Newport Pacific Land closed on the 980-acre Butler Ranch in June for $43 million, according to the Washoe County Assessor. When Paul Butler bought the ranch in 1954, he paid about $440,000 for 1,700 acres of land. Paul did pretty good.
980 acres along the east side of Rattlesnake Mountain could become Reno's newest planned development. The area from Donner Springs to South Meadows Parkway, including Butler Ranch, could see new housing, businesses and open space in the community known as "Daybreak."
"What this master plan represents is really a full, broad spectrum of housing products and housing opportunities that really are needed in our community," Andy Durling, Principal Planner for Wood Rodgers said.
Most of the project is on the west side of the South East Connector, which will become Veterans Parkway.
"It's a very large project," Durling said. "What's also very unique about this is that it's a very large infill project. It's effectively connecting the communities of South Meadows and Donner Springs, Hidden Valley."


The plan calls for 4,700 homes, which is about 4.8 houses per acre. Durling says that is similar to the communities in South Meadows. As northern Nevada's population grows, housing is needed even more.

"Town homes, duets, duplexes, things like that that are going to provide entry-level housing opportunities for new families," Durling said. A large area of the project is on the northeast side of Rattlesnake Mountain, including the area east of Donner Springs Elementary School on the Butler Ranch.


All the old ranches have transitioned, and really, this is kind of the last one. The south end of the project will include a mix of construction, including a town center that could be similar to the South Creek Center on Foothill Road. The man-made Alexander Lake would be drained to allow more houses and to bring the Steamboat Creek back to its natural course. With new developments, drainage and flood prevention are part of the planning process.

The project also includes a narrow sliver of land on the east side of Veterans Parkway. More than 125 acres will be used for single-family housing. 20 acres are set aside in that area for a future high school that sits next to BLM land.

The goal is to break ground at the end of 2018.

Kelly Richmond 
775-219-6413