Mount Rose Junction SPD: Another Vague Development with Big Code Changes

Former City of Reno Planning Commissioner voted to approve but didn’t disclose he had family members with property abutting the proposed project, and got a letter from the Nevada Commission on Ethics.

Ward 2 residents are again being asked to swallow another vague development proposal—this time called the Mount Rose Junction Specific Plan District (LDC25-00018).

The site sits on the west side of Plumas Street, about 145 feet south of Mount Rose Street. The developer’s wish list is ambitious:

• Master Plan amendment from Mixed Neighborhood (MX) to Suburban Mixed Use (SMU).

• Zoning map amendment from MF-14 (14 units per acre) to a Specific Plan District (SPD).

• Base zoning change to Neighborhood Commercial (NC).

• Height increase from 25 feet to 38 feet.

• Density bump from 30 dwelling units per acre to 40.

In other words, a wholesale rewrite of what’s allowed on this small site.

And yet, despite asking for bigger buildings, higher density, and more intense use, the developers still aren’t offering any real specifics about what they’re actually going to build. Will it be apartments? Townhomes? A mix of commercial and residential? Or something else entirely?

Let your voice be heard at this City of Reno Ward 2 Neighborhood Advisory Board Meeting on Tuesday - August 19, 2025.

The Planning Commission already balked at the vagueness, giving the project a technical denial (a tie vote) on June 5th. But because this involves a Master Plan amendment, the application automatically advances to City Council. This Ward 2 NAB presentation is essentially a pit stop—a courtesy, not a decision.

Last time the project came to the NAB, members expressed frustration with the lack of details. Without hard plans, renderings, or commitments, residents are left with nothing more than a developer’s vague promises coupled with a permanent rewriting of the zoning code. Once those changes are granted, the public loses leverage—developers can build what the new zoning allows, not what they casually suggest in community meetings.

So the core issue remains: why should residents sign off on higher density, taller buildings, and increased traffic without knowing what’s really coming?

Because once the zoning code is changed, there’s no going back.

Development Project Review - B.2.