Since my article from one year ago regarding improvements in Sun Valley, there have been more changes, such as the return of the Wells Fargo ATM, remodeling of the old bank building, and the more recent items highlighted below.
Roadwork performed in Highland Ranch Community
The Highland Ranch community recently had some road improvements done including traffic-calming median islands added on Magenta Dr and Lightning Dr, and slurry seal applied to portions of Arapaho Dr and surrounding side streets. Although the slurry seal didn’t entirely eliminate the bumpiness while driving, it did help somewhat and definitely looks better. (The top image shows a view of Arapaho Drive after the improvement.)
Speaking of Highland Ranch, construction still continues on the new Highland Village Phase 1 (between 194 and 215 single-family homes; north of Highland Ranch Pkwy) and Phase 2 (72 single-family rental homes; south of Highland Ranch Pkwy) development projects.
New signage for El Paisano restaurant
El Paisano got some updated signage a couple of weeks ago. The old street sign had been ravaged by the sun, so the new sign is a welcome upgrade with vibrant colors.
P.S. If you’ve ever wondered what a “pupuseria” is… it’s a restaurant that serves pupusas (the national dish of El Salvador).
Sun Valley has the best freeway exit in town
Northbound exit 70B from the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Highway (also known in certain stretches as I-580 or U.S. 395) to Sun Valley was recently resurfaced and is now super smooth. It is arguably the best exit in town now, with its magical underpass, gentle sloping curves, and plenty of merging room onto Clear Acre Ln, it’s very fun to drive now. Gone are the ruts and potholes experienced in the past. Smooth sailing, my friends!
Improvements to Virginia Palmer and SV Elementary schools
During the summer, Washoe County School District had some playground work done at both Virginia Palmer Elementary and Sun Valley Elementary schools. According to Principal Ashley Mattick, “All of the asphalt on our playground was repaved” at Sun Valley Elementary School. Now that school has started, I’m sure the children are loving the upgrade!
New 4-way stop at Leon and 7th
All four stop signs at the intersection of Leon Dr and E 7th Ave have solar-powered blinking lights, and are aimed at preventing the collisions that have historically happened at this intersection.
P.S. The Bug Fire was—thankfully—a non-issue in Sun Valley
Aside from some smoke, the Bug Fire that was all over the news last week was actually a non-issue for Sun Valley residents, since we were never in the evacuation or “prepare to evacuate” zones. With as many brushfire scares that we have had recently in Sun Valley, it was a welcome relief this time that we got to skip the Bug Fire entirely. Many thanks to the firefighters who kept the fire from approaching our area.
As hopefully most residents know by now, please always check Perimeter Map and Watch Duty to see if you should evacuate your home during a fire in our valley.
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