Grandview hearing postpones

MINDEN - Another hold on the development on East Valley Road has been put into place.

The Douglas County Planning Commission had been asked to consider Grandview Estates, a subdivision that could mean construction of 182 houses on 861 acres northeast of Minden.

Steve Mothersell of Rolling "J" Ranch, the project builder, apologized for the delay, explaining unexpected issues surfaced and the group needs time to address them.

"We're planning a very, very nice project, something to be proud of," he said.

He said the group might meet with East Valley residents concerned about the project before the planning commission's December meeting.

The proposed Grandview site is the location of the former Buckeye Creek project, which included nearly 2,500 houses, schools, a golf course and other services on 958 acres.

The subdivision had been planned for more than 12 years when the developers missed a 1996 deadline to record a map, and failed to post a security deposit for infrastructure.

The county refused to extend the deadline, resulting in a lawsuit. In 1997, the state Supreme Court upheld a district court decision not to extend the deadline and the county refused to settle a suit lawyers said it could probably win, effectively killing Buckeye Creek.

Instead of the 2,478 homes originally sought by Buckeye planners, Grandview Estates would have 182 houses clustered on two- to three-acre lots throughout the 861 acres. The land is zoned rural residential, which usually requires five-acre lots, but the developers are seeking a planned development overlay, which would allow the smaller lots.

Written comments on the project can be sent to the Douglas County Community Development Department at P.O. Box 218, Minden, NV 89423.