HomeMy Public PortalAboutChapter 3-Dec19-2014Chapter 3
Community & Regional Context
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C HAPTER 3 |COMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN
1 | Introduction
Th is chapter frames the Joerger Ranch Plan Area
within the context of the neighboring local and
regional context — both as it physically exists today
and as it is planned for the future. Th is chapter also
describes the various jurisdictions, agencies and
special districts having regulatory authority over the
Plan Area.
An economic evaluation prepared by Bay Area
Economics (BAE) was used to defi ne the types of
commercial retail/business park, light industrial and
manufacturing land uses that could be accomodated in
the PC-3 Specifi c Plan. Th e intent is to a) not compete
with Downtown Truckee commercial retail, b) provide
land area with zoning that can accommodate possible
relocation of certain types of existing commercial and
industrial businesses located along the Truckee River
corridor, and c) capture certain types of commercial /
retail, business park, light industrial and manufacturing
land uses that local residents currently travel to Reno
to purchase. Th e report concluded the following:
• Retail space for PC-3 should be restricted
to serving the large users that would not
physically fi t into downtown Truckee’s
historic building spaces. Th is would include
targeting businesses that need to move large
products, like furniture and appliances, or
other uses that may have trouble transporting
goods in and out of downtown Truckee. In
addition, PC-3 could provide suffi cient land
area to allow businesses currently located
on the Truckee River the opportunity to
relocate to more a compatible use area.
Th is will allow the Town to implement the
vision of the Truckee River Revitalization
Plan. Th e report also suggested that while
downtown Truckee is a local regional dining
destination, PC-3 may represent a suitable
location for certain restaurant types that
would not be appropriate in the downtown,
such as fast food or “chain” casual dining
restaurants.
• Th ere is a demand for nearly 270,000 S.F. of
additional retail space that Truckee could be
absorbed through 2023. Th at demand will be
in the areas of apparel, general merchandise,
food stores, eating and drinking places,
home furnishings and appliances, and
building material categories. During this
timeframe, the Town is projected to be able
to absorb the equivalent of one more full-
size supermarket or a couple of smaller
format food stores, up to two service
stations and possibly a small recreational
vehicle dealership selling motorcycles,
snowmobiles, ATVs boats and/or personal
watercraft .
• Th e analysis found that smaller scale
developments, such as medical and
professional offi ces and most retail uses,
are more suitable and could be more easily
absorbed within the other four planned
development areas (PC-1, PC-2, Railyard &
Hilltop Master Plan), as well as in existing
commercial spaces in Truckee. Uses
requiring larger spaces, such as large fl oor
plate offi ce users, fi tness and health clubs,
light manufacturing, green construction
and retrofi t businesses, alternative and
renewable energy generation, R&D facilities
and small recreational vehicle dealerships,
would most likely encounter greater
regulatory restrictions in the other four
planned development areas and existing
commercial spaces in Truckee, and may be
more suitable for the PC-3 property.
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J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN C OMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT | C HAPTER 3
• PC-3 presents a unique opportunity to
house “green sector uses” within Truckee
without competing with the existing and
other planned commercial developments.
Green sector uses could include facilities for
businesses involved in energy conservation
and alternative energy as well as outdoor
environmental sustainability culture
(whether in research and development or
manufacturing).
• PC-3 may also be an opportunity for
vehicle service stations, larger format retail,
chain restaurants not appropriate for the
downtown, and grocery markets.
Given these factors, the zoning and targeted uses
proposed in the Joerger Ranch PC-3 Specifi c Plan
are intended to promote economic activity and create
local jobs while not competing with the economic
base of Downtown Truckee. Th ey also can promote
redevelopment along the Truckee River.
Th e BAE report concluded that PC-3 could be
developed in such a way as to lessen the potential
competitive impacts on downtown, diversify the
local economy and promote economic development
by targeting the following:
• Retail space that emphasizes buildings
larger than 5,000 S.F. Th is would allow for
expanded economic opportunities and
limit competition with the Downtown
area, since buildings Downtown tend to be
smaller than 5,000 S.F.
• Commercial uses that need larger building
area, such as indoor recreation and training
facilities, health and fi tness clubs, base
facilities for environmental tourism (i.e.
biking, raft ing, boating, camping expedition
equipment, storage, etc.) culinary center
and grocery markets.
