Ask any contractor in the Truckee Meadows about the land that's left to build on, and you'll hear about hillsides, missing utilities and tricky access. Dominium's first Nevada project ran into all three.
The affordable housing developer's Phoenix-based team has spent three years getting Skyline Flats, a 402-unit community on the hillsides north of and below Truckee Meadows Community College on Dandini Boulevard, to horizontal construction, the Northern Nevada Business Weekly reported. And there's still a long way to go.
"It was kind of one hurdle after another, and we've got about three more years before we get to the point where people are living here," said Mark Lambing, Dominium vice president and project partner. "It's been a really long road, but it's definitely worth the effort."
The $180 million development will have 111 two-bedroom, 135 three-bedroom and 156 four-bedroom apartments, all at either 50% or 60% of area median income. Completion is targeted for late 2028 or early 2029.
Metcalf Builders is the general contractor, according to NNBW. Financing comes from Barclays Bank, Stonehenge Capital, KeyBank National Association and the Nevada Division of Housing.
Lambing told NNBW the company first looked at the site about five years ago and passed because there was no utility infrastructure. A competitor bought the land but eventually dropped out, and Dominium's western region team took another look.
Bringing utilities to a hillside
Every utility took extra work and extra money on the 59-acre site.
Water: Crews are working along Dandini Boulevard now to bring water in. The line taps into a main farther uphill and to the south, comes down Raggio Parkway and then crosses Dandini. It required cutting a new access road on the south side of Dandini and signing a permanent access agreement with the landowner. "It's not ideal, but it was that or nothing so we took it," Lambing said. Vertical construction will start once water reaches the site.
Sewer: Waste would naturally flow downhill toward Sun Valley. But because of an agreement between the City of Reno and the Sun Valley General Improvement District, Dominium had to build a lift station to pump it toward the city instead. A mile-long force main will run parallel to Clear Acre Lane to an existing sewer main. The multimillion-dollar lift station and sewer line will be dedicated to the City of Reno and could serve future development nearby.
Power: Dominium is tapping a substation on the south side of U.S. 395 and using existing lines to bring power to a vault on the north side. Running power to the project will cost about $1.5 million, and the company is working with NV Energy on construction drawings.
Grading and access: Because of the extensive hillside disturbance, Dominium had to set aside 34 acres as open space. It also worked out an easement with the Desert Research Institute and the Nevada System of Higher Education for a flatter main entrance. The current construction entrance has a 7% grade.
The land that's left
Lambing said sites this difficult are what remain in the Truckee Meadows.
"If we want to be in this market, this is kind of the land that's available," he said. "We really wanted to be in Nevada. Reno is booming, it's business-friendly, and the City of Reno is really good to work with."
Dominium, a 50-year-old company that has built more than 43,000 apartments in nearly 20 states, isn't stopping at one. Lambing said it has a second site under contract in south Reno, 22 fully entitled acres at the southeast corner of Mt. Rose Highway and South Virginia Street, planned for about 440 more affordable units.
Why it matters for Contractors
Skyline Flats shows where Reno housing work is heading: hillsides and infill parcels where site work, utilities and access can take years before vertical construction starts. That's steady work for excavation, grading, underground utility, pump station and electrical contractors, and the lift station and force main will stay in service for future projects nearby. Once water is connected, the 402-unit vertical phase will need framing, concrete, roofing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, drywall and finish trades through 2028. Metcalf Builders is running the job, so subcontractors should reach out there. With a second 440-unit Dominium site lined up in south Reno, there could be more work to come.