Carson City lists federal lands it wants

Carson City planners are putting together a list of properties in the capital they would like the federal government to sell off.

Principal Planner Lee Plemel said the city was invited by Nevada's congressional delegation to identify lands in the capital which should be released from federal control.

His presentation to the Carson River Advisory Committee was a preview of today's report to the Board of Supervisors. Plemel said city planners will continue taking the plan to different groups to get as much public comment before finalizing the proposal sometime in January.

It will then be drafted into legislation to be introduced in the U.S. Congress.

Plemel said most of the parcels identified so far are on the edge of urban Carson City.

"Generally, the properties are urban-interface properties," he said. " (The U.S. Forest Service) and (Bureau of Land Management) don't necessarily want to manage urban interface. They would rather manage lands farther up the hill."

He said that means federal agencies are more willing to sell off federal land adjacent to the developed parts of the city.

Many of the other parcels, he told the Carson River Advisory Committee, are within the city and already surrounded by private or city-owned land.

The meeting was originally supposed to be a joint session with the river advisory committee and the Open Space Advisory Committee, but only three members of the open space committee showed up - one less than a quorum.

That meant Chairman Steve Hartman and members Trisha Lincoln and Dan Jaquet were relegated to watching the presentation as members of the audience, rather than participating directly.

Plemel said the proposed lands map would also ask Congress to transfer federal lands leased by the city - the Edmonds sports complex and Carson River Park among others - to city ownership.

Plemel and Park Planner Vern Krahn said most of the lands would be transferred to city ownership for parks, recreation and other public uses.

But there are some pieces they intend to ask to be released for economic development - which means they would be sold to private developers.

That would include a piece of property in the southeast identified for residential development and the shooting range now surrounded by industrial development and a golf course.

Also on the list is a parcel next to the airport, which Krahn said will become another major regional park.

Supervisors will review the plan today.

n Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.