• Businesses like furniture or appliance
dealers who require large areas for
showrooms or storage along with areas for
truck loading and unloading and delivery
of goods.
• Fast food and/or chain casual dining
restaurants that tend to locate in
conventional shopping center settings near
highways.
• Large fl oor plate users that cannot be
accommodated within the downtown
Truckee area due to the existing building
limitations and inadequate available square
footage.
• Recreational vehicle dealership, repair and
maintenance facilities, boat, motorcycle,
ATV, snow mobile sales and auto sales.
• Warehousing that can support custom
furniture or fabrication operations,
greenhouse and specialty food production
operations, light manufacturing and
Research and Development.
2 | Truckee & North Tahoe Region
As a gateway to the north shore of Lake Tahoe
(via both State Routes 267 and 89), Truckee has an
opportunity to serve a large population of tourists
and travellers passing through to the North Tahoe
region and surrounding areas. State Route 267
crosses through the middle of the Plan Area and
provides the most direct route from Interstate 80
(I-80) to the north shore communities of Incline
Village, Tahoe Vista, Kings Beach and Carnelian Bay.
Th is results in the Joerger Ranch Plan Area having a
regional market signifi cance.
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C HAPTER 3 |COMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN
Th e Martis Valley Community Plan (MVCP, Placer
County, adopted in 2003) considers the Town of
Truckee the urban core of the Martis Valley, an area
of land approximately seventy square miles adjacent
to the Town’s southern jurisdictional boundary.
Joerger Ranch, situated at the northern edge of the
Martis Valley and southern edge of the Town of
Truckee, is a primary location for providing services
and goods to support the full-time, seasonal and
tourist population.
Joerger Ranch provides an accessible and
convenient location to obtain services and goods
for a large area of the Truckee community, as well
as the region south of Town, given its location in
the southeast area of the Town and the existing
highway and local roads crossing through the Plan
Area. Joerger Ranch is easily accessed from nearby
neighborhoods including Sierra Meadows and
Ponderosa Ranchos, as well as the more distant
neighborhoods of Glenshire, Prosser Lakeview
and Tahoe Donner (these three neighborhoods
representing nearly 10,000 residential units). Th e
same is true for the nearby Martis Valley (Placer
County) neighborhoods of Lahontan, Schaff er’s Mill,
Martis Camp and Northstar. Joerger Ranch enables
residents and visitors of these neighborhoods to
conveniently access services and goods, resulting
in reduction of vehicle miles traveled to alternative
service commercial locations.
3 | Local Community
3.1 Neighboring & Surrounding Land Uses
Th e Joerger Ranch Plan Area is directly adjacent to a
wide variety of existing and planned land uses. Th e
Truckee-Tahoe Airport, a general aviation facility,
FIGURE 3-1: TOWN OF TRUCKEE PLANNING AREA
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J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN C OMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT | C HAPTER 3
is the major existing land use north and east of the
Plan Area. Areas north, west and south of the Plan
Area are characterized by a mix of low and medium
density residential, commercial and recreational
uses. Th e Ponderosa Golf Course borders a portion
of the Plan Area directly to the west. Table 3-1 lists
the existing land uses that border each of the four
parcels comprising the Joerger Ranch Plan Area.
Figure 3-2 indicates the existing uses surrounding
the Plan Area.
Following the variety of land uses directly adjacent
to the Joerger Ranch Plan Area, the immediately
surrounding land uses (e.g.: those in close proximity,
but not adjacent to, the Plan Area) and neighborhoods
also represent a diverse, and distinctly diff erent,
set of land uses. Th e area west of the Plan Area is
dominated by single and multiple family residential
land uses on both sides of Brockway Road, known
within the Town General Plan as the Brockway Road
Corridor. Th is corridor is also characterized by open
space and recreation lands as well as a variety of local-
serving commercial uses fronting Brockway Road.
Th e Truckee Tahoe Airport occupies a vast majority
of the land area to the east of the Plan Area, with a
range of offi ce, commercial
(e.g.: retail and service),
industrial (e.g.: warehousing
and storage) and public
(including Truckee’s Town
Hall) uses along the east-end
of Soaring Way and Truckee
Airport Road. A very similar
land use pattern exists along
Business Park Drive, a local
connector road between
Truckee Airport Road and
Soaring Way.
