Carson City Board of Supervisors reject apartment complex appeal

An appeal aimed at overturning a Carson City Planning Commission special use permit for a 90-unit apartment building project didn’t succeed Thursday night.

The Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to uphold the commission’s September 5-2 issuance of the permit for the apartment complex in a planned unit development, with the project slated for acreage at GS Richards Boulevard and Country Club Drive near Silver Oak Golf Course. The action allows applicants to move forward on the project.

The appeal came from Richard and Brenda Wipfli and from Robert and Pamela Bauter, both from the area. Appellants and a supporting witness argued the application from Mark Turner and Sean Richards for the permit should actually have been an amendment to the planned unit development, notification from the applicants was inadequate and the apartment complex won’t be compatible with surrounding buildings.

Turner testified he and other project proponents had followed recommendations of the Community Development Department’s planners, conformed with relevant legal requirements, and added: “What’s down in writing should carry this hearing.”

The mayor and other board members said multi-family isn’t prohibited and though not all of them liked the design, that didn’t apply in their decision. They relied on analyses by planning staff and District Attorney Jason Woodbury.

The board in another matter, earlier in the day, reviewed a draft Art and Culture Master Plan fashioned by the city Cultural Commission from four previous city documents with the help of Kendall Hardin of the Las Vegas Idea Factory firm, working on a small grant provided by the Nevada Arts Council. She and various people who testified for it cited economic benefits of a vibrant arts community. There were more than a dozen supporting witnesses, none opposed.

“It’s not a beginning; it’s not an end,” said Elinor Bugli, chairperson of the commission, “but it’s a very important step.”

The board preview will be followed early next year by reviews and the Planning Commission level and again by the board before it can be adopted.

In a couple of other matters, the board accepted a petition document from Paul McGrath, former sheriff, an opponent of current use of street maintenance money who wants an agenda item next year, and heard a report from a Northern Nevada Development Authority official on progress in helping local industry expand.