Rancharrah in southwest Reno used to be 141 acres of ranch land owned by Bill Harrah, founder of Harrah’s Hotel and Casinos. In less than a decade, it’s quickly become a growing development of restaurants, shops, and multi-million-dollar homes.
Residents are worried that the next parcel on the chopping block is the Equestrian Center.
Rancharrah Holdings LLC has applied for a master plan zoning amendment to change the land that the Equestrian Center sits on from parks, greenways, and open space to suburban mixed-use.
In the application, Rancharrah says, “The request will have no effect on the private equestrian facility and is more reflective of the use as it is a private facility not open to the public.”
However, another part of the application adds, “The proposed master plan will provide more benefits by allowing more flexibility for future development that can better meet the needs of the growing community.”
Christine Speed, a resident who says she moved to Rancharrah for the equestrian culture, is worried that future developments will look more like homes and stores than horses.
“Even people who don’t like horses, they don’t want another set of Villas going up,” she said.
Jennifer Jaquish, a boarder at the Equestrian Center, says she doesn’t know where all the horses would go if the center were no longer an option.
“There’s nowhere in the city of Reno,” she said. “Horses would be displaced to either Washoe, Pleasant Valley, if there’s even openings.”
Jaquish and Speed say that they will be speaking out at the Ward 2 Neighborhood Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The board meets at 5:30 p.m. in the Seminar Room of the Moana Nursery, 1100 W. Moana Ln.
The City of Reno has yet to put the Master Plan Amendment on the agenda for any Planning Commission or Neighborhood Advisory Board meetings. In email correspondence with the city, representatives for Rancharrah asked to put the application on hold pending a Planned Unit Development amendment.
2 News reached out to Rancharrah for comment but has not heard back from developers or representatives yet.
