A Tornado Of Cumulative Impacts

One can look at the Brockway Collective project by itself and say “Yes, it will have some impacts, but Truckee needs housing.” But the reality is that this little corner of Truckee is looking a a tornado of potential development with three major projects well into the planning stages within a 1/4 mile radius from the Highway 267 & Brockway Road intersection. Those projects add up to just about 300 additional housing units within this small circle. That does not include the additional homes already under construction on Hope Court.

The addition of that many residential units means that we could see as many as 600 to 1000 more vehicles on the road as people make their way to work, medical appointments, shopping, local events and recreation opportunities.

It’s not just about the housing, there is also commercial development planned for Soaring Ranch Phase 2, along Martis Drive (now a dirt road) and along Hope Court. While some of that commercial development will allow residents in the area to access some shopping without a car, the likely scenario os that there will be additional traffic coming from other parts of Truckee or Highway 267 to visit new businesses.

If you frequent this part of town you already know that Brockway Road barely handles peak commute and special event traffic. Then there’s the stoplight at Highway 267. On a busy day, it can take 2 or 3 light cycles to get through. It’s often insanity on a daily basis during the tourism season, about 10 months out of the year.

Let’s take a quick look at the individual projects:

Brockway Collective

This is the project that initially caught out intention, located on the west side of Brockway Road near the wetland at the end of Columbine and Shorepine.

• 115 units proposed on roughly 6.5 acres of developable land
• The proposal includes 216 parking spaces
• Shorepine Road would extend to Brockway Road, potentially creating serious traffic impacts to area resisdents on Shorepine, Columbine and Old Mill.

Joerger Ranch Phase 4 Residential Units

This project is proposed on Martis Road, which is currently a dirt road, just east of the old Truckee River Winery location. The previously approved Joerger Ranch Specific Plan calls for paving Martis Road and offering mixed commercial use space beyond the housing development. There is not a development plan in place for the commercial uses yet.

• 96 residential units on approximately 4 acres of land – all rental properties
• 140 parking spaces
• Martis Road would be paved and connected to the Estates neighborhood. This will significantly increase traffic in that area as residents use that as a quicker exit to Brockway Road. There also will be an increase of traffic as an alternative route to Truckee River Regional Park for special events.
• A large roundabout is slated for the intersection of Martis Road and Brockway Road, using much of the parcel where the Truckee River Winery was located.

Soaring Ranch Phase 2

This development is planned on Soaring Way, just south of the current Soaring Ranch Center, which includes Raley’s and Ace Hardware.

• 86 residential units in 4 story buildings
• 26,000 square feet of commercial space for offices, retail and restaurants. The plan currently calls for 9 tenants
• 272 parking spaces serving the residential and commercial uses

Like It Or Not, Brockway Road Is A Major Roadway

Many people use Brockway Road on a daily basis. The last study from 2020 suggests an average of 9 to 11 thousand vehicles per day. (Comparatively, Highway 267 averages 16 thousand vehicles a day in that same study) That does not account for those days when we have special events at the park or Highway 267 is a log jam. Newcomers to the area may not know that Brockway Road actually was Highway 267 until October 2002. It still serves as the main route into the downtown area and back out toward the southeastern corner of town and Placer County. Here’s a short list of just some of the destinations reached via Brockway Road:

More Storms On The Fringe

There’s more to the problem than just these three major projects. There’s more residential projects in the pipeline in the area:

• Silver Creek Estates
• Estates Meadows Housing Development
• Soaring Ranch Phase 3
• Continued development on Hope Court
• Continued development in Placer County at Shaffer’s Mill, Martis Camp and Lahonton

When Do We Say Enough?

Nobody here is advocating for absolutely no growth in Truckee. What we want to see in a manageable level of new building that is supported by adequate infrastructure, We want our mountain community to retain a least a hint of it’s mountain charm. It’s time for not just the Sierra Meadows community, but the entire Truckee community to take a stand against unchecked development.