Updated 12/4/24:
Following the approval of the Master Plan for Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, Washoe County received a number of concerns related to its impact on the longevity of The Great Reno Balloon Race (GRBR). After good faith conversations with GRBR on Monday, December 2, officials at Washoe County have agreed to revisit the master plan at the next Open Space and Regional Park Commission meeting to be held in January. Both Washoe County and GRBR are committed to working together to address the festival’s ability to host future safe events at the park while balancing the needs of all park users. Both GRBR and County officials are confident that, with dedicated consideration, the plan will represent the best possible future for the park on behalf of its 3.5 million annual visitors.
Original Statement:
This past spring, a robust community outreach campaign was implemented by Washoe County to capture community and stakeholder input for a proposed Rancho San Rafael Regional Park Master Plan Update. The goal of park update is to balance the changing and diverse needs of the community at large, taking into account that a Master Plan Update hadn’t been completed in over 30 years and had not kept current with our growing community.
Over the course of creating the proposed Rancho San Rafael Regional Park Master Plan Update,18 stakeholder groups were identified, including the Great Reno Balloon Race, for a seven-month public and stakeholder engagement opportunity, which was well-received with over 4,500 community contributions to the plan. These recommendations by stakeholders and the public were implemented into the Rancho San Rafael Regional Park Master Plan Update that was presented and adopted at the November 20 Open Space and Regional Parks Commission meeting. In light of the concerns made by The Great Reno Balloon Race, the addition of an agenda item to revisit the Rancho San Rafael Regional Park Master Plan Update will be placed onto the Parks Commission’s regularly scheduled January meeting to discuss stakeholder and community concerns prior to taking any further action.
Washoe County recognizes that Rancho San Rafael and the programs that it hosts are beloved by the community and will continue to work with the Great Reno Balloon Race and other stakeholders to take public input as the Master Plan Update is implemented.