Trust comes with openess and diplomacy

We agree with Tuesday's decision by the Storey County Commission to deny the master plan change for a north county development known as Cordevista.

Project proponent Blake Smith knows he would like to build some 17,000 homes on 8,590 acres near the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, which is east of Sparks on Interstate 80.

And he must know it will take millions of gallons of water to serve such a development. Water that is not naturally available in that neighborhood (Truckee River rights are not available). But Smith's not sharing his plans for serving residents of Cordevista.

After four meetings with the planning commission he was denied. And again by the commission on Tuesday and now the gloves are coming off.

Murmurs of a lawsuit and allegations of conflicts of interest are flying. But none of these issues will help Smith make his case.

It's hard for local government officials to approve the addition of some more than 30,000 residents without knowing where water will come from for those folks.

The planning commissioner for Lockwood, the area with the most to gain from the development, who is generally in favor of building a place where residents working at TRI can live, withheld his approval.

Solid plans, compliance with the county's codes and master plan are needed and it appears some diplomacy. Developing some trust wouldn't hurt either.