A report on the March 20, 2008 NW NAB Meeting, posted by Richard Williams.

Ward 5 Northwest Flying J Truck Stop Meeting (March 20, 2008)

Sierra Canyon was well represented among the 120 residents of Ward 5 Northwest who participated in the Neighborhood Advisory Board meeting Thursday, March 20 from 6 pm until 9 pm in the Reno City Council Chambers of the City Hall. Seven residents met at the Aspen Lodge at 5 pm to carpool, and others went directly. Ward 5 Northwest includes about 25,000 residents encompassing all of Somersett and the area east of Somersett to McCarren and south to I-80. In additional to the eight Board members, City Council member Dave Aiazzi, Washoe County Commissioner Bonnie Weber, Somersett Owners Association Board member Michelle Attaway, and Sierra Canyon Homeowners Association Board member Walt Keane also participated. Three representatives of Flying J addressed the attendees and answered questions. In addition to the many questions from Ward residents, 50 residents completed a Request to Speak form at the beginning of the meeting and were given the opportunity to speak for up to 3 minutes each.

The 48.8 acre parcel on the south side of the Robb/I-80 interchange purchased by Flying J in 2001 is currently zoned for 48 one acre lots for single family homes, and Flying J is seeking to have the zoning changed to Special Planning Area to allow about 20 acres of the parcel to be used for a truck stop to accommodate about 220 trucks. The remainder of the parcel would be sold for other purposes. The questioning and comments by residents encompassed a variety of concerns, similar to those posted at www.notruckstop.com under “Click here for a list of comments from local citizens.” Michelle, speaking as a representative of Somersett Development Company, was very supportive of the homeowners. Rob Morrison of Somersett submitted petitions with 500 signatures of residents opposing the truck stop. Only a few of these signatures were from Sierra Canyon residents, but the petition may still be signed by Sierra Canyon residents at the Roundabout Market. Other actions homeowners may wish to take are described on the www.notruckstop.com website.