OCTOBER 24 UPDATE:

The Truckee River Flood Management Authority (TRFMA) voted unanimously on a proposal that included a nature park along the river, a playground, and 11 sports fields lining Mill Street.

TRFMA says it gives Reno Sparks more options to host football, soccer, or lacrosse tournaments.

"A single tournament can bring in tens of thousands of dollars in economic activity," said George Robison, TRFMA's Executive Director.

The chosen concept was one of two alternatives. The other one was a full nature park.

Robison says these amenities are an addition to the berms and water detention basins that will guard the area, especially "the Reno Industrial Area and the airport from catastrophic flooding that could cause billions of dollars in damage."

Currently, the project area consists of farmland and the Airport-Edison Industrial Park. It's a business park along North Edison Way in the heart of the project area.

Dozens of business owners will be forced to relocate, including one who also lives there.

"If they come through and tear this place down, I'll have to sell what I've got," said George Book Jr., the owner of Riverside Tool & Die, a machine shop that specializes in plastic injection molds.

Book has been at this location since 1986. He says he understands why the project is happening, especially due to the region's semi-regular floods.

"It goes back a long way," he said, "but in general, it's every ten years."

Despite the impending threat of relocation, Book says he won't worry about it until the time comes.

"I don't worry. Like I said, they've been talking about this for 30 years," he said.

TRFMA says they're about 30 percent done with the design process, and they expect a completion date in 2027 or 2028.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

The Truckee River Flood Management Authority held digital meetings on the future of the Rock/McCarran Flood project on Wednesday.

The project has been in discussion for many years and will seek to focus on a 168-acre area in order to make it more flood-resistant. 

"Our big mission is to stop the flooding in the lower Truckee Meadows," said the Executive Director of TRFMA, George Robison. "Because there's so much acreage that in the southern portion of this, there's an opportunity for a sports complex or an extended nature area park." 

While the area will already maintain paths for walking, running, and biking, the TRFMA is seriously considering adding sports fields, with the possibility of adding up to 10 multi-sport fields for sports like soccer, football, and lacrosse. 

"We are currently in a shortage of 40 to 60 fields, so we're being underserved," said Robison. "There's been a great population increase over the last 15 years, and yet we really haven't built very many fields at all."

Robison discussed the size of the project and how the nature park could also be extended to create more pedestrian paths. Current bikeways and walking paths will remain regardless of the final decision. 

"Either option has trails along the river. Either option connects to the Reno-Tahoe Bike Trail and has bike trails as well, said Robinson. "Do we want to make that more natural, or do we want to make that more of a sports complex?"

The TRFMA will be taking public opinion and comment to their next discussion on the future of the project on October 10.