Nearby the Plan Area, the
Truckee-Tahoe Airport lands
are the predominate lands
Table 3-1 – Land Uses Adjacent to Plan Area
ASSESSORS
PARCEL NUMBER
WESTEASTNORTHSOUTH
19-620-01Ponderosa Golf CourseAPN 19-620-02
Open space, low
density residential
Ponderosa Golf
Course
19-620-02
Martis Drive,
Ponderosa Golf CourseSR 267Open spaceBrockway Road
19-620-31SR 267Joerger Drive
Truckee-Tahoe
AirportBrockway Road
19-620-04SR 267
Truckee Tahoe
AirportBrockway RoadSR 267
Source: Quad Knopf, Inc. – Table 3.1.1 of O&C Analysis
FIGURE 3-2: SURROUNDING USES
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C HAPTER 3 |COMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN
to the east. An established single family residential
area surrounding the Ponderosa Golf Course lies
to the northwest of the Plan Area. Interstate 80, the
Truckee River and the Union Pacifi c railroad are
located approximately one half mile north of the Plan
Area, just beyond the Truckee-Tahoe Airport. To the
south, the nearby area is characterized by residential
and commercial uses on either side of SR 267 for
approximately one-quarter mile. Further south, uses
along SR 267 quickly transition to the open space of
the Martis Valley beyond the Town of Truckee and
Placer County boundary.
3.2 Relationship with Town Neighborhoods,
Centers & Commercial Centers
Th e General Plan Community Character Element
places particular emphasis on the importance of
small town mountain character and town design.
Town design is defi ned in the Community Character
Element (GP Page 3-10) as follows:
Town Design focuses on the visual and functional
relationships of the places, buildings and
structures that defi ne the built environment.
It considers the relationships between people
and places, circulation and connections, and
the physical form of the town. Understanding
community character in Truckee comes, to
some extent, through an understanding of the
composite parts of Truckee’s built environment,
the “building blocks” of centers, neighborhoods,
districts, corridors and gateways that, in addition
to the open spaces described previously, comprise
the fabric of the town. To provide a framework
for discussing issues of community character as it
relates to the form of the built environment, this
Element looks at Truckee in terms of a series of
discrete places and community areas, categorized
by type. Th ese types include:
• Centers, the commercial and mixed use
FIGURE 3-3: TOWN’S NEIGHBORHOODS, CENTERS AND DISTRICTS
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J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN C OMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT | C HAPTER 3
areas of the Town that serve as the focus for
community life and commercial activity.
• Residential Neighborhoods, which constitute
the majority of Truckee’s developed areas.
• Employment Districts, which include the
relatively few places in Truckee where job-
generating uses dominate.
• Corridors and Gateways, the linear features
of the town that provide both connectivity and
identity to the community at its entry points.
Joerger Ranch embodies all four of these types
of places. As a result, it plays a signifi cant role in
strengthening the Town’s fabric. Th e General Plan
designates the portion of the Plan Area adjacent
to Brockway Road as in the Brockway Road
Neighborhood Area Overlay (see Figure 2-3). Th is
designation is in recognition of the Brockway Road
corridor’s importance as a key gateway to Truckee
from the south.
Th e General Plan’s Brockway Road Policy 1 (GP
Page 2-43) seeks the preservation and improvement
of the existing corridor through respecting its “open
qualities”, recognizing its “gateway status” and
supporting its use a “bicycle and pedestrian route”.
Th e General Plan designates the Town’s important
gateways and corridors (see Figure 2-4) and identifi es
the Brockway Road Corridor and its intersection with
SR 267 as important to the Town’s overall community
character. Th e Town’s General Plan addresses the
Brockway Road Neighborhood Area, including
reference to PC-3, as follows (GP Pages 2-42 and
2-43):
Th e Brockway Road Neighborhood Area is
applied to the Brockway Road Corridor, in
FIGURE 3-4: TOWN’S CORRIDORS & GATEWAYS
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C HAPTER 3 |COMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN
recognition of this important thoroughfare as a
key gateway to Truckee from the south. It also
recognizes the potential for signifi cant change in
this area with conversion of the roadway from
a State Highway to a local road, following the
completion of the Highway 267 Bypass.
