Show Your Support at the Sierra Reflections Hearing — January 6, 2026
Friends,
The future of Washoe Valley is at stake, and your voice matters. The proposed Sierra Reflections development — nearly 1,000 homes across 760+ acres — is scheduled for review by the Washoe County Planning Commission on:
📅 Date: Monday, January 6, 2026 🕕 Time: 6:00 pm 📍 Location: Washoe County Commission Chambers, 1001 E. Ninth Street, Reno, NV
This hearing is a critical step in the approval process. While the Planning Commission does not have final authority to approve the project, its recommendation strongly influences the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners, who make the final decision. Your attendance and comments can shape the outcome.
Why This Hearing Matters The Sierra Reflections project raises serious environmental, community, and cultural concerns: Water Supply: Over 4,000 existing homesteads in Washoe Valley rely on private wells. A large new development requiring deep wells could impact groundwater levels and water quality.
Environmental Risk: The site includes areas with historical contamination (mercury and other legacy mining pollutants), which could be disturbed.
Rural Character & Open Space: Washoe Valley is a one-of-a-kind rural oasis, often compared to national parks like Yosemite. It is home to Washoe Lake State Park and the ancestral winter home of the Washoe Tribe. High-density development threatens its unique landscapes and wildlife.
Community Infrastructure: Traffic, roads, and public services may be strained by nearly 1,000 additional homes.
How You Can Participate; Attend the Meeting in Person, Arrive early; public comment slots are first-come, first-served.
Bring a personal statement to share during the public comment portion (2–3 minutes is typical).
Prepare a Public Comment Statement Focus on your connection to Washoe Valley: environment, water, rural character, cultural heritage.
Keep it factual, respectful, and concise. Submit Written or Online Comments For those who cannot attend in person, Washoe County allows comments via eComment or SpeakUp Washoe County.
Include your name, address (optional), and comment regarding WTM24‑001 Sierra Reflections.
Check the agenda ~3 days before the meeting for submission instructions: Washoe County Planning Commission
Amplify Awareness
Share information with neighbors, friends, and community groups.
Encourage others to attend, comment, or
sign the Stop Sierra Reflections petition: https://www.change.org/p/stop-sierra-reflections-development-for-good
Additional Context Washoe Valley is home to over 4,000 homesteads and private wells, Washoe Lake State Park, and has been the ancestral winter home of the Washoe Tribe. Its open land, wildlife, and rural character make it a unique landscape that cannot be replaced once lost.
Sierra Reflections represents a significant threat to this irreplaceable community and ecosystem.
Support the Cause You can also support advocacy efforts by purchasing items from the Stop Sierra Reflections For Good merchandise campaign. Every item sold raises awareness and keeps the conversation going: Shop the campaign:
https://www.bonfire.com/store/call-to-action/ Your voice matters. Your presence matters. Your actions matter. Together we can protect Washoe Valley, its history, its people, and its future. With gratitude, Jette Porrazzo Artist • Advocate https://jetteporrazzo.com/philanthropy
more background https://stopsr.com/
https://jetteporrazzo.com/philanthropy
The proposed Sierra Reflections development site lies within a federally designated Superfund area, recognized by the EPA for its hazardous contamination. Recent soil testing has revealed extremely high levels of toxic mercury, lead, and arsenic, pollutants with long-lasting environmental and health impacts. The proposed remediation plan has been widely criticized as ineffective and a scam, offering little assurance that contamination would be safely contained. Disturbing this land through construction would likely spread toxins into the soil and groundwater, threatening the private wells of Washoe Valley and Pleasant Valley residents. Additionally, these contaminants could travel downstream as Steamboat Creek flows into the Truckee River, Reno’s primary water source, putting hundreds of thousands of people and wildlife at risk.
Working Both Angles;
Fast Track; We, the People of Nevada—of Washoe County, Washoe Valley, and Pleasant Valley—do hereby declare our united stand against the encroachment of Sierra Reflections and the urban sprawl that imperils our homes, our waters, and our sacred lands. Recognizing the priceless worth of this valley—unmatched in the State of Nevada and unequaled in all the world—we affirm our duty to safeguard its purity, its open spaces, and its rural character. Therefore, in solemn purpose, we commit to raising forty million dollars through charitable and nonprofit endeavor to acquire and restore this land, to reforest it, to heal its waters, and to return it—fully restored—to the Washoe Tribe, the rightful ancestral stewards. Let it be known that the purchase of this garment supports the citizens, organizers, and activists laboring to make this act of conservation and justice a living reality, for the enduring benefit of future generations.
Requires 150,000 Nevada voter signatures in 4 districts. STOP SIERRA REFLECTIONS FOR GOOD We, the people of Nevada—of Washoe County, Washoe Valley, and Pleasant Valley—stand united against Sierra Reflections and the urban sprawl threatening our homes. We wholeheartedly object to the contamination of our wells, the theft of our water rights, and the destruction of our farmland. Washoe Valley is a one-of-a-kind treasure—there is no other valley like it in the state or the world. Our rural way of life must be protected. We call on the State of Nevada to preserve this land by adding it to Washoe Lake State Park as a northern extension, safeguarding it for future generations.
Washoe Valley, Nevada, United States of America, 89704