Minden approves apartments near high school

The Minden Town Board voted 4-1 Wednesday to approve an affordable housing complex next to Douglas High School after the developer reduced the project from three buildings to two.

Mahogany Court is to have 21 two- and three-bedroom apartments in a two-story building and a three-story building at the entrance to the upscale Westwood subdivision.

The proposed project is on a 1.42-acre parcel at the south end of the Douglas High School parking lot and across from the Carson Valley Swim Center and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meeting house.

"It appears as though a lot of contentious issues have been worked through," town board member Robert Hadfield said. "I looked at their Indian Hills project and I am impressed with their management. It is active management. They do move people out. If they do as they've done in the past, it could meet a housing need in this community."

Board member Steve Thaler, who lives in Westwood, voted against the project.

Town counsel George Keele said there was no conflict of interest for Thaler to vote on the project.

"It's a great project, but it's in the wrong location," Thaler said. "We probably can't stop it, but maybe there is the right project out there for that location. It's not just because I live there."

Jim Hales, whose property is closest to the complex, said neighbors remained opposed to the apartments.

"Our objection always has been to the density and lack of space on the ground," Hales said.

The developer answered some of those concerns by reducing the number of buildings to two.

"With the taller silhouettes of the swimming pool and the church, the three-story building will not look so out of place," Hales said.

Board member Ross Chichester recommended developers erect a decorative fence on the Mahogany Drive side of the project as a safety device.

"There will be a lot of young families living there. I would be concerned a little one gets out and dashes into the street. I would like to see Mahogany fenced off. You're putting a lot of people in a small area," Chichester said.

The board granted a variance that removed a requirement for three spaces for recreational vehicles.

"I believe this type of housing is needed in the community," Hadfield said. "I understand the concerns, there is an opportunity to do this right. (Developer) Pacific West has the capability to do it," Hadfield said.

Board members talked about eliminating parking along Mahogany, but agreed that would be a subject for a later meeting.

"If we want to take parking off a major street, we'd better notice it," Hadfield said. "That goes beyond ordinary design review."

The project will target families earning up to 44.9 percent of the area median income for Douglas County, according to developers.

Developers hope to begin construction in March with a completion date in mid-October.

The next stop for the project is county planning commissioners who will hear the variance request on Tuesday.