Park Cattle zoning before commission

Commissioners could approve 5-acre zoning on 80 acres of Park Cattle Co. land just north of Toler and west of Orchard roads at Thursday's regular meeting, scheduled for 1 p.m. in the old courtroom of the Douglas County Administration Building.

This is the second reading for the zoning map amendment, which drew criticism after County Commissioner Doug Johnson suggested an alternative 10-acre zoning at the previous meeting.

He said the zoning is inconsistent with the area immediately surrounding the project, just one of the reasons he objected at the commission meeting in early June.

"I remember the whole Muller Parkway debate," he said at the meeting. "We were told over and over that these rights-of-way provided by developers would be good for us. This amendment is not good for us, only Park Cattle Company."

In exchange for rights-of-way and a location adjustment for the proposed Muller Parkway, county officials promised five-acre zoning on the parcel, according to District Attorney Scott Doyle.

"Park Cattle joined with Orchard Road neighbors and agreed to five-acre lots because we moved the road west," said Deputy District Attorney Tom Perkins. "We have a development agreement and it's part of the ordinance."

"Then we have no choice," said commissioner David Brady.

"The decision has been made and this amendment implements that decision," Perkins said.

"Could we approve 10-acre parcels," Johnson said.

"I'm not comfortable with it, but I'm not a member of the commission," Perkins said. "When you give people your word, you keep it."

Commissioners approved five-acre parcels for the first reading on this zoning map amendment, the vote 3-2 with Brady and Johnson voting in opposition.

In other business:

• Commissioners could support retaining the Minden-Tahoe Airport as a base for the air tankers used to fight fires, a move being considered by the Bureau of Land Management.

Should the base move, response times on the Sierra Front could increase significantly and firefighters would lose that first critical hour, according to Kevin Johnson, Minden Air Attack base manager for the bureau.

• Commissioners could approve a new 302-home development on 80 acres in the Gardnerville Ranchos. Tillman Lane will divide the project into two separate neighborhoods, one with 8,000-square-foot and the other with 5,000-square-foot lots.

A 2.5-acre site dedicated by the developer for a school could be converted for other uses, like a fire station or park.

In letters to the planning commission, residents expressed concerns about the lack of open space, parks and walking trails as well as flooding issues from Tillman Lane to Kimmerling Road.

Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.

What: Douglas County Commissioners meeting

When: 1 p.m. Thursday

Where: Old courtroom of the Douglas County Administration Building, 1616 Eighth St. in Minden

A closed meeting to discuss labor negotiations with the East Fork Fire and paramedic Districts is scheduled for 11 a.m.