Fernley Mayor Neal McIntyre said discussions are continuing with Renown Health over the possibility of establishing a hospital in Fernley, potentially beginning with an emergency department and expanding over time.
McIntyre made the comments during a recent Fernley Builders Association meeting while updating members on development and staffing changes within the city.
“Renown just got a hold of me in the last week and we’re continuing our talks on hospital coming to Fernley,” McIntyre said.
According to the mayor, the concept under discussion could initially include an emergency room where patients experiencing serious medical emergencies could be stabilized before being transferred to Reno for higher levels of care.
McIntyre said he envisions the facility expanding over approximately 10 years into a full hospital.
“We’re looking at 10 years to get everything totally into place,” he said, adding that he expects Fernley ultimately to have a hospital.
The comments represent one of the clearest recent public indications that discussions about expanded hospital services in Fernley remain active.
McIntyre did not provide details during the meeting about a potential site, cost, construction schedule, services beyond emergency care or whether Renown has formally committed to a project.
A question from the audience also referenced another nonprofit group interested in land for a hospital project. McIntyre said he had received that inquiry as well, suggesting more than one conversation about future medical facilities may be occurring.
The hospital discussion comes as Fernley continues preparing for substantial population and economic growth.
During the same meeting, McIntyre said the city has expanded its workforce from 68 employees when he became mayor to approximately 105 today, including recent additions intended to speed engineering, development and public works processes.
Recent hires and positions include an associate engineer, project manager, public information officer and a new public works director expected to begin work at the end of the month. McIntyre also noted Michelle Rambo’s move into the city’s chief development officer position.
The mayor said additional staffing has helped reduce development processing times.
“When I was first mayor it was taking like nine months to get approval and plans and stuff,” McIntyre said. “I think we’ve got that down to like three months or less depending on the size of the project.”
Housing data presented during the meeting also illustrated some of the growth pressures facing the city.
The median Fernley home sales price was reported at approximately $430,000, compared with about $175,000 in 2016. Only 33 homes closed during the most recent month, down approximately 30 percent from the same period last year, while active inventory remained low at about 53 single-family homes.
The market had approximately 1.6 months of available inventory, well below the five- to seven-month supply commonly considered a balanced market.
City building officials also reported receiving 59 permit applications during the month, including 10 for new single-family homes, and collecting more than $66,000 in permit fees representing nearly $7 million in construction valuation.
Meanwhile, transportation planners told builders the city is using a new travel-demand model to plan for a population of approximately 50,000 over the next 20 years.
The model identifies future pressure points at U.S. 95A and Cottonwood Lane, the Main Street/Farm District Road roundabout, Interstate 80 approaches and other major corridors as Fernley grows.
McIntyre said the city’s growth makes expanded medical services increasingly important.
No formal agreement with Renown was announced at the meeting, and no timeline was provided for when a proposal might come before the city.
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