In a city of about 90,000 that is visibly growing and changing every year, what is the purpose of maintaining a master plan?

The 17-year-old Sparks Master Plan is undergoing an update process — piece by piece. The goal of the completed document is to offer a multi-faceted vision for the city and reflect the broader, guiding principles of the Truckee Meadows Regional Plan that was updated in 2007.

The Sparks Master Plan is a flexible, living document that has undergone possibly hundreds of amendments since its last update in 1991, said Sparks Planner Margaret Powell.

The elements of the Sparks Master Plan update that are being developed include the conservation plan and public services and facilities plan, said Karen Todd, customer service coordinator with Sparks Citiworks.

In addition, the housing and transportation elements of the Sparks Master Plan are being studied, Powell said. The Sparks City Council has approved contracts with Stantec Engineering for transportation; HNTB Planning and Engineering Firm for transportation, conservation and public facilities; and PMC Planning and Consulting firm for housing.

However, while the Nevada Legislature requires the Regional Plan to be updated every five years, the Sparks Master Plan update is not required at any time - it is only expected to keep pace with changes to the Regional Plan.

"The Regional Plan looks at the broader view, but we look at Sparks-specific issues," Powell said. "If the Regional Plan says the city must have a transit-oriented development corridor, then we identify where it is and what our standards are going to be."

To ensure a balance of economic growth and quality of life, the Sparks Master Plan attempts to keep pace with the finer details of city transportation, housing, environment, parks and infrastructure - through the use of amendments.

The city accepts these Master Plan amendment requests four times per year, and is due for another slew of requests this month. One of the more publicly known requests was brought by developer Harvey Whittemore earlier this year to change the land use and eventual zoning for 60 acres of land near the Wingfield Foothills development, a fire station and the soon-to-open Golden Eagle Regional Park and Sports Complex.

Whittemore's Master Plan amendment request is the first step in a long process that the developer hopes will lead to the development of Wingfield Commons, a mixed use development blending single-family houses, condominiums, apartments, retail, restaurants and entertainment.

During the Feb. 21 Sparks Planning Commission meeting, residents who spoke in opposition to the amendment request were told that many of their concerns about traffic, decreased property values and school overcrowding would be addressed later, during the land zoning request and development handbook approval process.

With the lagging housing market, representatives of Wingfield Nevada said that the project timeline would be determined by market demand. Representatives said the land was privately owned long before Golden Eagle Park was conceived and before nearby residents' homes were built. However, when the park was conceived, it prompted the property owner to move forward with plans to develop the land.

Powell said that if a private property owner makes a request to develop their property, the Sparks Planning Commission must find that request to be in conformance with the Sparks Master Plan as well as the Regional Plan.

"The Sparks Planning Commission accepts Master Plan amendment requests from all property owners; it is a due process issue," Powell said. "What we do is pull out the Master Plan, check the request for locational criteria against housing and environmental policies, and we (planning staff) make a recommendation (to the Sparks Planning Commission) of approval or denial."

Applicants must receive approval for their projects from the Sparks Planning Commission, the Sparks City Council and when a Master Plan amendment is requested - as is the case for Wingfield Commons - the Regional Planning Commission, as well.

"It's not just a map on the wall," Powell said. "The Sparks Master Plan is meant to be a flexible and living document."

Changes to the Master Plan over time can help reflect changes in public needs for a growing city. About 30,000 people are living in Spanish Springs, and the area has been master planned for a population of 100,000, Planning Commissioner Bruce Breslow said at the Feb. 21 meeting.

"To be a part of this is a learning process for some, and for others, they are well aware of the process," Breslow said. "If the commission had stuck to the plan, you would not have Wingfield Springs, the Sparks Marina, Pioneer Meadows, Legends at Sparks Marina, Kiley Ranch. Back in 1991 when I was mayor, George Wingfield was duck hunting on his property (that became Wingfield Springs), and there was just a dirt road running through Spanish Springs where La Posada is now."

To illustrate the Sparks Master Plan's ability to grow and reflect changes to the city while still guiding these changes over time, city leaders attempted to attract a wide range of residents and business owners to a week-long series of public workshops on city visioning held last September.

City staff are sorting through public opinions on a wide variety of issues to help guide the Sparks Master Plan update. Public input will be sought as each element of the Master Plan is further developed. City residents who participate in this public input process will wield greater power over how their city will grow and change in the future.

"My personal goal is not to wait for the (Regional Transportation Commission)," Breslow said to the audience. "I live on Disc Drive, and every one of you has added to the traffic. Now other people will add to the traffic that you will face."

At the Feb. 21 meeting, Sparks Planning Commissioners followed staff's recommendation to move the Master Plan amendment for Wingfield Commons forward. Next, it will be considered by the Sparks City Council.