Residents reviewed early land-use concepts and offered feedback on future development south of the canal during a city-hosted open house on Jan. 22, the latest step in Fernley’s effort to create a South Area Plan.
The city has gone through a similar process for the recently approved North Area and Southwest Area plans. Planning Director Michelle Rambo said those plans took about a year to develop, and she expects a similar timeframe for the South Area Plan.
The event, held at the Community Response and Resource Center, featured display boards outlining three preliminary scenarios for the largely undeveloped area. Rambo said most of the comments centered on the first two scenarios.
“We’re hearing a lot of interest in scenarios one and two,” Rambo said, noting that the lowest-density option seemed to draw the most support.
Residents asked questions about land-use labels and potential locations for public facilities such as schools, a fire station, parks and even a cemetery, ideas that had been suggested in earlier outreach. Rambo said some of those decisions will depend on topography and drainage analysis.
The city has also made a survey available on its website for public feedback on the plan and had already received more than 170 responses by last Thursday. Rambo said that total exceeds the combined number of responses received for the North Area and Southwest Area Plans.
Given the wide range of responses, Kimley-Horn Urban Planner Ines Galmiche said the team looks for common themes when reviewing public input.
“We’re looking for consistency,” she said. “If a lot of folks are saying ‘keep it rural,’ that becomes our north arrow. There are always going to be outliers, but we look for what the majority of people want.”
Galmiche said demographic diversity is also important. While the South Area is largely rural and sparsely populated, she said the plan will affect the entire city, making it essential to gather feedback from residents citywide as well as visitors who use Fernley’s amenities.
Rambo said the next step is to prepare a full draft plan based on survey results and comments gathered at the open house. Planners expect to complete the draft by the end of the year, or sooner if possible.
Once the plan is adopted, the city would begin work on an infrastructure plan, similar to the process underway for the other two areas.
Meanwhile, Rambo said staff will continue to seek input from as many residents as possible through the online survey and in-person outreach at community events.
“We’re trying to go to events people are already at so we’re not asking them to come to something special,” she said.
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