Land Uses Allowed: Land uses allowed in this
designation are those uses permitted in the
underlying land use designations. Th ese include
residential uses, predominately in the medium
and high-density ranges; commercial and lodging
uses; public facilities; open space for recreational
uses and scenic and habitat value; and uses
allowed under an approved specifi c plan for PC-3.
Density and Intensity: Residential designations, as
shown in the Land Use Map, allow development
at densities ranging from three to twelve units per
acre. Commercial and industrial uses are allowed
at an average FAR of 0.2.
Th e General Plan identifi es Town’s neighborhoods,
centers and districts, including the identifi cation of the
Town’s two largest Town Centers: Downtown Truckee
and the Gateway Area (see Figure 2-4). Although
not specifi cally identifi ed as an employment district,
it is appropriate to consider Joerger Ranch within
this classifi cation, recognizing the considerable job-
generation resulting from development of the Plan
Area. Joerger Ranch is not considered to be a Town
Center, rather one of six Commercial/Mixed Use
Centers within the community. Th is is an important
distinction, as the Commercial/Mixed Use Center
classifi cation of the General Plan guides the type of
place for Joerger Ranch and its relationship with the
larger community.
3.3 Relationship with Downtown Truckee
Downtown Truckee maintains an important
distinction from other Town centers and commercial
/ mixed-use centers as the “historic and commercial
heart of the community” (GP Community Character
Element, page 3-12). Although Joerger Ranch is
located more than a mile east of Historic Downtown
Truckee via Brockway Road, there is a reasonable
physical relationship between these two important
areas of Town, particularly with pedestrian and
bicycle linkages. Th e Town’s General Plan Land Use
Policy 6.2 necessitates a complementary relationship
between Downtown Truckee, as a Town Center, and
Joerger Ranch, as a Commercial/Mixed-Use Center.
Th at policy states:
Maintain and enhance Downtown as the heart
of Truckee and as the Town’s premier tourist
destination through the following methods, and
through Action A6.2.
Furthermore, the importance of maintaining the
economic health of Downtown Truckee by identifying
and understanding potential competition created by
PC-3 and other “large developments with substantial
commercial/industrial fl oor space” (GP Land Use
Element, Action A6.1, page 2-58), is a high priority
for the community. Th e Downtown area has its
own distinctive character, ambiance and attraction.
Th e commercial land use allowed by this Plan
emphasizes community serving uses which are more
appropriately located outside of Downtown Truckee,
due to the type of uses and large fl oor area necessary
to accommodate these uses. As required by GP Land
Use Element Action A6.1, an economic analysis was
prepared for the Specifi c Plan. Th e fi ndings of the
report identify appropriate uses.
4 | Plan Area Environmental
Setting & Conditions
4.1 Land Use
Th e existing site is primarily undisturbed and
undeveloped, with the exception of one commercial
building and an adjacent abandoned well with a pump
house structure. Th e small commercial building and
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J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN C OMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT | C HAPTER 3
pump house structure are located near the southwest
corner of the project site and accessed from Brockway
Road. Th ere are signifi cant roadway and drainage
infrastructure improvements that bisect the property.
4.2 Visual / Aesthetic
Th e Plan Area is located in the Martis Valley, a large,
level-to-rolling meadow at the confl uence of the
Truckee River and Martis Creek fl oodplains, east
of Interstate 80 (I-80) and the Town of Truckee.
Th e valley-bottom portions of the site are visually
open, with views over large areas of open meadow
interrupted by substantial stands of Ponderosa pine.
Views from the valley to nearby peaks and ridges of
the Sierra Nevada and Carson Ranges are visible in all
directions. Visual quality of the Martis Valley, despite
existing development, is high. Mountains and wooded
slopes remain a predominate part of the landscape.
Th e site has also been identifi ed in the General Plan
as the key gateway to the Town of Truckee from the
south.
4.3 Biological
Th e natural vegetation within the Plan Area consists
of patchy grasslands and meadows, sagebrush
shrublands, and coniferous forests and woodlands.
In general, the Plan Area
is composed primarily
of sagebrush scrub with
scattered pine around the
site and in clusters on the
southern portion of the
Plan Area on either side of
SR 267.
A search of the California Natural Diversity Database
(CNDDB) identifi ed eleven species within a fi ve mile
radius of the Plan Area. Th e Plan Area contains no
natural communities considered sensitive or rare by
the California Department of Fish and Game.
