Washoe County Should Adopt the Truckee River Park Access Partnership with Reno River Inn
With Washoe County constrained by a lack of budget, the proposal from the Historic Reno River Inn represents a practical way to make river access possible for everyone. Why isn't it happening?
Jan 12, 2026
The owners of the Historic Reno River Inn have proposed making their land available for public recreational access. I read the proposal, and I met with Larry McNutt, the owner of the property, to hear about the Plan.
Larry proposes to turn the River Inn into a visitor’s center and turn some of the motel rooms into shops. He says he has talked with Washoe County officials and has been met with indifference. How could that be?
Is Commissioner Alexis Hill too busy running for governor to do her job of helping residents get a new park? Perhaps we could ask her. Phone: 775‑447‑3017 Email: ahill@washoecounty.gov
Governmental agencies have spent years talking about better river access, trail connectivity, and expanding outdoor recreation in a fiscally responsible way. Those goals are repeated across multiple master plans, public surveys, and policy documents. What the County has struggled with is not vision — it is execution.
That is why the proposed public-private partnership, the Truckee River Access Park, deserves serious attention and formal adoption. It offers something rare in public policy: a solution that aligns with existing plans, is faster to implement, cheaper to deliver, and supported by public demand.
In a time when budgets and rising construction costs constrain governments, this proposal represents a practical way to move from planning to progress.
The County Has a Vision, But It Is Stuck
The Carcione and Canepa Ranch plans, the Regional Parks & Open Space Master Plan, and the Tahoe to Pyramid Trail vision all point in the same direction: connect open spaces, improve river access, and expand trail networks so people can recreate.
But the County’s own planning documents also acknowledge the barriers:
New infrastructure is expensive.
Environmental permitting is slow and complex.
Rail crossings, sewer connections, and road access are significant cost drivers.
Capital budgets are limited and increasingly strained.
As a result, projects intended to improve quality of life often languish in planning purgatory for a decade or more before the public sees a benefit, if ever.
The Truckee River Access Park proposal exists to break that logjam and provide access to 24 acres of recreational property with 1 mile of river access on both sides.
Reno's Historic River Inn Heads to Trial: Harassment, or Free Speech, a Historic Property in Limbo Due to a Karen
A Ready-Made Asset Sitting in the Right Place
The property proposed for the Truckee River Access Park is uniquely positioned.
The Plan offers:
Nearly a mile of Truckee River frontage on both sides of the river.
Direct adjacency to County, City, and federal open space lands.
An existing guarded railroad crossing for safe public access.
Existing restrooms are already connected to the city sewer system.
Existing road access and paved areas suitable for parking and staging.
These are not minor conveniences. They are the pieces of infrastructure that drive costs, delays, and environmental impacts when the County tries to build them.
This site already has what the County would otherwise need years and millions of dollars to create. So, what are they waiting for?
This Is Exactly What County Policy Calls For
The County’s own planning language repeatedly emphasizes:
Connecting existing parks instead of acquiring new land.
Seeking partnerships with private landowners.
Prioritizing trails, river access, and open space over extensive built facilities.
Leveraging existing infrastructure where possible.
The Truckee River Access Park is not a deviation from County strategy — it is a partnership with it. Rejecting or sidelining this proposal would not preserve County policy. It would contradict it and deny people a recreational facility that they want.
It Is the Fiscally Responsible Option
From a financial perspective, the comparison is straightforward.
This proposal saves the County from having to build:
A railroad crossing.
Restrooms.
A Sewer system.
Parking areas.
With this partnership, that translates into:
Lower capital costs.
Shorter timelines.
Reduced regulatory risk.
Fewer unknowns and fewer opportunities for cost overruns.
At a time when every department is being asked to do more with less, choosing the lower-cost, lower-risk path is not just prudent, it is responsible governance.
It Completes a Critical Missing Link in the Tahoe to Pyramid Trail
One of the most compelling aspects of the proposal is that it solves a real, tangible problem: the missing safe river-adjacent trail segment between Mayberry Park and the County lands upstream.
Right now, trail users are forced onto 4th Street — a busy road — because the trail disappears.
The proposal adds nearly a mile of continuous trail along the riverbank, connecting existing public lands and making the regional trail system safer, more attractive, and more usable.
That is not symbolic progress. That is a physical, measurable improvement.
Public Demand Is Already Established
The County has already conducted the surveys, workshops, and outreach. Residents consistently rank trails, river access, and natural open space as their most valued recreational assets.
The demand for this type of project is not speculative. It is documented.
What has been missing is an efficient way to deliver it.
Is Commissioner Alexis Hill too busy running for governor to do her job of helping residents get a new park? Perhaps we could ask her. Phone: 775‑447‑3017 Email: ahill@washoecounty.gov
A Smarter Funding Model for an Uncertain Future
The proposal’s blended funding model — combining County participation, private investment, event revenues, and flexible contributions depending on economic conditions — reflects fiscal realism.
It avoids placing the entire burden on taxpayers while still ensuring public benefit and public access.
This is not privatization. It is a partnership.
And it is increasingly how complex infrastructure gets built when governments cannot — and should not — shoulder the full cost alone.
The Larger Opportunity
Beyond the immediate project, the Truckee River Access Park serves as a test case for a more flexible, cooperative approach to expanding public amenities.
If Washoe County cannot partner successfully when:
The land is ideally located,
The infrastructure already exists,
The public demand is apparent,
The policy alignment is strong,
And the fiscal case is favorable,
Then the question becomes: when will it ever make sense to partner?
What Adoption Should Mean
Adopting this proposal does not mean writing a blank check or surrendering public oversight.
Adopting the proposal means:
Conducting a formal evaluation under the County’s unsolicited proposal framework.
Negotiating clear terms for public access, maintenance, and liability.
Requiring transparency on costs, savings, and timelines.
Structuring the agreement to protect the public interest.
This is about moving deliberately instead of standing still.
Conclusion: This Is the Rare Easy Yes
Public policy is usually about choosing between competing priorities, conflicting interests, and imperfect options.
This is one of the rare cases where the benefits align:
Faster delivery,
Lower cost,
Strong policy alignment,
Demonstrated public demand,
Reduced risk.
Washoe County does not need another study to know that this project makes sense. It requires the institutional will to say yes to a good idea when one finally appears. The Truckee River Access Park partnership is that idea. It should be adopted without delay. If you like this Plan, then take action to help make it happen.