Reno, Nevada

Clarion Associates, with support from Economic and Planning Systems (EPS) was retained to lead the City of Reno’s first major Master Plan update since 1998. The ReImagine Reno process was initiated as an opportunity to explore these and other trends and key issues, and to articulate a shared, community-wide vision for the future. The process was the widest public engagement effort in the City’s history, with over 9,000 people participating over the course of two and half years. Outreach during Phase I was facilitated by City staff with support from the University of Nevada Reno, and during Phase 2 by Clarion and City staff.

Key objectives for the updated Master Plan were to streamline the plan, strengthen linkages between goals and policies, and incorporate best practices for sustainability and resilience.

The updated plan also includes updates to the land use map and concurrency management system—drawing from dozens of neighborhood, center, and corridor plans and planned unit development handbooks—and a robust implementation
plan.

As part of the process, EPS provided the City a comprehensive analysis of future housing and employment demand to guide the land use plan and Master Plan Policies. EPS also created a fiscal impact model that was used to evaluate the fiscal impact of different land uses on the City and the impact of development in different locations which was used to test different conceptual land use approaches they City could take in areas likely attract new development.

Following adoption of the Master Plan, Clarion Associates was retained to complete an update to the City’s Land Development Code.  This ongoing effort is focused on implementing the Master Plan, making the Code more user-friendly, and establishing a more predictable and transparent review process.