County approves Walmart design

Appeals of Douglas County's conditional approval of a 152,495-square-foot Walmart Supercenter in south Gardnerville must be filed by 3 p.m. Dec. 21, according to Douglas County Community Development.

County code defines persons with standing to appeal as "any person with legal or equitable interest in the property affected by the final decision, or any person with legal or equitable interest in property located within the notice radius for the given project."

"No one has appealed it, but we've had a good handful of maybe 30 letters asking it be referred to the planning commission," county assistant planner Dirk Goering said on Friday.

He confirmed a letter of conditional approval was sent to Walmart developers on Monday.

"The 152,495-square-foot design was approved, including a final development plan," Goering said.

That final development plan includes an additional 11 commercial buildings clustered on the 24-acre site, acting as a buffer between Walmart and Highway 395.

"The condition in this letter is that when they build those, they'll have to come in for a staff report," Goering said.

He said 33 conditions of approval were included in the letter, ranging from street improvements to landscaping requirements.

Walmart's original plans were submitted to the Town of Gardnerville over the summer, sparking public debate about the suitability of the project.

Critics argued the 226-acre Virginia Ranch Specific Plan, which the Walmart site is part of, calls for village-like, pedestrian-friendly commercial development, not big-box retail stores.

"What should be of concern to you, as a board, is that the proposed Walmart would violate both the master plan and the Virginia Ranch Specific Plan," Foothills resident Jim Slade told the Gardnerville Town Board on Dec. 1.

Town board members split 2-2 at that meeting, leaving the Walmart design without approval.

Goering said Gardnerville's stalemate vote still served as a recommendation.

"We had to look at zoning and compliance with the specific plan," he said. "At the beginning of the specific plan, there are five goals that really had to be addressed. We felt they (developers) met four of them. The one about village-like development was kind of met with the other buildings, but not really with Walmart. We do recognize that, but once the majority of goals were met, it helped us with whether to move forward."

Goering said a specific plan can be vague.

"Goals are encouraged but not required," he said. "There are tips on how to mask large box buildings, and we felt this development used a lot of those points suggested in the specific plan."

On Friday, Community Development Director Mimi Moss said she has the authority to refer a design review to a higher board, but felt it was unnecessary with Walmart's application.

"If I believed it did not meet the county requirements, then I would have referred it," Moss said.

She said it's important for people to realize that the county's conditions are

placed on the whole development.

"It's the whole area, not just Walmart," she said. "It substantially meets the purpose and intent of the Virginia Ranch Specific Plan."

Moss said developers of the property have indicated agreement with the 30-plus conditions.