County, town meet with Walmart on design

County officials met with Gardnerville and Walmart representatives this week in preparation for a design review that begins with the town advisory board on Tuesday.

Community Development Director Mimi Moss said they identified issues with Walmart's elevations and some other changes that she expects to be fixed before the formal design review.

She said the administrative design review is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 21.

Gardnerville is scheduled to review Walmart's design at their regular meeting 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The item is third on the administrative agenda.

The board may advise Moss to approve the design with conditions, continue or deny the design.

Then it is up to the community development department to decide whether the project meets the county's and town's standards.

"I don't see the need to defer this to the planning commission," she said. "We'll look at what Gardnerville incorporates into the design review."

A design review examines what the building will look like and ensures it meets county requirements. If issues arise, the applicant can correct or appeal them. Moss said that a retail store on commercial property is an allowed use and that there isn't any other public process Walmart will have to go through to gain approval.

The 25-acre parcel Walmart is proposed to occupy was zoned general commercial by Douglas County commissioners in 2004.

Moss said the settlement of a lawsuit with the property owner had no effect on the specific site. The lawsuit settlement did potentially add 75 acres of commercial zoning to the Virginia Ranch subdivision, but both Moss and County Manager Michael Brown said the new zoning wasn't counter to the county's overall plan for that property.

The area was designated a receiving area for commercial development in the 1996 master plan.