Th e site contains two drainages that were determined
to be isolated waters (ephemeral and intermittent
streams). Th ese isolated waters are fed from the south
by culverts passing under Brockway Road and State
Route 267.
4.4 Cultural
Two cultural resources site were identifi ed by Kautz
Environmental Consultants, Inc. however, these
two sites have no meaningful relationship to any of
the historic themes identifi ed for the project area:
transportation, timber, ice or tourism. Th e sites have
no known relationship to any historically signifi cant
person or event and are considered non-signifi cant.
4.5 Geological
Slopes within the Plan Area are generally fl at to gentle
with existing grades ranging from approximately 5,850
feet above mean sea level (MSL) in the northwestern
portion of the site to approximately 5,930 feet MSL in
1 | VIEW NORTH FROM HWY 267
2 | VIEW SOUTH FROM HWY 267
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C HAPTER 3 |COMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN
the southern portion of the site. Th e Plan Area is
located along the western edge of the Truckee Basin
in the Martis Valley. Th e Truckee Basin was fi lled
with volcanic fl ows and sediments of the Lousetown
Formation, known as the Martis Valley formation of
Latham.
4.6 Hydrologic
Th ere are no FEMA-mapped 100-year fl ood plains
within the Plan Area. Generally, surface runoff enters
the southwest quadrant of the Plan Area through a
culvert under Brockway Road and is absorbed onsite.
In the northwest quadrant of the Plan Area, it
appears that signifi cant surface runoff enters from the
south, through a culvert under State Route 267 and
continues off -site to the adjacent parcels to the north-
northeast. A drainage ditch runs along a portion of
the Truckee Tahoe Airport’s southwest boundary east
of Joerger Drive. Additional information regarding
hydrology and storm drainage characteristics is
provided in Chapter 5.
4.7 Traffi c & Circulation
INTERSTATE 80 (I-80)
I-80 provides interregional highway connections
east to Reno, Nevada and beyond, and west to
Sacramento, California and the San Francisco Bay
Area and is a main transportation route between
northern Nevada and the Bay Area. Th e Martis
Valley area lies to the south of I-80, thirty-four miles
west of Reno and ninety miles east of Sacramento.
Th is section of I-80 is currently a four-lane divided
highway with speed limits posted at sixty-fi ve miles
per hour.
Th e Joerger Ranch Plan Area is located along State
Route 267, approximately 1.3 miles southeast of the
I-80 / State Route 267 / State Route 89 interchange.
I-80 is a signifi cant transportation route to the Plan
Area with travel times less than 2 minutes from the
interstate.
STATE ROUTE 267
State Route 267 is a two-lane highway running in
a general northwest-southeast alignment between
the I-80/State Route 89 North/State Route 267
interchange in Truckee and State Route 28 in Kings
Beach. From the I-80/State Route 89 North/State
Route 267 signalized intersection, the roadway heads
south across the State Route 267 Bypass (completed
in November 2002).
State Route 267 is of local and regional signifi cance,
providing access to residential, industrial, commercial
and recreational land uses. Th e Bypass provides
a direct travel route for regional traffi c between
3 | VIEW EAST ALONG BROCKWAY ROAD
4 | VIEW WEST @ HWY 267 & BROCKWAY ROAD
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J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN C OMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT | C HAPTER 3
the Martis Valley and the Tahoe Basin, connecting
Interstate 80 in Truckee to the Northstar at Tahoe ski
resort and Kings Beach on Lake Tahoe.
State Route 267 also has signalized intersections at
Brockway Road/Soaring Way and the Truckee Airport
Road intersections.
STATE ROUTE 89
State Route 89 (SR 89) is one the three primary
California routes that access Lake Tahoe (the other
two are State Route 267 and U.S. Highway 50). SR 89
provides access between Donner Pass Road in Truckee
and Tahoe City (the SR 89 south segment). Starting at
the I-80/State Route 267 interchange on the east side
of Truckee, SR 89 north services as a rural two-lane
highway connecting Truckee and Sierraville, Quincy,
Mount Lassen National Park and Mount Shasta to the
north.
BROCKWAY ROAD
Brockway Road connects the Bridge Street/South
River Street intersection in downtown Truckee
southeastward to State Route 267 at the Brockway
Road/Soaring Way intersection located just north of
the Placer County/Nevada County line. Brockway
Road is a two lane arterial roadway with speed limits
varying from twenty-fi ve mph to forty-fi ve mph.
