FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2002

Truckee -- The Town of Truckee and the Sierra Business Council today announced the awarding of a major grant from the State of California to Truckee for the purpose of planning the redevelopment of a 37 acre parcel - known as the "Railyard Site" -- just east of the town's historic downtown.

The $350,000 grant was provided by the California Pollution Control Financing Authority (CPCFA) through its Sustainable Communities Grant and Loan Program. The CPCFA is chaired by California State Treasurer, Phil Angelides, who originally initiated the grant and loan program.

The grant proposal was prepared in a collaborative effort by the Town of Truckee, the Sierra Business Council (a regional non-profit business organization working to secure the economic, environmental and social health of the Sierra Nevada), and the California Center for Land Recycling (a statewide non-profit dedicated to reclaiming "brownfield" sites throughout California).

"This is a major breakthrough for the future of our town," said Truckee Mayor Ron Florian. "The redevelopment of the railyard is a central element of our vision for Truckee and this grant provides the resources necessary to work with Union Pacific Railroad and the community to complete our downtown."

The Railyard Site has been an integral part of Truckee since the development of the Transcontinental Railroad put the town on the map in 1864. Until recently, the site was home to a major lumber mill, which ceased operation and was torn down in 1989.

Currently, the property is owned by Union Pacific Railroad, which uses a portion of the property for a turnaround track for its track-clearing snowplows. Today, the site is considered a "brownfield" - an abandoned or underutilized parcel or building in an already-developed location that has actual or perceived contamination from previous or adjoining users.

The CPCFA grant will assist the Town of Truckee in working with Union Pacific and local residents on a redevelopment plan that meets a number of critical objectives, including:
* Encouraging significant downtown redevelopment which is strongly encouraged by the Truckee General Plan;
* Providing up to 300 units of affordable and moderately-priced housing to retain many of Truckee's working citizens;
* Allowing development of up to 125,000 square feet of mixed use commercial and retail space and 30,000 square feet of office space;
* Creating a site for expanded civic services, including a possible Town Hall relocation;
* Improving the environmental health of the Truckee River and Trout Creek; and
* Exploring an "Amtrak hub" to accommodate resort tourism, linking Truckee's center with Lake Tahoe resorts through alternative transportation.

The redevelopment plan will be created in three phases. The first phase will identify principal project opportunities, building upon the current Truckee downtown plan, and working with Union Pacific. The second phase will provide local residents with the opportunity to explore alternative development concepts. The third phase will result in a Master Plan, including the site plan, phasing plan and strategies for marketing the site and guiding development.

"We were very pleased to help develop this proposal for Truckee," said Jim Sayer, President of the Sierra Business Council. "Truckee has a special opportunity to create a plan that will be a model for other rural communities in California."

Other Sierra Redevelopment Efforts

Truckee's redevelopment plan is part of a broader trend in the Sierra region to recycle old brownfield sites for commercial and housing purposes. In its latest newsletter, the Sierra Business Council notes a number of other efforts to revitalize old sites left behind by waning extractive enterprises, especially in the timber industry.

In North Fork (near Yosemite), the North Fork Community Development Corporation (CDC) has launched a sustainable re-design workshop for the town's abandoned mill site. Working with the Frank Lloyd Wright Institute of Architecture, the North Fork CDC will conduct a community survey and then hold a workshop next spring to redevelop the site, originally the base for 150 good paying jobs.

Further north in Loyalton, in Sierra County, the Sierra Economic Development Division (SEDD) is working to transform the timber mill site next to town into a business park. SEDD and Sierra County are now in the final stretch of reviewing the business park plan - and they are exploring a 20-year master plan for infrastructure to support the park. For More Information:

Tony Lashbrook, Town of Truckee, 530/582-7700, www.townoftruckee.com
Jim Sayer or Darin Dinsmore, Sierra Business Council, 530/582-4800, www.sbcouncil.org
Colleen Beamish, California Pollution Control Financing Authority, 916/653-5610 www.treasurer.ca.gov/cpcfa/cpcfa.htm
Stephanie Shakofsky, California Center for Land Recycling, 415.820.2080, www.cclr.org
Barry Vesser, North Fork Community Development Corporation, 559/877-2244
Betty Riley, Sierra Economic Development Division, 530/823-4703