Housing starts, sales activity on the rise in Lander County

Change comes slow to Battle Mountain, says Lana Melver, a Battle Mountain-based real estate agent, but change is coming in the form of new housing communities and stick-built homes.

Battle Mountain isn't exactly booming, Melver says, but new homes sales have been brisk in the Lander County community and two developers continue to erect new product.

Ridgeline Development of Carson City has built five homes in Lander County with two under construction and plans for additional models on the books. And developer Nevada Johnson of Gardnerville has built eight homes and has two more under construction in the 32-lot Crystal Sage community, which was purchased out of foreclosure in 2009 by GV Homes.

Melver, an agent for Century 21 Sonoma in Winnemucca, recently opened a 1,400-square-foot office in the community. She says most of the new home sales currently have been from local residents moving up and that there have been multiple offers on most listings.

"There is tons of interest," she says. "This is a new trend to Battle Mountain we haven't seen stick-built neighborhoods since the late 1970s and early 80s."

Much of the new housing under construction in Lander County is expected to be purchased by mining company employees wishing to avoid long bus rides from Winnemucca or Elko. Sarah Burkhart, executive director of the Battle Mountain Chamber of Commerce, says Newmont Mining Corp. recently announced plans to operate its Phoenix project 14 miles south of Battle Mountain through 2040, and that Newmont currently busses in nearly half of its mining workforce.

"If gold prices stay up, this will be a great place to locate to because this is where the money will be," Burkhart says.

Melver says Battle Mountain has yet to hit full stride in economic development.

"There is no doubt that this will continue; we have only just seen the tip of the iceberg," she says. "Things in Battle Mountain don't move quickly, and it will take a while to get the word out, but absolutely this will continue."

Construction of multi-family units may follow, but longtime Battle Mountain developer Randy Clark says he's hesitant about erecting any new apartments in town. In 1996 Clark erected a small apartment complex in Battle Mountain, and just two years later gold prices plummeted along with occupancy at the complex.

"I am a little leery about spending a bunch of money on apartments they are a long-term payoff," he says. "I learned a lot in those times. We are a boom-and-bust economy. You learn in the hard times what to do in the good times. You hedge your bets on the future, and you don't want to get yourself too stressed out with apartments."