Traffi c signals are currently installed at the Palisades
Drive intersection and the intersection with State
Route 267, while the Martis Valley Road/Brockway
Road intersection is controlled by a roundabout. All
other intersections are controlled by stop signs on the
side street approaches.
7| VIEW TO EAST FROM SOARING WAY @ JOERGER DRIVE
5 | VIEW TO EAST FROM HWY 267 SOUTHBOUND
6 | VIEW FROM INTERSECTION OF JOERGER DRIVE / SOARING WAY
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C HAPTER 3 |COMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN
DONNER PASS ROAD
From its eastern terminus at State Route 89 north,
Donner Pass Road travels westward to Donner
Lake and Soda Springs. Th is roadway is a vital link
for local circulation by providing access to historic
Downtown Truckee, public and commercial uses
in the Gateway areas such as the Tahoe Forest
Hospital, Gateway Commercial Center and several
school facilities, as well as Donner Lake State Park
and the Donner Lake residential area. Th is roadway
provides a single through lane in each direction,
with a continuous center left -turn lane along the
segment between Levone Avenue and Northwoods
Boulevard.
5 | Relationship to Other Plans
& Regulatory Documents
5.1 2025 General Plan
Th e General Plan is the long term policy guide for the
physical and economic growth and environmental
protection of the Town of Truckee. Th e Land Use
Element (GP Page 2-26) requires preparation of
a Specifi c Plan for PC-3 and development to be
consistent with this Specifi c Plan. Th is Chapter
references many key General Plan policies and
designations applicable to Joerger Ranch in
describing its relationship with the larger community.
Many additional General Plan policies are applicable
to Joerger Ranch, each summarized in the General
Plan Consistency Matrix (see Appendix A). As a
General Plan implementation tool, the Specifi c Plan
establishes an important link between the General
Plan and development proposals for the Joerger
Ranch Plan Area by allowing for further planning
and analysis of large, important areas of Town that
would not be provided at the General Plan level.
Additional planning and analysis is necessary for
the Planned Community sites because their proper
FIGURE 3-5: TOWN’S GENERAL PLAN DESIGNATIONS
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J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN C OMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT | C HAPTER 3
development is vital in accommodating the Town’s
future growth while achieving the Town’s vision.
Because of the size of the property, its development
potential, its strategic location in the southern part of
the Town and the need to coordinate development on
a site divided by a state highway and major road, the
Planned Community designation was applied to the
Joerger Ranch property.
In addition to providing very general allowed land use
and maximum development density (residential) and
intensity (non-residential) guidance, the General Plan
contains eight policies specifi c to PC-3. Th ese are:
Land Uses Allowed: Land uses allowed in this
designation are commercial, industrial, and high
density residential uses.
Density and Intensity: An average FAR of
0.25 shall apply to commercial and industrial
development. Residential uses are allowed at a
maximum density of twelve housing units per acre.
Policies: Th e following policies will guide
development of the Specifi c Plan for PC-3.
• PC-3 – P1 Development allowed on the site
will be a range of commercial, industrial and
residential uses. Services for employees, such
as day care facilities and food sales, shall be
encouraged.
• PC-3 – P2 Th e Specifi c Plan shall include
design standards to provide for architectural
consistency of development on the site, in
accordance with the Town of Truckee design
guidelines.
• PC-3 – P3 Site design shall consider appropriate
access to Highway 267, via Brockway Road and
Soaring Way, and shall minimize visual impacts
from the Highway 267 corridor.
• PC-3 – P4 Th e Specifi c Plan shall include
standards for the design of retail shopping areas
that avoid “strip commercial” site layout, and that
FIGURE 3-6 : TOWN’S ZONING DESIGNATIONS
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C HAPTER 3 |COMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN
are oriented and scaled to the pedestrian realm.
• PC-3 – P5 Specifi c Plan design standards shall
include requirements for parking areas which
promote attractive streetscapes, recognize
the need for snow storage and removal, and
reduce the visual impacts of large, unscreened
parking lots through distributed landscaping,
landscaped berms and other measures. Parking
shall be provided in accordance with the Town
of Truckee Design Guidelines.
