Business Council hosts this blog 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.  Scroll down for  information about the Truckee Railyard and see the links on the left for more detail.

A Truckee Railyard Traffic Workshop

Roadway segment

will be held on Tuesday, December 2, 2008, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Truckee Town Hall. This informal presentation will explain traffic and circulation findings in the Draft Environmental Impact Report’s Transportation, Circulation and Parking section, with an opportunity for questions and answers. The Transportation Study can be found in Appendix C–Volume 2 of the EIR. Since the analysis examines operations at 28 intersections and 25 roadway segments, and shows significant impacts at a number of locations, the workshop will be helpful in understanding this complicated topic.

The traffic workshop takes place a little more than a month before public comments are due (January 5, 2009) regarding the adequacy of the entire Draft Environmental Impact Report. In reviewing the Draft EIR, the focus should be on the sufficiency of the document in identifying and analyzing the possible impacts on the environment and ways in which the significant effects of the Truckee Railyard project might be avoided or mitigated. Comments should point out errors, inconsistencies, omissions of data or analyses, conclusions not based on evidence, or failures to provide discussion required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). How to provide effective comments will be discussed at the Traffic Workshop and the upcoming meetings before the Planning Commission (December 10) and the Town Council (December 18).

Copies of the Draft Railyard Master Plan and Draft EIR are available at Town Hall, the Truckee Library, the Copy Center and on the Town Website-see links in sidebar on left.

A proposed public review process for the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is on the Agenda of the Truckee Town Council’s regular meeting on Thursday, November 20, 2008. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 10183 Truckee Airport Road. The Draft EIR comment deadline is no later than January 5, 2009 and comments must be in writing. Prior to the comment deadline, the proposed public review process consists of three meetings in December:

• December 2, 2008–Traffic and Circulation Workshop
• December 10, 2008–Planning Commission Meeting
• December 18, 2008–Town Council Meeting

The proposed schedule is an Agenda Discussion Item before the Town Council which allows for public comment. Comments must be made directly to the Town either in person at the meeting or in writing prior to the meeting. Email comments to the Town Clerk at jprice@townoftruckee.com one day prior to the meeting. Feel free to copy your comments on this blog to share with other readers.

In addition to soliciting community input, the purpose of the proposed meetings is to fully inform the public about how to obtain copies of the draft EIR, how to provide effective comments, and next steps for the processing of the Draft Railyard Master Plan.

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.