Initial approval given to Lompa project by Carson City supervisors

CARSON CITY — An agreement between Carson City and the developers of Lompa Ranch has initial approval and an application for another 200 houses there is now in the city’s hands.

The Board of Supervisors in October heard on first reading an ordinance approving a developer agreement for Lompa Ranch, which has to be in place before developers can start preparing the site for development. The agreement includes a $1,000 fee per dwelling unit to fund the Carson City School District’s acquisition of a 10-acre parcel just east of Carson High School to build a new elementary school.

Another mitigation fee will go to pay for additional equipment or buildings needed by the Carson City Fire Department to deliver services.

Lee Plemel, director, community development, said the city received an application for review of a second phase there that would include about 200 single-family homes. The application was filed by Blackstone Group, a developer.

Ryder Homes, a builder, has already received approval to build 189 homes on 44.5 acres of the 251-acre development. Ryder also plans to build a multifamily complex consisting of 350 apartments on an additional 17.5 acres there.

Much of the board discussion about Lompa Ranch concerned road access, including Saliman Road and, eventually, a new ingress and egress location in the northeast corner of the development.

Supervisor Karen Abowd said she wanted to ensure traffic on Saliman Road was closely monitored and a new traffic signal installed there as soon as it was needed.

“It is definitely a safety concern” for schoolchildren, she said, and is already congested.

Hope Sullivan, planning manager, said there will be traffic reports required of the builders for each phase of the development.

The city is requiring the Lompa Ranch developers to add a second road in and out of the development at a later date.

The plan has been to break through to Gold Dust Way, the road off William Street that loops around the Gold Dust West Casino.

But the road is privately owned by Jacobs Entertainment Inc., owner of Gold Dust West.

Jonathan Boulware, vice president of Nevada operations for the casino operator, during public comment read a statement from the company saying it relied on the road for customer access and food and other deliveries.

“Due to our current use of the road, we will not be granting any access to the road,” Boulware said.

He also suggested the developers build a four-lane road on land farther west owned by the casino.

Michael Railey, partner, Rubicon Design Group, representing Blackstone Development Group, said they were looking at alternative routes but there were issues of putting in a two- or four-lane road which would add a traffic signal on William Street too close to other signals.

There was also some discussion of whether the developer would include a dog park as part of its required open space, but Plemel said that was too specific for the developer agreement and the park there will require approval from the Parks and Recreation Commission when it’s designed.

The board voted 4-1 to introduce the ordinance approving the agreement with Supervisor John Barrette voting no because of some last minute changes to the agreement he thought were too substantive to be accepted without further public notice.