Site improvements have been made to Mills Landing across from Mills Park. Townhomes are now under construction with a total of 105 single-family attached homes planned.

Photo by Ronni Hannaman

The Planning Commission on Wednesday went with staff guidance and voted to recommend the Board of Supervisors pass a growth management ordinance allowing 659 residential building allocations in 2019.

The commission convenes as the Growth Management Commission each year to discuss and recommend how many new housing units can be built as well as a cap on commercial daily water use.

The commission considers impacts to emergency services, traffic, flood and drainage, school capacity, and parks and recreation, and all affected city departments weigh in on it.

Most of the meeting discussion focused on the Carson City School District (CCSD), which said it would expect 90 more elementary school students, 46 middle school students, and 62 high school students if 660 housing units were added.

“Obviously there is concern for growth in the district,” said Andrew Feuling, CCSD director of fiscal service.

Feuling said housing growth concentrated in one area, such as one large development, would be a problem as it would put stress on one school rather than spread it across multiple schools.

“There is a lot of construction this year so hopefully that will help us out,” said Feuling.

The school district is currently under construction at Fritsch Elementary School, adding about 3,000 square feet, and is going before the Planning Commission in June for special use permits it needs to build out Mark Twain and Fremont elementary schools.

CCSD is also looking at rezoning schools, which could help more evenly distribute students.

“There is room at Eagle Valley so it could help us with the middle schools. The elementary schools are more problematic,” said Feuling.

CCSD Superintendent Richard Stokes said the goal for elementary school enrollment is a maximum of 650 per school. The city’s elementary schools now range from 511 to 700, he said.

The recommended cap on commercial water consumption, 15,000 gallons per day, remained the same.

As much discussion revolved around a zoning map amendment and creation of a specific plan area for part of Lompa Ranch brought to the commission by Blackstone Development Group Inc.

The 27-acre site is a landlocked island south of 5th Street, closer to Fairview Drive, bordered to the east by I-580. The only access to the site is from Railroad Drive via Saliman Road.

Half a dozen residents of a development off Railroad Drive spoke during public comment, all opposed to the changes because of the effect it would have on traffic there and concerns for Fremont Elementary School students who walk the road.

The specific plan area sets the rules of the game for any development there, said Hope Sullivan, planning manager.

It would require the addition of a second access once about four houses were built.

That secondary access could be emergency only as long as it didn’t degrade traffic at the intersection of Saliman Road and Railroad Drive, but would have to be built as a full access road assuming it would be eventually used that way.

Any developer bringing forward a tentative map for approval would have to provide that secondary access via a negotiated agreement with adjacent property owners.

The land to the site’s south is owned by the Nevada Department of Transportation, and the property to its north is still owned by the Lompa family.

The commission approved the zoning change from agriculture to single-family 6000, and the specific plan area by a vote of 5-2 with commissioners Paul Esswein and Hope Tingle voting no.

Both actions go to the Board of Supervisors for its approval.

The commission also approved an amendment to Sierra Well’s special use permit, allowing the medical marijuana dispensary and recreational marijuana retailer on Highway 50 to expand by 1,294 square feet, and passed a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors amending development standard code for sewer pipes.