Costco rezoning approved

The Carson City Regional Planning Commission on Wednesday approved the rezoning of 15.3 acres of land slated for development of a Costco store.

The zoning change from public to general commercial will allow the proposed 148,000-square-foot Costco warehouse to be constructed there.

The rezoning also makes the parcel the single largest piece of property zoned for general commercial use.

"The city feels the timing is now to rezone the property because we want to do something good with that property," Community Development Director Walt Sullivan said.

The parcel, used as overflow parking for events at the Carson City Fairgrounds and Fuji Park, is nestled between the southern intersection of Highways 395 and 50. The land was added to the city's redevelopment district, which allows the city to sell the land to one entity rather than go through a public bid process.

The city will begin negotiations with Costco on Monday. City Manager John Berkich said he expects to bring a proposed deal before supervisors in February. The soonest the city could sell the land to Costco is Feb. 17.