Carson supervisors move ahead on RV park, Lompa

The Board of Supervisors approved changes to two properties in Carson City, making way for a proposed RV park and new residential development.

The board voted to amend the Land Use Master Plan to re-designate 3.94 acres at 1588 Old Hot Springs Road from Industrial to Community/Regional Commercial, and to amend the Master Plan to create the Blackstone Ranch Specific Plan for 26.89 acres of Lompa Ranch off Railroad Drive.

At the same time, the supervisors introduced on first reading two ordinances, one to change the zoning on the Old Hot Springs Road parcel from General Industrial to Tourist Commercial, and another to change the Lompa Ranch property zoning from Agriculture to Single Family 6000.

Richard Langson, the Old Hot Springs Road property owner, spoke during public comment and said plans were to build a more upscale RV park on the land, where another RV park once existed.

The Lompa Ranch acreage had been back and forth between the supervisors and the Planning Commission, which made the recommendation to the board.

The main issue was a secondary access road for the property, which is landlocked and can only be reached now via Railroad Drive.

Residents on and off Railroad Drive spoke at both commission and board meetings about traffic and noise concerns.

Supervisors Karen Abowd and Lori Bagwell thanked the homeowners for working with the applicant and the city to come to an acceptable solution.

In the end, the commission recommended and the board approved a condition a second access road built to rural standards must be installed before construction, and it must be brought up to city standards with curb, gutter, and sidewalks when any development approved there is at 75 percent build out.

The board spent the most time of its two-hour meeting discussing changes to the fire code.

The fire department adopts the International Fire Code, the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code, and the Northern Nevada Fire Amendments every six years.

As part of the process, the city solicits public feedback and issues a business impact statement. The city didn’t receive any public comment, but the supervisors went over about a dozen changes to the code.

“I just want to put on the record some of the impacts,” said Supervisor Brad Bonkowski. “We have an obligation for public safety and at same time we have an obligation not to over-regulate and overburden businesses.”

Some of the changes covered were state law. The city publishes a guideline with commonly used code, including state code also published elsewhere, so builders can use a single resource, said Dave Ruben, fire marshal.

Some of the changes involved requirements for homes built in the wildland-urban interface, where water flows don’t meet fire code.

The city works with other fire departments in the region, including Washoe County, to develop code specific to Northern Nevada conditions, said Ruben.

The supervisors introduced on first reading the fire code amendments.

The board on Thursday consisted of three members — Abowd, Bagwell, and Bonkowski — because Mayor Bob Crowell and Supervisor John Barrette were absent.