Carson City 'envisions' the future

Carson City planners are taking the next step in updating a "master plan" for Carson City, a blueprint for future development.

Planners will hold the first in a series of town-hall style meetings on March 3 at City Hall, during which residents will help draft the guiding principles behind the city's future growth.

"We're entering the early stages of phase two of the master plan," said Ben Herman, a professional planner with Clarion Associates in Fort Collins, Colo.

In the first phase, planners took a "snapshot" of Carson City, establishing its key geographic, population and economic characteristics.

The second phase, called "Envision Carson City," will rely heavily on feedback from the public, on how it would like the city to look in 20 years.

In the final stage, the city will lay out a road map determining how it will reach its future development goals.

Herman stressed the importance of public participation in the planning process. "We planners could lock ourselves in a room and come up with a solution, but it wouldn't reflect the popular will," he said.

At the March 3 meetings, planners will present three possible growth scenarios for Carson City, ranging from inward to outward growth to a mix of residential and commercial growth.

At the meeting, residents will be able to see artist renderings and maps of the three possible growth alternatives.

The most controversial proposal involves expanding the city limits onto federal land, near the city's eastern border with Lyon County.

"The decision whether or not to expand on Bureau of Land Management property is a controversial one," said Carson City Principal Planner Lee Plemel. "That elicits a lot of public reaction."

But it's not a decision the city will make alone. "We want to get public feedback," Plemel said. "Our other goal is to get the community thinking in terms of future planning."

"Ultimately, it's the community's plan," Herman said. "If (the community) doesn't like the direction the city is taking, elected officials will hear about it."

Carson City is required by law to update its master plan every five years. "A city can meet this requirement more or less formally," Herman said. But the convergence this year of several large-scale development projects, including the new freeway and hospital, makes the need for a comprehensive growth strategy all the more urgent.

Planners have already held a series of small neighborhood meetings concerning the master plan. The March 3 meeting is the first citywide event.

"At the neighborhood meetings, we found out that residents care a great deal about their local community," Plemel said. He hopes residents will be equally vocal at the citywide meeting March 3.

Herman drew a distinction between actual and perceived growth. "One thing we noticed in the beginning is that a lot of people who work in Carson City don't live there," Herman said. "They commute from other areas, adding to traffic and creating a perception of growth that is greater than reality."

n Contact reporter Dan Moreau at dmoreau@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.

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