The Washoe 301 service has given a new response regarding concerns about the White Creeks trail closure due to a Pavich and Associates development project overspilling into public recreation areas near the foot of Mt. Rose.
“Washoe County, in conjunction with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, permitted a private residential subdivision in 2007 with standard conditions for development. The developer restarted development activities in late 2024 and just recently began field work including a new crossing of Whites Creek. This work has significantly impacted the many users of the Whites Creek trail system, initially creating safety issues for both the users of the trail system and the Whites Creek stream environment,” Washoe 301 wrote back to a concerned resident.
“When construction began last week, Washoe County began receiving complaints and concerns and after visiting the construction site, immediately shut down the Whites Creek Trail for the safety of our residents. Portions of the trail had become an active construction site complete with heavy machinery and hazards such as metal posts erected on the trail with no signage or buffers in place to warn the public of the work being done.
While this is a private development and is the responsibility of the owner and contractor to ensure a safe work environment for everyone, Washoe County stepped in to resolve the situation. Frankly, County staff was stunned that a construction site would be left unsecured in this manner, especially given the heavy use of the trail system in the area. Washoe County has also contacted the other permitters including the State of Nevada and the US Army Corps of Engineers to address possible violations of the various permits, including lack of environmental protections, water flow management, and excessive grading.
Washoe County has been made aware of the issues associated with this private development and quickly acted to address public safety and the safety of the Whites Creek environment. Working directly with the other project permittees, the County has and is meeting with the owner and contractor to address the County, the State of Nevada, and the US Army Corps of Engineers concerns. We will keep the community informed of the outcomes to assure that all non-compliant issues are resolved appropriately. For the safety of trail users, the trail will remain closed until further notice.”
Assistant County Manager David Solaro sent his own reply, explaining the situation in even greater detail.
“The Whites Creek trail through this section of the Whites Creek drainage is located primarily on lands dedicated to Washoe County as open space from the various developments that abut the creek,” he wrote in an email forwarded to Our Town Reno. “It is also through lands managed by the USFS in many cases as well. The closure of the trail in this area is on a privately owned 70’ wide piece of land, not dedicated to Washoe County. As part of the development of the subdivision plans there is a 62’ wide easement for pedestrian access which will allow the trail to continue through the new roadway, possibly similar to how it crosses Callahan east of this location. In order to effectuate the pedestrian easement, construction must be completed. In a perfect world the developer would have communicated with Washoe County before beginning construction so we could come up with a plan to re-route the trail before construction. As we know this did not occur, and WC was put into a position to have to close the trail due to safety reasons listed below.
It is unfortunate that the trail closure has inconvenienced so many trail users, and as a frequent user of that and the many other great trails in the area I understand the inconvenience. This does shine a light on the work that we do here at Washoe County to make sure when development occurs, the long-term impact is continuation of a great recreational trail network.”
The development is for the Legend Trail subdivision, with 42 estates of two plus acre lots each in a gated community.
Our Town Reno reporting, May 2025