There's a project working it's way through the various boards and commissions for Martin Street, which calls for 6 detached homes to be built in two rows of three homes, on a large lot in Midtown.
Here's a link to the official project document, which includes some renderings. The buildings are very modern, and remind me of the butterfly-roofed Two on Holcomb project from Haberae. They are detached homes which is nice.
It will be interesting to see if this makes it all the way through planning....it is drastically different than the surrounding neighborhood. But I like it!
The "news" on this project isn't the design of the units - it will be approved. The news is that Reno Planning is requiring the project go go through a Special Use Permit process to build Single Family Detached unit which aren't permitted int the Midtown Commercial district. Why not? Reno Planning and the neighborhood rabble who crafted the Midtown Plan did not foresee that required density could be achieved with detached units more in keeping with the scale of the neighborhood instead of grossly overscaled attached units. A similar plan went through the SUP process for the Sinclair Bungalows project, was unanimously approved, and should have been a precedent for all detached projects in Midtown Commercial. Planning refuses to update their codes, so anyone wanting SFD has to go the SUP route which is a $25,000+ crap shoot. Look at the submission - architectural plans are at 50% permit level and civil plans are at 75%. All before the project gets any level of approval. The "stake holders" will bitch and moan - they always do. The Planning Commission will mediate with some "compromises". which always cost the developers money in added features and redesign costs. All for a project that meets density standards and the intent of the Midtown Plan and underlying South Virginia Transit Corridor Plan. My head is bloody from pounding it against the wall begging Reno Planning to live up to their mission and actually PLAN instead of the civil servant wonk role they seem to feel most comfortable in. Reno Community Development is a huge organization with a wide ranging area of responsibility. The current interim leader is Alex the code enforcement dude - for a year now. Reno is entering a new era of development, and their codes are archaic, and their (our) leader is the graffiti removal guy. I am continually amazed at the dysfunction in the interactions, and why Reno Community Development does not feel any sort of need to update their vestigial codes.