Truckee on the 4th of July is Community!

Kevin Brown and I, Truckee 4th of July parade

Kevin Brown, my husband Ron and I had Big Fun and sticky hands passing out a couple hundred free root beer floats at the parade.  Imagine scooping ice cream for 3 hours, on your knees and in the sun…(that was Kevin’s job).  Ron poured the root beer, after 3 hours, with a new-found skill so it wouldn’t foam all over his sticky hands.  This is us (still clean) before we blinked and a long line of kids had formed in front of our “Free” sign.

Most amazing?  At the end of the day we had one partial ice cream carton and one partial bottle of root beer left.  Perfect.  But don’t we look clean and calm here?  (Hint: that’s a Mimosa in those cups.)

We were also giving away free Truckee Railyard posters (only one left of those  at the end of the day!)  But, if you want one, just ask me.

As Kevin and Ron scooped and poured, I got to talk to people about why we were there.    And the amazing part?  Without exception, every person I spoke with was enthusiastic at the notion of movie theatres and housing in Truckee on the old railyard.

So, we are launched.  I have a slew of names going into our new database from the root beer give-away.  And, knowing our team, I am sure we will have more wacky ideas as we take this thing from a dream to a reality.

In the next few weeks I will be meeting with people interested in hearing more about the Railyard Community, and I would love to talk with YOU!

The train is leaving the station!  Come, jump on board with us!  We’re embarking on a grand new adventure.  And the only thing I know for certain is that it will be fun.

Best of Tahoe Chefs Benefit (in eagle mask)

I’m the one in the feathered eagle mask, (a fashionable eagle).  Ron is…well, Ron.

This was our first Best of Tahoe Chefs Benefit as we begin meeting the Truckee community.  And primarily, that is what I was most struck by.  The sense of Community was palpable in the packed and lively Ritz ballroom.  Everyone (except Ron) was wearing masks.  Everyone was DRESSED.  Everyone seemed to know everyone else, (except us).

For a military brat – raised on bases and moving every 2 years…I realized I have absolutely no idea what it would be like to grow up with the same neighbors, sharing  joys, sadnesses and a (very) awkward adolescence with the same people I was now dressed up and dancing with.

I left feeling a bit chagrined.  Here am I blogging about community when, clearly, Truckee is already there.  I am the one learning.  (All the more reason for you to chat with me.)  As I see it, we want to expand on what is already working.  Add something more.  Something needed. 

My mask off in salute to the organizers of this very worthy event.  I only know one – Martha Simon, so I personally congratulated her.  Here I congratulate everyone who obviously worked hard on this noble project.

I was also deeply affected by Mayor Carolyn Dee’s talk on her experience with cancer – her own and that of her late husband.  How fortunate is Truckee to have a woman of her depth and compassion at its helm.  I look forward to working with her as we move forward with the Railyard community.

A good friend of ours recently battled cancer.  As a result, he quit his work as a surgeon and is now working with the families and physicians of seriously ill patients to better facilitate communication and support.  This too is community,  I feel, and Truckee is on it!

Again, I was profoundly struck by the cohesiveness, the dedication and the generosity of  Truckee.  To my mind, this is Community at its very best.  My sincere hope for our Railyard community is that we can come together, play together and stay together while caring for our families, our friends, our neighbors.

Would love to hear from anyone who thinks they might be interested in joining our budding Railyard Community.

                                                                   Truckee Truly, Gail

Stay Tuned:  Up next I visit a thriving (and fun) co-housing community.

Hi.  I’m Gail

I’ve been asked by Rick Holliday to help gather the community that will live together on the old Truckee railyard site.

Who am I?

          -Part time Truckee resident, 3 years

          -Part time poet

          -Part time outdoorswoman

…..Jeez, everything I love I am only doing part time.  That can’t be the right answer!

          I love skiing in the mountains.  I love biking and hiking and napping in the mountains.  When I’m in the mountains I write wonderful poetry.  I sleep soundly.  I smile more, cook more, linger and daydream and wonder.  I feel small, (I’m tall) and happy and…dare I say…content.  Awed by my surroundings.  The (unbelievably exquisite) seasons reminding me of impermanence – especially my own.

Why me?

          -My husband and I think we want to live here (on the old railyard site).

          -I’m crazy enough to believe the right people working together can create synergy, magic and a cool community.

          -I was an owner in another Rick Holliday development in SF-The Clocktower, for 15 years and I loved loved loved being there.

