On the Ranch

The City of Sparks and Kiley Ranch Communities have joined forces to enhance water conservation in the community by signing the largest agreement by a single project for recycled water use to date.  The Master Service Agreement, signed by the Sparks City Council, authorizes Kiley Ranch to reserve 553.32 acre-feet or 154 million gallons of recycled water per year for landscape and construction irrigation purposes. When combined, phases one and two of the agreement will contribute more than $228,000 per year to the City of Sparks.

Sparks Mayor Geno Martini says, “Kiley Ranch Communities’ significant investment in the use of recycled water speaks volumes to their commitment to preserving our environment and precious natural resources. Their leadership will make Kiley Ranch a special place to live, work, and play.”

Phase one, an agreement to use 79.6 acre-feet of recycled water at a cost of $37,888 per year has already been implemented. Phase two of the agreement reserves 473.72 acre-feet of recycled water at a $190,586 per year.  Recycled water is former wastewater that has been treated and purified for reuse and is usually used for the irrigation and landscaping of non-public areas. It reduces the need to draw from the groundwater aquifer or the Truckee River, thus eliminating the load on domestic water use. An equal amount of potable water is then available for domestic use.

Recycled water is regulated by the State of Nevada and is distributed within its own piping network, keeping recycled water separate from potable water pipelines.

Share and Enjoy:

by John Seelmeyer, 12/8/2008 from the Northern Nevada Business Weekly

With its residential development business mired in the recession, Kiley Ranch Communities is battening down the hatches and targeting office and retail development.

The Reno company, which is developing an 800-acre property east of Pyramid Highway in Spanish Springs, last week said it terminated its consulting agreement with Ryten Properties, whose managing member, Paul Curtis, served as chief executive officer of Kiley Ranch Communities.

Curtis, who had been CEO of the company since 2004, remains president of the nonprofit Kiley Ranch Preservancy Foundation, a 200-acre wetland preserve on the ranch property.

Matthew Kiley, president of the development company, said Kiley Ranch Communities continues to tighten its belt as the residential slump continues.  With little life stirring in the residential development industry, Kiley said the company is focused on attracting office and retail development. About 140 acres of Kiley Ranch will be devoted to business parks, and Kiley said infrastructure is in the ground to allow developers to move quickly.

A key piece of that development is a 52-acre retail project. Trammell Crow Co. had been signed on to develop the retail space, but the project lost several potential anchor tenants to RED Development’s Legends at Sparks Marina project.

Trammell Crow closed up shop on its Reno-area development operations this autumn, and Kiley Ranch Communities now is searching for another retailer developer to take on the project.

Before the residential market tanked, Kiley Ranch Communities sold about 76 acres of the 96 acres in the first phase of its residential project to Lennar Corp. and Pacific West Companies.  Pacific West developed the Waterstone condominiums — now offered as rental properties — and Lennar sold off its property.

Kiley said the company isn’t under substantial pressure from its lenders. “We have a very friendly lender,” he said. But he quickly added, “We’re always under pressure to perform.” L. David Kiley, the father of Matt Kiley, took the first steps toward development of a master-planned community in 2004.

The property previously had been operated by the Kiley family since 1929, and the management team led by Curtis laid the groundwork for what the company calls a “resource conservative, environmentally friendly” development.

Kiley last week praised the work of Curtis. “Paul has been instrumental in overseeing all that we have accomplished at Kiley Ranch, and we remain committed to the vision for the community,” he said.  And he noted that the family maintains a deep emotional connection to the land. “To us,” he said, “it’s more than just dirt.”

Share and Enjoy: