Carson City Board approves housing construction

Subdivisions with 18 and 41 units cleared significant hurdles Thursday as Carson City’s Board of Supervisors approved details triggering construction, soon in one case.

Voting without dissent, the board approved a final subdivision map for Canyon Vista, the 18 unit plan east of Hillview Drive between Clearview Drive and Appion Way. Also with no member casting a negative vote, the board authorized a special use permit and variances to clear the path of the 41 unit Project One planned unit development (PUD) called Jackson Village on property at 250 Eagle Station Lane.

Construction on the Canyon Vista property will come first.

“I’m going to start building houses in a couple of weeks,” said Scott Smith, the developer from Gardnerville, afterward outside the board room. Susan Dorr Pansky, planning manager, had said prior to the board vote property improvements preparatory to such construction were already under way and should trigger construction action soon.

In his brief testimony, Smith thanked planning staff and the board for ease in the government oversight process leading up to construction. He expressed his joy at “how pleasant it was to deal with the city,” adding that hasn’t always been his experience elsewhere.

Don Smit of Carson City testified on the Jackson Village PUD and its 41 units, echoing Smith’s praise of staff. He was asked what his two- and three-story units might cost and he signaled work would likely come next year by saying cost of labor and materials are rising and likely would continue doing so in 2016. He declined to give precise price points for units in the PUD, but did say: “These are not low income.”

The project, being situated on 3.66 acres of infill property, required variances for fewer parking slots, as well as for smaller lots and setbacks, than normally are required. Pansky, however, noted staff was recommending approval and the city’s Planning Commission had recommended the project on a 7-0 vote tally.

The board also accepted three grants to aid local law enforcement dealing with narcotics or gangs and was treated to a presentation on an open government budgeting/expenditure software, a tool for internet access by the public on city government fiscal matters.

Sheriff Ken Furlong said one of the Office of Criminal Justice Assistance grants would help cover narcotic street team enforcement, as well as at the mid-level or even higher in the drug networking chain, to combat the problem. It’s for $68,000. The one for a tri-county anti-gang effort, which includes Douglas and Lyon counties, is for $135,000 and the third is for just $4,435 and covers training for a “High in Plain Sight” program.

Eric Von Schimmelmann of the city’s Information Technology Department gave board members a look at how the Socrata software program will help residents track budget and expenditure data on the Internet via the Carson City Open Data Portal. He said among features when it comes online in perhaps a month is capacity to check budget items or even expenditures by checks issued or vendors paid.

“Thanks for bringing us into the 21st century,” said Supervisor Brad Bonkowski. Supervisor Lori Bagwell joined in, saying “well done” and noting it helps meet City Manager Nick Marano’s goal of enhancing the budget process and accountability. A presentation on Granicus, another software to help deliver public assess audio/video of meetings, was delayed until a later meeting.