Carson City Planning Commission approves FISH low income housing

Also approves permits for medical marijuana sites close to Moundhouse and the Hot Springs Resort

A $6 million apartment complex and medical marijuana establishment special use permits received authorization in separate actions by Carson City’s Planning Commission Wednesday.

The apartment complex project proposal, which is planned to serve homeless or low income people on property at 430 Jeanell Drive, is going on nearly 1.7 acres and be built after an existing structure there is torn down. The proposal is a partnership involving Nevada Rural Housing Authority and FISH, also known as Friends In Service Helping. FISH owns the site and existing structure. It was donated to FISH by the Garth Richards family.

Supervisor Lori Bagwell, who also heads the FISH charity’s board, said the estimate that the 39-unit apartment building would cost $6 million or more. Steve Harriman, the architect, and Eric Novak of Praxis Consulting Group in Reno outlined the plan for commissioners. Novak, a consultant to Nevada Rural Housing, said those being served could earn from nothing to $23,600 annually. Harriman said the plan is for rent to be 30 percent of income.

Harriman also said the complex with one-bedroom units would have common areas, including an exercise room, an outdoor pet area, gardening plots, bike racks and patios.

Commission approval also came for three separate medical marijuana establishment permit requests, with two combined for a site at 8001 U.S. Highway 50 East that attracted no opponents. A third proposal from a different applicant for 1588 Old Hot Springs Road, however, sparked an objection.

The combined but separate applications for cultivation and production near the Lyon County line on Highway 50 both came from 5SEAT Investments, LLC. The facilities will go on land zoned general industrial in a building there that currently is about 3,100 square feet, but which is going to be expanded to about 5,000 for the pair of uses. Because there’s no opposition, an appeal to the Board of Supervisors contesting it is unlikely.

On the proposal for a cultivation-only facility just off Old Hot Springs Road in a 5,000 square foot structure, however, Daniel Spence appeared as attorney for the Hot Springs Resort to object. He said the resort doesn’t object to medical marijuana, but questions the establishment locating close to the springs’ pool because it caters to families with children. The nearby land was recently zoned general industrial.

After the commission approved the permit for Tahoe Hydroponics, Spence was asked if there would be an appeal to the city’s governing board. Community Development Director Lee Plemel said the permit action is final unless there’s such an appeal within 10 days. Spence said he couldn’t yet provide an answer as to whether his client would appeal.