Save the Ballardini Ranch
Fact Sheet

Preservation of the Entire Ranch (Option 1) is the only solution

     • In 2000 the voters approved $4 million in a public vote to assist in the acquisition of the entire Ballardini Ranch.
     • We urge the Washoe County Commissioners, consistent with the near unanimous support of our public citizens, to acquire the entire 1,019-acre Ballardini Ranch, using any and all legal tools that are appropriate.
     • If the entire Ballardini Ranch is not acquired by the public but is developed in the densities previously sought by the current owner, those densities would require Skyline Boulevard, McCarran Boulevard, and Ridgeview Drive to be widened, causing a traffic nightmare.
     • Allowing the owners to develop even a portion of the ranch would leave only one access point for the public, at Ridgeview Drive, which would severely impact those residents.
     • The entire ranch is needed to provide adequate food for the wildlife during the winter months.
     • Aside from the Minnesota Developer, which owns the property, there has been no stated opposition by anyone to saving Ballardini Ranch.

We must act now

     • An individual has offered to loan the County $20 million, on flexible and favorable terms, to augment the $4 million to acquire the entire Ballardini Ranch, making approximately $24 million available for purchase.
     • The recently released staff report of Washoe County states that the entire Ballardini Ranch has been appraised at approximately $19 million.
     • This is a unique opportunity and we must act without delay while it's possible to pay the fair market value.
     • Senator Reid and Congressman Gibbons are fighting to secure federal funds, and believe they can secure federal funds, for the county to repay the loan to the private lender, if the County wishes to obtain such funds.

Background

     • Located between South McCarran Boulevard and ArrowCreek along the eastern slope of the Sierras, the Ballardini Ranch has long been sought by the public, supported by elected officials, as a critical piece of the open space puzzle to be implemented along the western foothills of the Truckee Meadows.
     • A plan has been envisioned for many years to link approximately 1,400 acres of property dedicated by the Redfield/ArrowCreek with the 1,019-acre Ballardini Ranch. The two properties, upon acquisition for public use, would provide approximately 2,500 contiguous acres of majestic, serene, and a completely unique haven for deer and other critical wildlife, and, of course, for people, the most important of who are our future generations.
     • The Ballardini Ranch is an extraordinarily beautiful, environmentally pristine parcel, rich with Nevada's heritage, which provides tremendous access for our citizens to the U.S. Forest Service and the mountains to the west, access which is unparalleled by any other land in the Truckee Meadows.
     • Efforts have been made to negotiate with the current owner of the Ballardini Ranch, Evans Creek LLC, a Minnesota entity, but all such efforts have been completely unsuccessful.

The benefits of preserving Ballardini Ranch

     • Provides unprecedented access to the U.S. Forest lands and some of the most scenic mountains in the West.
     • An incredibly beautiful, peaceful, and serene location for all forms of recreation: hiking; cross-country skiing; horseback riding; youth activities; camping; photography; and wildlife viewing. .
     • A permanent, critical refuge for preservation of the remaining deer population.
     • Provides justification for the dedication of the 1,400 acres by the ArrowCreek Development that, without the Ballardini Ranch, is insufficient to protect the deer herd.
     • Establish a trail from Hunter Lake to Bartley Ranch.
     • Preserve this ranch for our children and their children.