In Carson: Growth management might be managed differently

A change being proposed for Carson City's zoning rules would potentially curb the voice of residents in determining how the city will grow.

This change in the ordinance would limit the Carson City Planning Commission's scope to water and sewer needs, said Walt Sullivan, the city's planning director.

"Levels of service would be decided by the supervisors because they control the budget," Sullivan said.

Residents with concerns about provisions for more fire, police and school services would have to make their case before the Board of Supervisors instead of the planning commission.

Currently the focus of the planning commission is on virtually all essential city services when it considers yearly building limits.

The Board of Supervisors will consider the change during its meeting today.

Departments that provide the services would still compile and submit material explaining their increased staffing needs in correspondence to the larger population, Sullivan said.

Management planning in Carson started in 1978 in response to growth that was pressuring the city's ability to provide critical services and infrastructure, particularly water and sewer services.

The change proposed "is based on what original ordinance called for," Sullivan said.

The wastewater treatment plant required upgrades once federal water rules were starting to be established during that decade. No new developments were allowed in the city until the plant was improved to meet the new standards.

Improvement of the plant occurred in the late 1970s and took about nine months to complete, said Larry Werner, the city's development services director.

The city regulates growth by limiting the number of available building permits. The number is related to a total that would result in the city's population increasing by about 3 percent a year.

There are 715 residential permits available this year. The number of permits issued averaged 244 between 2002-06 " about one-third of the number that could be provided, according to the Planning Division.

The seven planning commissioners primarily review special-use permits and variances, and provide recommendations to the supervisors about subdivisions, property rezones, master-plan amendments and street abandonments related to individual projects and existing structures.

Aesthetics, adherence to rules and other criteria are considered when projects come to planning commissioners for approval or recommendation.

Four teenagers were arrested Wednesday morning in connection with more than 25 graffiti incidences in the past seven days, including vulgarities sprayed on a Telegraph Street church, a sheriff's official said.

Nicholas Reaid-Wahl, 18, and Jeremiah Gray, 18, were both booked into the Carson City Jail on suspicion of 23 counts of misdemeanor graffiti and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Each is being held on $15,168 bail. Two 16-year-old boys, whose names were not released, were also arrested.

According to sheriff's records, a rash of graffiti using words such as "boom," "swoop," "royal flush," "filth," and a symbol that incorporated the letter "A," a circle with an "X" and the letter "S" had cropped up since June 14 on houses, cars, motor homes and churches between Roop Street and Saliman Road and Fifth and William streets.

On Wednesday morning, officers responded to about seven more calls, including one from Chris Martan, who awoke at her place at Telegraph and Harbin streets to see several vehicles there had been hit.

"My friend had big red graffiti across the hood of his car. My neighbor got it on his travel trailer and at Telegraph and Pratt street they (wrote) over the church," she said. "The church got all kinds of obscenities."

Martan's said her friend was forced to drive to his job in Truckee with the word "boom" written in silver and red spray paint on the hood of his car.

Carson City Sheriff's Sgt. Mark Marshall, the department's gang unit commander, said the density of the graffiti suggested, "it has to be somebody that lives in that area."

With that in mind, Marshall said he drove up and down the surrounding streets when he noticed the word "swoop," purposefully written on a vehicle on Hackamore Way, four blocks east of the church.

After questioning the four teens inside, the group allegedly admitted their part, even detailing where they'd left a spray paint can that a victim had turned over to police.

Sheriff Ken Furlong said he has told his deputies to now charge anyone 18 or older, in the company of a minor and engaging in graffiti, with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

"I think graffiti is disgraceful. It just infuriates me," said Furlong, who admitted the arrests Wednesday won't do much in the way of stemming the usual gang-related graffiti. He said graffiti calls are up 100 percent from last year and generally are from street gangs.

"But we make small strides every day," he said.

Martan was relieved to hear that police had made an arrest in the vandalism on her street.

"I'm ecstatic," she said. "This sends a clear message that the Carson City sheriffs are on it."