• PC-3 – P6 Th e Specifi c Plan shall include
provisions for supplying, onsite, the required
housing for 50 percent of the very-low, low- and
moderate-income workforce associated with
development of the site. If land use or noise
compatibility requirements of the Airport Land
Use Compatibility Plan preclude or reduce the
total amount of housing that can be developed
on PC-3, required workforce housing may be
permitted to be located off -site.
• PC-3 – P7 All development on PC-3 shall
support community character goals and
policies for the Brockway Road Corridor.
• PC-3 – P8 Ensure that the mix of land uses
in the PC-3 Specifi c Plan will generate an
amount of traffi c that, in addition to buildout
of the General Plan (considering all planned
circulation improvements), would not result
in the need for four lanes on Highway 267
between Interstate 80 and the Brockway Road/
Soaring Way intersection.
5.2 Development Code
Th e Development Code, known as Title 18 of the
Truckee Municipal Code, contains the Town’s zoning,
land use and subdivision regulations, representing
the majority of the Town’s requirements for the
development and use of private and public land. Th e
Development Code is supplemented by additional
requirements for construction and other aspects of
development and land use contained within other
Titles of the Truckee Municipal Code. Th e Joerger
Ranch Specifi c Plan relies upon many of the standards
and guidelines of the Development Code. Chapter
8 – Development Standards & Design Guidelines
of the Plan contains a more specifi c description of
the Plan’s relationship with the Development Code,
including a description of the Plan’s reliance on
existing standards and guidelines and those created
specifi cally to suite development in the Plan Area.
Figure 2-6 indicates the zoning designations in the
vicinity of PC-3.
5.3 Town Trails & Bikeways Master Plan
Th e Truckee Trails & Bikeways Master Plan seeks
to create a comprehensive system of trails and
bikeways to promote both non-motorized alternative
transportation and create additional recreation
opportunities for the Truckee community and beyond.
Although the scope of the Master Plan is limited to
the Town’s jurisdictional boundaries, the importance
of providing connections to the larger Truckee-North
Lake Tahoe is recognized and encouraged for the
purpose of creating a seamless regional system.
Joerger Ranch provides an opportunity to implement
key in-town trails, bikeways and connections to the
larger regional trail system. Th e Plan Area is located
along State Route 267 and Brockway Road/Soaring
Road, providing an opportunity for important
connective bikeway links along these highly-traveled
public rights-of-way for the benefi t of both the
local community and visitors. Th e Plan Area is also
located in close proximity to three of the Town’s
most-prominent recreational assets – the Truckee
River/Legacy Trail, the Riverview Sports Park and
the Truckee River Regional Park. Development of
Joerger Ranch provides the opportunity to construct
these trail connections for benefi t of the community
and Joerger Ranch residents and visitors.
3.15
J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN C OMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT | C HAPTER 3
5.4 Tahoe Truckee Airport Land Use
Compatibility Plan and Master Plan
COMPATIBILITY PLAN
Th e Truckee Tahoe Airport Land Use
Compatibility Plan (CLUP) was adopted in
1986 and revised in 1990 and 2004 by the
Foothill Airport Land Use Commission
(FALUC). Under State Law, the FALUC
must approve “the adoption or approval
of any amendment to a general or specifi c
plan aff ecting the property within an airport
infl uence area.” Th e policies of the CLUP
aim to promote land use compatibility with
the Truckee Tahoe Airport, focused on four
potential concerns — aircraft noise, land
use safety (both people on the ground and
FIGURE 3-7: TOWN’S TRAIL AND BIKEWAY NETWORK
FIGURE 3-8: AIRPORT’S COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN
3.16
C HAPTER 3 |COMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN
occupants of aircraft ), protection of airport airspace
and general concerns related to aircraft over fl ights.
Th e CLUP imposes a separate and independent set
of policies and restrictions on lands surrounding the
airport than that of the local land use authority(s).
Th e area surrounding the Truckee Tahoe Airport
is divided into diff erent zones, each containing
corresponding regulations for density, open space,
height and land use. Generally there is close
relationship between the proximity of the land area
to the airport and the degree of restriction imposed
upon land uses under the CLUP.
Th e Joerger Ranch Plan Area is primarily located
with Compatibility Zone B-1 (Inner Approach/
Departure) and Zone D (Primary Traffi c Patterns). A
small, approximately 8-acre portion of the northwest
corner of the Plan Area is located within Zone B-2
(Adjacent to Runway). While the policies and concept
plans contained within this Specifi c Plan have
been developed to be consistent with each of these
respective Compatibility Zones, it will be necessary
to closely evaluate and insure consistency with the
CLUP for this Specifi c Plan and future development
proposals implementing the Specifi c Plan.
