TRUCKEE
On Aug. 25, Truckee Town Council members unanimously denied the appeal (with minor amendments) of Truckee Planning Commission’s mid-May decision to approve the Truckee Railyard Hotel, also known as Common Pine — a 60-unit hotel project that includes 17 for-sale residential units, a rooftop pool, and commercial space across four stories.
Local resident Kurt Margraf submitted his appeal May 28 on grounds of non-compliance with the Truckee Railyard Master Plan, which guides development on the eastern end of Truckee’s Donner Pass Road. Specifically, Margraf’s appeal states “the approved project exceeds the Maximum Allowable Development (MAD) thresholds by improperly classifying hotel condominium units as conventional dwelling Multi-Family Residential Housing.” Also mentioned was the failure of compliance with street articulation (or the design of a building’s exterior to look multi-part and distinct rather than one large monolith), recommended design standards, and a failure to address traffic, parking, circulation, and more.
“We believe there are too many unknowns and uncertainties to allow staff being the only review authority moving forward with such an impactful project to our town,” Margraf said during the council meeting.
Town staff recommended the council uphold the planning commission’s decision, citing the project’s consistency with the railyard master plan, as well as the 2025 General Plan and Downtown Truckee Plan. Regarding parking, it was noted that an already established condition of approval for the Truckee Railyard Hotel establishes the need for “a robust parking management plan with a measurable Transportation Demand Management strategy and requirement of an offsite parking lot for overflow parking.”
Council members added minor edits and notations to the project’s conditions of approval, including requiring the resolution of a parking management plan prior to building permit issuance (with the exception of off-site parking, which is timed to certificate of occupancy), removing car service as a requirement, and prohibiting use of Church Street as parking for valet.
“This piece of property is an incredibly valuable piece of property when you look at it because it comes with entitlements for 60 hotel units and now they’ve been able to claim 17 residential units, and it has parking already built and streets and curbs and gutters and sidewalks,” said Truckee Mayor Anna Klovstad during the hearing. “As much as I know it’s hard to see this big of a change in this specific location, as much as I would love to see a native garden here, the Railyard Master Plan envisioned something very different, and this piece of property is part of a bigger vision.
“Somebody owns this piece of land, and they have a right to develop it to its highest and best use based on the Railyard Master Plan, so that’s what we’re here to talk about.”
The project site is at 10108 Truckee Way. Follow the project’s progress through the town at townoftruckee.gov/654/railyard-hotel.
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