Community

6/18/09, 12:11 am, By Andrew Pridgen

Overwhelming enthusiasm behind Truckee Railyard project passage

By Andrew Pridgen -

Truckee

Remember the (now oft-copied) scene in Annie Hall — Alvy and Annie's first encounter on her rooftop. Musings on benign philosophies, photography and rent control turned into a subtitled conversation about individual hopes, deficiencies and insecurities.

...It was kind of like that at Truckee Town Hall Wednesday — sans subtitles ...or subtleties.

More on that in a second.

The Truckee Railyard project, Truckee's biggest proposed downtown development, in, well — ever, passed unanimously and not by just a simple majority. To a person, literally every Truckee council member and resident (but for the one on behalf of one of the token Basin groups using the words 'Friends of' threatening litigation) spoke in favor of the project.

Twenty years ago, the lumber mill on the east edge of downtown Truckee closed. Historically, the site was used for transcontinental railroad operations and is still home to a number of artifacts like the historic rotary snow blower car which used to plow railroad tracks — you know ...back when it snowed in Truckee.

In 2004, Emeryville-based Holliday Development, known infill developer behind the 220,000-square-foot Emeryville Warehouse and San Francisco's 355 Bryant Street — loft spaces born from run-down industrial buildings, purchased the property — all 21 historic and contaminated acres of railyard detritus ...for redevelopment.

Truckee's master plan calls for 125k commercial square feet, 30k square feet of office space, 250 lodging units and 100 residential units on the site. Developer and part-time Truckee resident Rick Holliday was more than happy to oblige.

"This is Truckee's plan," Holliday told the Truckee Town Council moments before passage of the project. "With respect to (attorneys for Friends of Truckee) this is sort of a 'gotcha'."

Holliday's 'Gotcha' moment was preceded by a conga line of Truckee townspeople throwing up plaudits for the project — and, no matter what it was actually coming from their mouths, the Woody Allen subtitles surely read: "We need an economic shot in the arm ...big time. Save us Rick Holliday."

Now the real soundbyte highlights:

Kathleen 'First Mayor of Truckee' Egan: "This is the most important opportunity to come in front of the town in decades. Fourteen years ago we set out a vision with what the abandoned railyard could become. Our town stood by its dream. We have the rare opportunity to do the impossible...."

Art 'I think JMA's still redeveloping Homewood, maybe' Chapman: "I head a fairly large orgniazation over the last 25 years has been involved in millions of square feet of retail. We are going through a very difficult economic time, some say most difficult since Depression. Tuckee began to lose market share and retail well before the economic downturn happened. it started to lose market share because of Squaw and Northstar. Truckee, Tahoe City cannot compete. They don't have the critical mass. Once you lose market share, it's like falling off a cliff. As hard as you swim in the air, it takes you to the bottom."

Craig 'Yet another Truckee Mayor' Threshie: "...We would be making a crucial mistake if we were to stop its progress now. I consider myself a friend of the railyard master plan."

Mike 'I've lived in Truckee longer than ...anyone' Dunsford: "This project is a gift. Rick Holliday is a gift.

"This is just amazing to have a project of this scale and scope — and this responsible planning. There are currently 407 lots in Truckee for sale on the Truckee MLS. ...657 residences listed in Truckee community. It is going to take years, irrespective of this recession, for the market to absorb that inventory. This project parallels and supports investment and growth and the downtown that is the engine room of our community."

Siobhan 'I'm the lone dissenter/true Friend of Truckee - and I will sue you' Smart: "Although you have enormous support — we have (more than) 1,000 responses: business owners, property owners. We're not opposed to development but concerned about traffic pattern."

Quote of the evening belonged to commercial Realtor Dunsford: "(Dissenting group) Friends of Truckee has a nice ring to it, but it's a misnomer. ...Like the North Tahoe Citizen Action Alliance.

"Frankly, I think (the) goal (of these groups) is to continue the North Shore's downhill slide. Their opposition to projects, their liitigation has brought the North Shore to its knees. Hopefully, Friends of Truckee will look at (those actions) as unproductive."

Holliday, perhaps giddy in victory, reached out to the naysayers: "People who aren't happy, they want to file a lawsuit — so be it," he said. "We'll sit down — Friends of Truckee have a new lawyer. I'm always an optimist — and we'll take an opportunity to find common ground."

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