DMV to move to Center at Waterloo in Gardnerville

Carson Valley residents will have a bigger, better Department of Motor Vehicles in Gardnerville this fall, according to Tom Jacobs, public information officer.

"We are going from 3,500 square feet in Minden to 5,021 in Gardnerville," Jacobs said. "We'll have room to grow."

The new office is expected to open sometime in October in the Center at Waterloo, a new 60,000-square-foot commercial center next to Lampe Park.

"It's a better lease for the state," Jacobs said. "The new location will have a separate debriefing and testing room for drivers license applicants, an information booth, more counters and more room for technicians, and more parking space for customers."

The DMV's 10-year lease of the Minden building on County Road expired in July, but an extension was granted to find a new location.

In December, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners approved the $810,000 purchase of the Minden property, which could be used for elections, part of the expansion of the nearby county library or as an administrative office for East Fork Fire & Paramedic Districts, according to county officials.

The new DMV could share parking space with a large fitness center interested in the Waterloo mall.

"We are close to signing a large fitness facility," said Gary Moreira, associate of property manager Grubb & Ellis. "We also have a letter of intent from a wireless store, and we are hopeful about a letter of intent from a juice company."

Remaining space in the commercial center could be used as offices, Moreira said.