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Joint Town Council/Planning Commission Study Session
August 23, 2022
Draft 2040 GENERAL PLA
Conservation & Open Space Element
DRAFT
CONSERVATION &
OPEN SPACE
ELEMENT
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Draft COS Element
•Preserve & improve the quantity, quality & character of open space
•Conserve/enhance important natural resources
•Strengthen environmental steward role, striving to
minimize impacts
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Key COS Element Framework
Open Space
Air Quality
Water Resources
Soil Resources
•Protect a variety of types of open space (7):
Pristine Open Space
Biological Resource Areas
Managed Resource Areas
Parks & Recreation Areas
Open Space Corridors
Scenic Open Space
Open Space for Public Health & Safety
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COS Element Public Comment
•Support Richard Anderson’s comment letter
•Prioritize preservation of Truckee River/Donner Lake: low- impact recreation activities rather than commercial businesses & housing
•Groundwater:
Add a paragraph that notes the importance of
groundwater
Add policies that protect the natural resource values that groundwater influences
Prepare a comprehensive plan for the
management/protection of sensitive biological resources
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COS Element Public Comment
•More on groundwater:
Existing & potential impacts of water demand on
groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) & surface
water is a planning issue; should be explicitly addressed in the general plan.
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COS Element Public Comment
•Create, not encourage, a transfer of development rights program
•Are management plans kicking the can down the road?
•Prepare & implement a comprehensive management plan
•Consider polices that ensure the preservation of our natural environment & historic/authentic downtown
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Draft COS Element
•Council/Commission Clarifying Questions
•Public Comment (3 min/person on Conservation & Open
Space Element)
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Draft COS Policy Discussion
1.What should be the Town’s role in converting
neighborhoods currently on septic to sewer?
2. Does the draft plan provide the right balance of
preservation goals for the Truckee River & Donner Lake
with also providing equitable access to recreation
opportunities?
What should be the Town’s role in converting neighborhoods currently on septic to sewer? Questions: What is the actual cost to convert to sewer? Who pays for it? Are there grants? What is the effect on water quality? Need more info.
Comments: Consider as part of our ADU incentive program. Not sure if the place to put this is in the GPU or elsewhere.
Town could play a role with property owners and facilitating dialogues. Town doesn’t have a role in paying for it or forcing TSD to expand their service area. Ok with adding “support” language to GPU.
Town did change the ADU language for septic systems. Not sure if we can assist financially (it’s cost prohibitive). Ok with adding support language.
Lots of unknowns. Challenging to make a decision in light of unknowns. Role is to facilitate partnerships with other special districts. Have we had conversations with TSD to expand? Ok with adding support language.
Town staff sees plans for ADUs on septic systems and could communicate that to adjacent neighbors who may be able to band together to put in an expanded septic system or sewer lines.
Draft COS Element –Direction to Staff
Does the draft plan provide the right balance of preservation goals for the Truckee River & Donner Lake with also providing equitable access to recreation opportunities? Questions: What is the scope of the DL stewardship committee? Does element encompass a carrying capacity for recreational amenities/facilities-to avoid degrading the natural environment? How to address open space beyond Town boundaries? Policy 7.2 Can we add language “to maximum extent feasible” and apply to the entire watershed? Comments: Want greater protection for resources, less emphasis on access. Access will happen anyways. It also feels like we are exceeding our recreational carrying capacity. It’s upon us to prioritize these efforts as actions items in staff work program. Off-road parking is a significant impact on these resources and is not sustainable.
Element has a lot of great terms but a lot of generalities. Effort in GP to restore to a more pristine environment. Suggest putting carrying capacity in in some fashion. Lots of action items have not been implemented in the 2025 GP.
Suggest stronger language to protect DL from recreation impacts. Consider how to incorporate VTT in sustainable tourism effor ts.
Language is too vague; we cannot manage influx of visitors. We don’t need to pay to promote tourism. Focus more on how to protect our resources and how to limit visitorship. Need stronger language-shall vs. should. Need carrying capacity analysis for the entire process. More specificity also needed. Include SoI in Goal 1 (reduce sprawl).
We still need to be equitable and carrying capacity or enacting permits to access resources needs to be thought out.
Reference to preserving views: rather than having a mandate of protecting views of forests, would prefer to figure out impacts to our other town goals with this policy. Minimize the competition between protecting views and what this does to other priorities.Kick this to staff to determine what this could look like. View preservation study maybe? Maybe done through objective design standards.
Reforestation for sage brush and replanting of conifers. Need to have policy language about managing healthy forests.
Overall: Possibility of including carrying capacity work in future work program. Explore how to address achieving equity and sustainable tourism. Tip balance toward preservation. Need enforceable language.
Draft COS Element –Direction to Staff
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Wrap -Up
Final thoughts on:
•Draft Community Character Element
•Draft Economic Development Element
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Wrap -Up
Final thoughts on:
•Draft Community Character Element
•Draft Economic Development Element
Final thoughts on overall process:
Latinx population has been lacking, last time there was a better sense of inclusion Spanish materials are not available. Anything we can do to be more inclusive would be beneficial
There’s been an overall lack of community input, not just Latinx.