MASTER PLAN
Th e Truckee Tahoe Airport Master Plan was adopted
in November 1998 by the Tahoe Truckee Airport
District Board of Directors. Th e Airport Master Plan
contains a forecast of aviation demand and facility
needs for the airport through the year 2020. Th ese
forecasts were utilized to identify development
alternatives which, in turn, were refi ned into a single
master plan concept representing the recommended
direction for future use and development of lands
owned by the Truckee Tahoe Airport District.
Th e Airport Layout Drawing (Sheet 1 of 9) contained
within the 1998 Airport Master Plan was last updated
in 2005. Th is update included the identifi cation of
non-aviation use lands, largely following the land
areas similarly-designated as “available for alternative
land use” within the On-Airport Land Use Drawing
(Sheet 8 of 9) of the 1998 Airport Master Plan. Th is
is relevant in that the majority of these non-aviation
use designated lands abut the Joerger Ranch Plan
Area to the north and east and all are currently
undeveloped. Although the Airport Master Plan
does not specifi cally defi ne appropriate or envisioned
uses for these non-aviation use lands, the ultimate
development pattern of Joerger Ranch will infl uence
and guide their future development as a matter
of compatibility and character, particularly
along Soaring Way and the signifi cant changes
proposed for this roadway under this Specifi c
Plan.
5.5 Martis Valley Community Plan (MVCP)
Th e relationship of the Martis Valley and the
Martis Valley Community Plan (MVCP) to
Joerger Ranch has been described, in part,
in Section 2 of this Chapter. Th e MVCP
designates the lands adjacent to the southerly
Town boundary (and adjacent to the Joerger
Ranch Plan Area) as General Commercial,
a designation also applied to lands in and FIGURE 3-9: AIRPORT’S MASTER PLAN
3.17
J OERGER RANCH SPECIFIC PLAN C OMMUNITY & REGIONAL CONTEXT | C HAPTER 3
around the Truckee Tahoe Airport, and to existing
commercially-used lands on the north side of State
Route 267 terminating near the intersection of
Truckee Airport Road. A small area of land south of
State Route 267 has been given the Professional Offi ce
designation within the MVCP. An Open Space land
use designation is applied to the remaining lands
along State Route 267 within the Martis Valley. Th e
MVCP does not have regulatory authority over the
Joerger Ranch Plan Area, however it does provide
contextual information for the Plan Area.
5.6 Placer & Nevada County General Plans
Although the MVCP is the primary policy document
for Placer County in the Martis Valley, it is a
component of the broader Placer County General
Plan adopted in 1994. Like the MVCP, the Placer
County General Plan recognizes Placer County’s
close relationship with Truckee and encourages
coordination and communication between the Town
of Truckee and Placer County for all land use and
infrastructure improvements. Although the Placer
County General Plan does not maintain regulatory
authority over the Joerger Ranch Plan Area, the
Town of Truckee and Placer County maintain a
cooperative working relationship. While the MVCP
addresses specifi c community concerns and issues
in the Martis Valley, it does not supersede the Placer
County General Plan.
Th e Nevada County General Plan was adopted in
1995. Similar to Placer County’s relationship with
the Town of Truckee, the Nevada County General
Plan has no regulatory authority over the Plan Area,
but the county and town also maintain a cooperative
working relationship. Because the lands of Nevada
County covered under this General Plan maintain
little connectivity and/or adjacency with the Joerger
Ranch Plan Area due to the location of the Tahoe
Truckee Airport, the Nevada County General Plan
has little relationship with the Joerger Ranch Specifi c
Plan. Th e exception is the area on the north side of
Soaring Way to the east of the Plan Area with an
IND (Industrial) land use designation and a small
area north of the
Plan Area on
either side of State
Route 267 with a
CC (Community
Commercial) land
use designation.
Both of these
areas are within
the ownership
boundaries of the
Tahoe Truckee
Airport. Th e
remaining airport
land area is
designated by the
Nevada County
General Plan as
PUB (Public).
FIGURE 3-10: MARTIS VALLEY COMMUNITY PLAN