Could federal land surrounding Reno-Sparks help ease housing crisis?

SPARKS, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — The overwhelming majority of land in Washoe County is owned by the federal government. Some say that boxes in the Reno-Sparks area, limiting growth and exacerbating the housing crisis.

Could authorizing the federal government to sell tens of thousands of acres of land help ease the affordable crisis?

It's a debate that may soon play out, as backers of the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act say the measure could be introduced in Congress this year.

Though there's no draft language yet, it's anticipated that the bill would allow federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to begin selling off parcels east of Sparks.

Map shows the land (tan-colored) that could be auctioned off under the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act.

Federal agencies own 80% of land in Nevada — the highest percentage of any U.S. state — and about 83% of land in Washoe County.

"We are surrounded by some really beautiful country and we all love it for that," said developer Don Pattalock, who's worked on several federal lands acts in the past. (His current StoneGate project in Cold Springs would not be affected by the legislation).

It is also very restricting on where we can grow.

A recent study commissioned by the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada found that Washoe County will run out of the most developable open land by 2027.

The study was done to support the passage of the public lands bill.

Exact provisions of the bill are unclear, but the measure likely would free up 10-15,000 acres for eventual sale. Supporters like Paddalock say parcels would likely be sold off slowly in a piecemeal approach.

"As the need arises, as communities and the city boundaries expand, the federal agencies have the authorization to then sell the next parcel to a developer, to the city," he said.

A previous proposal would've allocated 5% of the revenue from the land sales to education in Nevada, 10% to local governments and 85% to a special account to be used for recreation areas, conservation, wildfire prevention and more.

A visual breakdown of how a previous Truckee Meadows lands bill proposal would've allocated revenue from the sale of federally-owned parcels.

Northern Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei (R) said public lands legislation is one way the federal government can help address the housing shortage — by both freeing up land to ease supply constraints and raising funds directly to support affordable projects.

Just about every community in Nevada - every community in Nevada is surrounded by federal lands.

Amodei told News 4-Fox 11 in an interview last week he was generally supportive of the effort.

"I think there's a great opportunity to use a federal lands piece of legislation to be a significant piece of the puzzle in addressing affordability," he said.

For instance, Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson has envisioned the bill freeing up space for industrial centers and warehouses, allowing residential projects to eventually be built near the the Truckee River.

A pickup truck drives on federal lands near Golden Eagle Regional Park in Sparks.

But everyone involved agrees it's a years-long process that will not have an immediate impact on the housing shortage.

"The shortest timeframe you're looking at is probably 5 years before you're going to see this land actually get into circulation and have an impact on what we're trying to solve," Pattalock said.

This is not the short-term solution. This is long-term visioning.

The measure is likely to face significant pushback from critics who believe it will contribute to urban sprawl and degrade the quality of life in northern Nevada.

Consultant Scott Bensing said supporters are hoping to introduce the bill in Congress in 2022. Amodei was skeptical that a measure introduced in June or later could pass before the end of the year, but said the measure could be re-introduced in 2023.

Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on Twitter and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.