'Hillbillies' sign, new church before county commission

Douglas County commissioners are set to hear items Thursday regarding the proposed sign for the Beverly Hillbillies Mansion and Casino and Valley Christian Fellowship's request for a new church near Silveranch.

Staff is recommending denial of a variance to allow an increase in the sign's maximum height from 30 to 90 feet and the sign area from 115 to 878 square feet.

Planning commissioners denied the variance in October by a 5-to-2 vote. This is the third appeal of a planning commission decision to be presented to commissioners for a proposed sign.

Members of Valley Christian Fellowship church are seeking a special use permit to build a 30,000-square-foot church and associated access and parking improvements on 5.43 acres adjacent to the Silveranch subdivision in the Gardnerville Ranchos.

At the November planning commission meeting, 18 people spoke in opposition to the request and two spoke in favor of it.

Staff is recommending county commissioners re-verse the planning commission and approve the appeal.

Both hearings are near the end of a 37-item agenda that gets under way at 1 p.m. at the Douglas County Administration Building in Minden.

- A do-over for the election in the Round Hill General Improvement District trustees due to an error on the ballot. The district miscounted the number of seats open in the election, so voters were told to cast ballots for two, not three open seats.

According to Clerk-Treasurer Ted Thran, that means they get a new election Jan. 13, which will cost the district $6,450.

Thran is asking county commissioners to order the election.

- A hearing on a draft proposal to consolidate the seven county-owned water systems.

The proposal outlined three options for consolidation: combine the Lake Tahoe and Carson Valley water systems, combine the Carson Valley water systems, or consolidate Lake Tahoe water systems.