In the September issue of Urban Land Magazine, an article entitled “The Biggest Little City in the World” highlights the way Reno is taking on many attributes of a big city and becoming a highly desireable place to live in the process. Here is what author Sam Newberg had to say about Kiley Ranch and its contributions to the overall scheme of things:
“Kiley Ranch is a master planned community in Sparks that will comprise 4,000 housing units and 5 million square feet of commercial space when completed sometime in the next decade. Planned around an iriigation canal that is being preserved as active and passive open space, Kiley Ranch is among the first examples of greenfield development in the Reno area that is mixed use and not simply a response to housing demand. ‘Kiley Ranch is one of the shining stars, and is a good example of the shift away from Euclidian zoning,’ says [Rosanna] Coombes [interim director of regional planning at the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency].
“The Planning Center, based in Costa Mesa, California is working with the developer to create at Kiley Ranch a community with a wide variety of housing and a dense land use plan that includes trails, bike lanes, and roundabouts. The master plan accommodates double the number of units originally planned for the site, a signal that developers and government officials are beginning to understand that the amount of buildable land is somewhat limited int eh area and that greater densities are required to accommodate growth.
“Ground was broken on the housing a couple of years ago, the information and visitors center opened this summer, and a major retail power center will open in 2009. Following that will be a mixed-use town center that will form the core of Kiley Ranch. Moreover, the community stresses sustainability and green design, using a higher-density, mixed-use plan that encourages walking and use of alternative transportation, thereby reducing automobile emissions. The master plan also preserves wetlands and open space, and the developer encourages green construction practices. ‘Kiley Ranch is a resource-conservative, environmentally sensitive, live/work/shop/play, connected community that will promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle for its residents and businesses,’ says Paul Curtis, chief executive officer of Kiley Ranch Communities.”
To read the entire article, please click here.
Subscribe
Poll
Scenes
from the Ranch
