On Wednesday night the Reno Planning Commission met to discuss possible changes to future development plans in South Meadows.
A request has been made to make many changes to the Bella Vista Ranch Phase 2 Planned Unit Development.
The commissioners voted 6-0 to allow the proposed changes, arguing that they all make sense.
More neighborhoods are planned to be built on the open land located at the end of Rio Wrangler along South Meadows Parkway.
Changes that the commissioners agreed on include allowing residential uses in a previously designated commercial area, decreasing the maximum square footage of allowed nonresidential usage, adding 34 more allowed residential units, and eliminating outdated code and development standards that are no longer consistent with the Reno municipal code.
"We're a suburban mixed use style zoning and a mixed neighborhood style zoning," said Andy Durling, Vice President of Wood Rogers. "That suburban mixed use, we're moving the commercial from what was Village C to the corner of what is going to be South Meadows Parkway and Rio Wrangler."
However, some people are finding this new amendment to be problematic.
Horse advocates are speaking out and saying that these changes would block waterways that wildlife uses.
"The wild horses, they have relied on drinking from Steamboat Creek off of Rio Wrangler for many man years, and from my understanding the Bella Vista developers wants to fence that off and keep the horses from the water," said Tina Brodrick, Reno resident.
However, Brodrick tell us that she's supporting city council member Naomi Duerr's plan to divert the horses to a different section of the water that will help prevent them from entering the neighborhoods.
Developers argue that the land must be fenced first before they can get any building permits, and adding fencing will help protect the wetlands.
The fence is expected to be in place by the summer of this year.
Even though commissioners did vote in favor of these changes that does not mean any action will be taken yet.
The next step is for the city council to discuss these future developments and then decide for themselves whether to move forward or not.