          -I believe in Truckee and I believe in Rick’s ability to build a community I will want to live in.

                                                                                                             Truckee Truly, Gail

Next:  Who are You?  Stay tuned and I’ll tell you.  No, actually, I’m hoping hoping hoping that you’ll tell me…

According to Darin Dinsmore of Regional Planning Partners, creating a redevelopment plan for the Truckee Railyard was a complex process that involved more than three years of study, analysis and design and over 100 public meetings.  He should know as he has been involved from the early stages.  He states that the approved Railyard Masterplan was shaped with input from hundreds of participants through an extensive public process.The plan was developed over a multi-year process that engaged the community, neighbors, stakeholders and dozens of design professionals and experts.

Darin also stated that the road alignment as proposed is a key element in creating one downtown that is connected together as a whole and that will evolve over time toward the east. After working on this plan for many years, he believe this is the best plan for the downtown that implements the vision set forth in the Downtown Specific Plan.

To read Darin’s entire letter click here

Bill Quesnel, a 15 year resident of Truckee and president of Acumen Engineering is a licensed civil engineer in both California and Nevada providing services in the Truckee and North Lake Tahoe area to government agencies and private landowners.  In addition and most importantly he has been involved in the study of the traffic plan for the railyard for over 5 years.  Last week he took the time to help readers understand all of the criteria that has gone into the development of the street and circulation plan approved by the City Council.  In his letter he factually states why the proposed plan by the traffic consultant recently brought in by the Friends of Truckee does not satisfy the seven criteria identified by a team of planners, landscape architects, civil engineers, and traffic engineers over the past 5 years. Give it a read and  you decide.

To view the letter in the sierra sun please click here

“An odd thing happened Wednesday night at the Truckee town hall;  the audience that made it through four hours of meeting applauded at the unanimous approval of a development project (the Truckee Railyard Project)”  This is a quote from the Sierra Sun June 19th, 2009 following the City Council meeting held the previous Wednesday evening. Attended and supported by over 100 residents and officials including all previous Truckee mayors, the support to approve the railyard masterplan and EIR was overwhelming, emotional, passionate and straight forward. In addition there was support from a variety of groups including the Mountain Area Preservation Foundation, Truckee Donner Historical Society, Sierra Business Council, Truckee River Watershed Council and the list goes on.

The only challenge to the project was by a group who calls themselves the Friends of Truckee who’s spokesperson is Siobhan Smart, a local business owner. The opposition group was challenged by many including former Mayor Ted Owens who stated, “To the so called and self proclaimed Friends of Truckee..it is my belief you are few in your view and I’ll ask for your support as well”.  Mike Dunsford, a long time Truckee resident said, “Friends of Truckee has a nice ring to if but is sort of a misnomer.”  Lisa Wallace, executive director of the Truckee Watershed Council expressed concern that the threatened lawsuit by Friends of Truckee, which Rick Holliday referred to as them trying to play a game of “gotcha,” could actually hurt the Trout Creek restoration effort by upsetting time sensitive funding that is now in place.

All in all it was a great night for the Town of Truckee and for Holliday Development.  As Mark Tanner correctly stated…..this is not Mr. Hollidays project but it belongs to the people of Truckee.  He is so right!
Background: The Truckee Railyard Master Plan is the culmination of over a decade of planning efforts by the Town, which 5 years ago turned into the Truckee Railyard Partnership between the Town of Truckee and Holliday Development.  This plan was a community wide effort involving innumerable public workshops, community meetings, open office hours, and formal and informal dialogue with stakeholders.  The plan, including 25 developable acres on former Union Pacific property, proposes to extend downtown with a boutique hotel and movie theater, offer more downtown housing at mixed-incomes, commercial, retail, and work-live space.

You can read more about the Truckee Railyard approval at the links below:

Sierra Sun, Railyard Approval Draws Public Support

Sierra Sun Editorial, All Aboard

Tahoe Ticker Blog, Overwhelming Enthusiasm Behind Truckee Railyard Project Passage

A grant in the sum of $1,585,724.00 has been awarded for the environmental cleanup of the Truckee Railyard.  Holliday Development secured the funds from CCLR (Center for Creative Land Reuse), a non profit organization focused on creating sustainable communities by identifying and implementing responsible patterns of land uses and development.  At this time the funding has been put on hold due to the State of California’s financial crisis but is expected to be released in the near future.  We will keep you posted.  Once released the environmental cleanup of the railyard will begin.