Carson City Planning Commission OKs RV park permit

The Planning Commission on Wednesday approved a special use permit for an extended stay RV park on Old Hot Springs Road.

The vote was 4-2 with Commissioners Charles Borders and Hope Tingle voting no.

The property at 1440 Old Hot Springs Road, west of the airport, is zoned tourist commercial and a 30-day stay park is allowed there without a special permit from the city.

“I’d like to address the elephant in the room, the 180-day stay. If not for that you wouldn’t even be here. You’d be out building your park,” said Borders. “The 180-day stay makes it look like a trailer park.”

Neighboring homeowners, who spoke during public comment, had the same concern.

“I fear that with no enforcement mechanism the park goes from vacationers to a motor home park to a low-income housing development,” said one resident who lives near the site.

This is the proposed park’s second trip to the commission. In December 2016, an SUP for a 180-day RV park on the property was approved by the commission, which then only included Borders and Mark Sattler from the current commission. The decision was appealed to the Board of Supervisors by surrounding residents and the applicant withdrew the permit application before the board had a chance to hear the appeal.

Rachel Kryder, project engineer, Resource Concepts Inc., representing the applicant, said the developer didn’t expect many visitors to stay for six months, but wanted to provide the option for them to stay more than 30 days.

She said a six-foot fence around the property would be lined with shrubbery that would grow higher and provide greater privacy and standard quiet time at RV parks is 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. to reduce noise. Also, lighting will be contained within the park and not affect neighbors or the airport. In all, there are 31 conditions of approval for the SUP.

“This is the only parcel in Carson City with this zoning, which I find fascinating,” said Commissioner Teri Green-Preston. “There is a true need for a RV park.”

The park to be known as Sierra Skies RV Resort will have 277 spaces for RV parking, and be built in three phases, starting with construction of a check-in building, manager’s residence, laundry facilities, restrooms, and general store along with 127 RV spaces. The next two phases will complete the RV spaces and add shower/bathroom buildings, a clubhouse, and a fitness center.

The commission, acting as the growth management commission, also approved water usage by the park above the allowed 15,500 gallons daily.

The applicant estimated usage up to 68,500 gallons a day. Kryder said the estimate was purposely on the high side and based on the park being at full occupancy.

The commission voted 5-1 to approve the request with Tingle voting no.

The Planning Commission also approved an SUP to build on a portion of a Knoll Drive parcel with 33 percent or more slopes; a variance to establish setbacks, building heights, and driveway lengths in two new phases at the Silver Oak residential development; and to continue an item for an SUP for a 70-foot cell tower.